Thought Experiment - Write Like You Speak.

[László]

I was thinking about Ruger's thread on spelling and punctuation this afternoon as I was reading post after post demonstrating that people must have been asleep in their third grade English class. But that's not my pet peeve. I have a different axe to grind.

Back in the 80s one of the big things in law was learning to write documents in what was called Plain English. The idea was to eliminate the "whereof" and "heretofore" stylistic flourishes, and write documents that people could read and understand. I was very enthusiastic about this. I really hated the King James style that was still prevalent in legal instruments after 350 years.

I've always appreciated folks who could write the way they speak.

I still see people writing things they probably wouldn't say in conversation on Forums, things like, "I purchased a new guitar X days ago and I'm very pleased with it."

Really? You go home to your significant other and say something like, "Yes, dear, I purchased this new guitar, isn't it lovely? I'm very pleased with it!"

I'll bet you don't. I'll bet that in conversation you say something more like, "Check out this new guitar I bought - it's awesome!"

You're not living in 1885. You're living in 2015.

Maybe it's time to write like you're living in 2015! It's OK to buy something. You don't have to write that you purchased it. You can like something. You can love something. You can hate something. But for god's sake, unless you're a lot older than me (and I am the oldest person on this board!), please don't write that you're "pleased with it" as though you're Queen Victoria or Louis XIV being "pleased" by the tribute of your loyal subjects, and waving away the other supplicants seeking your royal favor.

I could think of other examples, but I've probably offended enough of you for now.

 

[JustRob]

I'm going to offend a lot more, and most likely be banned, if I type how I speak!

 

[dmatthews]

I could think of other examples, but I've probably offended enough of you for now.

Not entirely sure just exactly who you believe you are offending, but I do tend to write the way I speak... generally... without the expletives...roud:

 

[justmund]

Interesting points Les, I find I use a lot of brackets when I'm writing posts (mainly to give back story or expansion on a point), and I reckon there's probably a better way of communicating whatever it is I'm trying to communicate, but I actually do that in real life as well. I'll often go on a little tangent and then get back to the story with an "anyway" and continue.

What I find bizarre is talking to someone after having communicated via text for some time (email, forum etc). I used to do that a lot in my old job and it was always a funny first few minutes of "oh, that's what you sound like". Most or all the accent, enthusiasm (or lack of it), emotion etc gets lost when stuff is written down, and it's just crazy when those bits and pieces are filled in.

 

[Bluesboy998]

Ma'i redlo naht ouy Sel.

 

[alantig]

I still see people writing things they probably wouldn't say in conversation on Forums, things like, "I purchased a new guitar X days ago and I'm very pleased with it."

Really? You go home to your significant other and say something like, "Yes, dear, I purchased this new guitar, isn't it lovely? I'm very pleased with it!"

I'll bet you don't. I'll bet that in conversation you say something more like, "Check out this new guitar I bought - it's awesome!"

No - I go home to my wife and say, "You just never mind what's in this case and don't worry about how many guitars I need. That's not your business. Now get in the kitchen and bake me a pie!"

Later, when I come to...



There are times when I am a bit more formal in my writing, but in general, I tend to write like I speak (or try to, anyway). Some time ago, a co-worker said that getting e-mail from me was like getting a phone call. I'm not entirely sure it was a compliment, but I took it as one.

I tend not to stammer so much when I'm writing - but that's the beauty of editing!

 

[markintime]

Wait for it..............




How old ARE you?





Les.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

It takes way more effort to type "Bangin'!" in properly than to let auto-correct fill in "Banging" incorrectly. The struggle is real.

 

[László]

Wait for it..............How old ARE you? Les.

 

[Brian Baker]

Yo Les, you have several issues teed-up at the same time.

From my perspective, few people express themselves concisely or precisely, in writing or speech. Including lawyers.

Archaic legalese (e.g. "party of the first part", "party of the second part", etc.) harkens to the days that lawyers were paid by the word. Under that system, being concise was not the motivator.

Conversation tends to include incomplete/unfinished sentences, gestures, and sound effects. Ambiguities abound, yet comprehension is high (depending on how engaged the conversants may be).

Musicians tend to be terrible communicators outside the context of music. I vividly remember trying, really hard, to have a "conversation" with Mick Fleetwood, and a couple dozen other name brand musicians. Ouch.

Conversation/communication can be an art form in and of itself. Not limited to poetry, and fiction. Story telling (written or oral) is oft referenced as a "lost art". Even journalism can be art: caputure and convey the essence, evoke perception or emotion, clarify, invite attention.

So say what you mean, and mean what you say. Unless you intend deception.

 

[CVS]

I write like I speak - direct & to the point. Enough said?

 

[tabl10s]

I was thinking about Ruger's thread on spelling and punctuation this afternoon as I was reading post after post demonstrating that people must have been asleep in their third grade English class. But that's not my pet peeve. I have a different axe to grind.

