Is it me or do most of the people that ask/answer questions seem illiterate?

Answer 1

I think many people online are just in a hurry and fail to proofread their work (even with spelling checkers available!). Also, the online culture for younger people is rife with abbreviated words and screwy spelling. I try to remember that this is media for communicating, and as long as the message is getting through, that's what counts (though I do cringe, since I'm an English teacher).

Answer 2

Like the other English teacher, I concur. Not everyone on here speaks English as a first language, and even if they are American, Canadian or European, there's no guarantee that they are fluent or literate. Add to this the abbreviations and buzzwords and personal style, plus age, wisdom (or lack thereof), and you have the makings of an international forum where everyone attempts to speak the same language, but not all of the meanings or messages are clear.

It does appear that quite a few people who answer may not be fluent or quite literate, which would make them sub-literate. Remember that even with universal education in America, the average reading rate is about 6th grade level. Ultimately this is not the fault of the schools of course -- it's the fault of the INDIVIDUAL to get up off his or her a-s-s, read and write everyday and make sure to get his or her own education. Parents play a role too in making sure kids get read to, talked to, played with, given play time and free, unstructured time.

Later on, parents are responsible for inculcating and instilling good study habits, as well as modeling good reading and writing themselves. Ultimately parents are the first teachers -- so kindly do me and all other teachers a favor, Marty, and shut the hell up about the educational system, unless you are a teacher or a principal, and not just some mouthy malcontent who isn't a teacher or a principal, who doesn't know any teachers and who has no direct knowledge of the educational system, and who just wants to cry, "O tempora! O mores!". Sorry, that's only about 2,000 years old, if not older.

Just take what you see here with a grain of salt. As a dear, sweet, kind, compassionate assistant principal told me in my first years of teaching, "We are all just making it the best way we can." His words ring true today and always. No, people don't always spellcheck. Not everyone is required to spell or punctuate perfectly. Email, chat and all electronic media are transient, changeable and of the moment. So long as the message comes through and is understandable, that's what counts.

But to make sure that the message is understood, good grammar and spelling count. You don't want to have someone be so confused over your spelling and grammar that they miss the meaning! It's up to all of us to do our best when answering, and if that means slowing down a little, using spell-check, re-reading and doing a little tinkering, it's worth it.

It always impresses me that people really do want to help others; that's the main reason to answer questions. I imagine that when people know the answer to something, they may get excited and want to answer right away, so maybe their grammar and spelling aren't 100% perfect. I for one don't care if the grammar and spelling are perfect; I just appreciate people responding and helping me out, and I want to return the favor.

Cheers, I hope this helps. -- K

Answer 3

They're not illiterate, or else they couldn't read or write. They do, however, seem to have a very poor understanding of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I'm not sure if they're really ignorant or if they're just lazy.

Answer 4

I can't quite understand your question. The poor grammer and structure makes it hard to really know what you are asking. Try this:
Are most Yahoo!Answers users illiterate, like me?

Answer 5

They're not illiterate or asking and answering would be impossible for them. Undereducated, perhaps, but they are not illiterate.

Answer 6

dude they are not illiterate it just that we r 2 lzy 2 spell

Answer 7

It's funny that one of the posters mentioned that it was liberals who were illiterate, when most of the pro-Bush, hard-core conservative posts I've seen here have been somewhere along the lines of, "Wat doo u tinhk a dose damm librals, letts bomm evry1!"

But to answer your question, yes. Yes, they do.

Answer 8

They are, and they're usually liberals, who ironically believe they're smarter and superior than everyone else.

Also, you can see the horrible job the school system has done, as most of those illiterates are teenagers.

Being in a hurry is no excuse.

Answer 9

it must be you cause I'm not illiterate

Answer 10

Only you!