Why is the standard of spelling and use of the English language so much worse than it was, say, 30 years ago?

Question

I could probably answer this myself, but I would like to see other people's opinions.

Answer 1

I think there are a number of reasons:
First media and advertising.
Children watch television from a young age and coincidental with when they are learning to spell.Very often product promotion deliberately misspells words as a marketing/branding ploy and ignores grammar altogether to avoid sounding 'uncool'
Black American and Caribbean influence.(And No I am not being racist)
Imported words and phraseology from these sources have corrupted proper English both written and oral.
Poor teaching and the failure in schools to encourage elocution and debating
Examination emphasis on content with disregard for spelling and grammar.
Liberal attitude in society where parents and other adults just don't bother to correct misuse of language in children.
Almost universal abandonment of proper punctuation.
The conflict between opposing American and English spellings which serve only to confuse.

Answer 2

Long before thirty years ago, English was actually a Romantic Language. All romantic languages are Latin based. English now is an eclectic language and has slipped far from the mooring of typical romantic languages. Typically over time, slang becomes part of the vernacular and accepted. The rules of English grammar have changed in "Elements of Style" enormously since the book was first published. Kids today are dumbed down. Internationally the Asian kids kick our butts. In fact we are looking at a future where all the engineers will be foreign, and America won't produce any, or very few. Television, movies, X-box are now our elements of style. Over the years they have had to make the SAT's easier for our kids. 2+2 is now whatever feels good. Kids are now graduating from high school who are functionally illiterate. They have a hard time deciphering See Spot run.

Answer 3

We used to learn to read by reading books. In published books all the words are spelt correctly and we can then reproduce these words correctly in our own writing.

Modern technology such as the internet and mobile phones and automatic spelling checks on word processors, which change the word to the correct spelling before you even know it is spelt wrongly, is to blame for the lower standards we see now.

By reading blogs, internet forums and Y!A we are reading more things which are spelled badly and this spreads through the language like a disease. Since I have started reading blogs etc. my spelling has deteriorated and I have to think carefully about every word I write! I used to be able to spell automatically. We now have to try and raise standards by going back to traditional methods and reading more good quality literature.

Gangster culture and street talk are also to blame to some extent. What is worse is when the teachers of the kids that talk in this way try and use the language in an attempt to get on the same wavelength as them. Makes me cringe.

I gotta aksks ya what ya talkin abaat innit!

Answer 4

The over use of text speak, informal emails and in general the lack of time most people have to proof read and punctuate.

People rarely read for pleasure, so their vocabulary is poor and they don't see good examples of the correct use of words and punctuation.

Would you be after people's opinion or all of the peoples' opinions? Sorry, I'm far from perfect, but i do try to maintain a decent standard.

I don't know for certain, but examiners probably don't mark you down for poor use of english or miss spelt words in non english subjects. No incentive.

Answer 5

Some idiot has said that English is a Romantic language. Why do people offer 'facts' when they haven't got a clue what they're talking about...
English is a Germanic language. Yes, about 60% of our vocabulary is of Latin derivation. Why? Well, what happened in 1066?
Look at our most common verbs verbs of motion, for instance: go, run, walk, step, swim. Then look at the German equivalent.

Answer 6

There is much more pressure on people now and this makes speed important. Accuracy suffers as checking takes time. Also, people care more about feelings, emotions, openness and sincerity. Today's motto is, "Just say what you mean; don't worry too much about linguistic accuracy." Finally, the emphasis in exams has changed. Marks are increasingly awarded for the message rather than the accuracy of its expression. This has affected teaching and teachers' prioities.

Answer 7

Two things spring to mind:
1: Lack of parental control and encouragement, and
2: Mobile phones with all their bldy txt msgs - if you get my drift! If they can spell it phonetically and shorten words and get away with it for long enough they think it's correct!

Answer 8

I think it is because the teaching standards are now much lower than it use to be.
Even the teachers can't spell.

Answer 9

Classes are to big and parents don't have the time to teach there children (both have to work to pay the bills etc)

Answer 10

Students today don't care as much about such things as the students years ago! They're too lazy and spoiled to do better, and teachers today have new criteria: "No One Left Behind" doesn't cut it!!!!