You know the overused but very insightful cliché “never judge a book by its cover”? In the blog post “Literacy Privilege: How I Learned to Check Mine Instead of Making Fun of People’s Grammar on the Internet,” this is put to the test. While they say that good grammar is a sign of intelligence, this blogger clearly lays out why one should not judge another based on his or her grammar and she takes it a step further in saying that correcting other people’s grammar makes you nothing but condescending, elitist, and annoying.
This blogger used to consider herself a grammar snob. She would, as she bluntly put it, “rail and rip” people apart for using improper grammar. Four years ago, she was hired in a program that helps disadvantaged adults acquire fundamental literacy skills. She claims that this experience was not only eye opening, but also mind-opening. In this job, she learned that being nit-picky about the language skills of perfect strangers is “kind of an asshole move.”
She goes on to say when you hear someone using improper or even poor grammar, specifically on the Internet, consider these things. The writer may be dyslexic. He may have spent his childhood being shamed or belittled by his teachers and peers because his brain works differently from theirs. He might have come from an abusive home, where keeping his body and spirit together, not focusing on English studies, came first. She goes on to name more possible situations for this man’s poor grammar. She also looks at this from the other side. What if this man, with his poor grammar, likes to express his obnoxious opinions in childish ways and picks fights with anyone who disagrees. This scenario makes it far more tempting to criticize this man for his improper diction. However, there are problems with this approach as well.
Judgments about what is considered “right”, “good”, and “correct” in writing and grammar always – ALWAYS (as the blogger strongly emphasizes) – align with characteristics of the dialects spoken by privileged, mostly wealthy, mostly white people. We make judgments based on learned biases. An emotional attachment to a specific way of doing things can be responsible as well.
The issue of literacy is by no means trivial, either. The latest statistics from the International Adult Literacy Survey show that “nearly half of all North American adults cannot cope with complex written material of the sort that the other half of us take completely for granted.” This, according to the blogger, should be considered a national crisis.
Back to the one of the main points of not judging a book by its cover, we need to become more committed to finding better ways to engage with people whose opinions, experiences, and means of expressions are different from ours.
Correcting other people’s grammar - Do you agree? Do you believe that one’s grammar should be overlooked while looking for deeper meanings in what he or she is trying to communicate? Should we cease trying to correct other’s grammar as studies have shown that is does not truly improve grammar? Or is proper grammar and good diction a sign of intelligence that has to be considered when listening to one’s argument?
My father is dyslexic, so I am able to relate to what the author of the blog is saying about people with learning disabilities, and also agree that the most important thing is what the person is trying to say. However, I also believe that grammar is important, and tend to correct it. If that person doesn't learn, for what ever reason, at least maybe some one who really does want to use correct grammar in all their writing will.
ReplyDeleteI was always that girl who was being corrected by my friends. They didn't do it to be mean, it was more of a joking sense. It is annoying to me when people do this, because I am the kind of person who gets nervous when speaking and stumbles my words, bad! I know what I want to say but it doesn't come out that way. However, it makes sense for people who are really good at speaking and grammar to naturally correct people. Perhaps it is just a mechanism to spread the word, keep good grammar alive. I do find that people use it as a target when engaging in fights via the internet as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen I notice someone slipped up their words, I usually don't say anything. It is awkward to me and it doesn't effect my day if that's the way they want to say something. Not to mention people learn different ways based on when/where they grew up. For example, my mom says "onplug" instead of "unplug" and I tried for years to correct her. To this day she says onplug. That's when I decided it was a lost cause. I notice I am corrected a lot by my boyfriend, because he doesn't want me to look silly in front of people!
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ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic that I can definitely relate to. I find proper grammar to be a crucial part of our daily speech and how we present ourselves. I am basing my topic for my paper around the aspects of grammar in the workplace, so that is another reason for why I enjoyed this article so much. As I stated I can relate with the author because I often find myself wanting to say something when someone is using poor grammar, though it is not because I want to be smug about it, but because I want to help them perform better. Though I feel I must hold back for I do not want to come off as if I am placing myself above someone else. Also my own grammar is not always the best, so who am I to judge? Great job highlighting these key points. This was a very helpful blog that will aid me in my research for my final paper.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to what the author of the blog in terms of correcting another person's grammar. While I usually don't correct someone's grammar in everyday circumstances, such as talking out in public, unless I can't even to begin to understand what the person is saying. Also, I'm not forgiving in terms of the grammar on the internet, particularly spelling. I feel that it depends on the environment and if the message is getting across, whether or not grammar needs to be corrected.
ReplyDeleteLike many others here, I can also relate to the author. I have good intentions when it comes to correcting others' grammatical errors, and I generally only correct people if they make a major mistake. Generally when I do criticize others' grammar, it happens online, rather than in everyday conversation. While I do it to be helpful, I can see how it could be taken as condescending. Like Chase said, it really depends on the context in which the mistake is made.
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