Back in the 80s one of the big things in law was learning to write documents in what was called Plain English. The idea was to eliminate the "whereof" and "heretofore" stylistic flourishes, and write documents that people could read and understand. I was very enthusiastic about this. I really hated the King James style that was still prevalent in legal instruments after 350 years.

I've always appreciated folks who could write the way they speak.

I still see people writing things they probably wouldn't say in conversation on Forums, things like, "I purchased a new guitar X days ago and I'm very pleased with it."

Really? You go home to your significant other and say something like, "Yes, dear, I purchased this new guitar, isn't it lovely? I'm very pleased with it!"

I'll bet you don't. I'll bet that in conversation you say something more like, "Check out this new guitar I bought - it's awesome!"

You're not living in 1885. You're living in 2015.

Maybe it's time to write like you're living in 2015! It's OK to buy something. You don't have to write that you purchased it. You can like something. You can love something. You can hate something. But for god's sake, unless you're a lot older than me (and I am the oldest person on this board!), please don't write that you're "pleased with it" as though you're Queen Victoria or Louis XIV being "pleased" by the tribute of your loyal subjects, and waving away the other supplicants seeking your royal favor.

I could think of other examples, but I've probably offended enough of you for now.

Go to any coffee shop and listen to anyone in their 30s and below have a conversation and it will probably go something like this:

"......like......like......like...like.....like......like". And on top of that, they'll do it in the style where everything sounds like a question. I used to think it was a California phenomenon at first, but then remembered that there's a speech style in Ireland and Australia that sounds like that(I'm from England). It's as irritating as little girls calling each other "dude"(I got my youngest out of that habit quickly).

When my kids are at home, proper grammar has to be used and has been a struggle since the Wife uses "at", "huh" and "though"(thank God, she doesn't put emphasis on "it")at the end of a sentence.

 

[László]

Yo Les, you have several issues teed-up at the same time.

From my perspective, few people express themselves concisely or precisely, in writing or speech. Including lawyers.

Archaic legalese (e.g. "party of the first part", "party of the second part", etc.) harkens to the days that lawyers were paid by the word. Under that system, being concise was not the motivator.

I agree, many lawyers aren't concise, and most were still writing in an archaic style even when I left my law practice to go into music. But that was 25 years ago, and from what I've seen since, they're better at plain English now.

The only legal documents I see these days are related to music licensing, publishing and copyrights, and they're still using phrases like, "Notwithstanding anything set forth hereinabove to the contrary..." Honest. It's still in many contemporary music rights and other entertainment industry agreements!

However, the idea that lawyers were paid by the word is thought by many scholars to be an old joke. Beats me, I wasn't around before the middle of the last century.

 

[RedGuitars]

Doctor speak is the worst! I am a cancer survivor and get regular CT scans - trying to decipher what they write on the those scan results is ridiculous... I had one that said a lesion was not appreciated... I'm thinking well, I have a lesion, and I don't appreciate it either -but what it really meant was a previous lesion was no longer there...

Why do Doc's have to make up their own language? Why can't they just use the same one we use?

 

[xjbebop]

F'n A .....

 

[rugerpc]

My sides are hurting from laughing at the 'correct' English and grammar in this thread...

Stop it....

I can't take any more!

there, their, they're...

 

[László]

Go to any coffee shop and listen to anyone in their 30'system and below have a conversation and it will probably go something like this:

"......like......like......like...like.....like......like". And on top of that, they'll do it in the style where everything sounds like a question. I used to think it was a California phenomenon at first, but then remembered that there's a speech style in Ireland and Australia that sounds like that(I'm from England). It's as irritating as little girls calling each other "dude"(I got my youngest out of that habit real quick).

When my kid's are at home, proper grammar has to be used and has been a struggle since the Wife uses "at", "huh" and "though"(thank God, she doesn't put emphasis on "it")at the end of a sentence.

That should be 30s and kids if you want to indicate the plural and not the possessive. It would have been correct to say really quickly, and not real quick, though it would be better form not to use the two words together.

Put that in your kids' curriculum and quit screwing up yourself, Dad.

Doctor speak is the worst! I am a cancer survivor and get regular CT scans - trying to decipher what they write on the those scan results is ridiculous... I had one that said a lesion was not appreciated... I'm thinking well, I have a lesion, and I don't appreciate it either -but what it really meant was a previous lesion was no longer there...

Why do Doc's have to make up their own language? Why can't they just use the same one we use?

Hello! For the same reason you used the possessive (and wrong capitalization), Doc's instead of the plural, docs: confusion over how to write the language. :hello:

I think Ruger and I were the only ones who didn't fall asleep in our third grade English classes.

 

[LindseyP]

Writing "like I speak" is pretty much what I do since proper speaking is the way I was reared. Spending the past 30 years as a journalist has pretty much cemented my speaking and writing style. What you've just read is what you will hear in person.

 

[mad monk]

My sides are hurting from laughing at the 'correct' English and grammar in this thread...

Stop it....

I can't take any more!

there, their, they're...

Punctuation. A lost art.

 

[alantig]

there, their, they're...

That's better.