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The Internet and the Spread of Illiteracy
- Thread starter Dirt Bag
- Start date
define "Now"
I agree 100%. Did you know that in my country you are obliged to know at least 3 different languages before graduating from High School?
We have to pass tests for at least the following languages: Dutch, French, English and in several directions also German.
Many are also capable of Spanish and Italian.
We get schooled right after kindergarten in the above languages. No fun, but a big asset later on in life.
Communication and social skills are the basis in life. How else are you going to study for a profession? Or in later life deal with clients/patients? You must be able to proper communicate and have also the necessary social skills to gain deals or make patients trust you.
You mean that in America this is done on purpose? That the 'educated' people deliberately want to keep people dumb? Is this real or a conspiracy theory?
I heard that University/College can be very expensive in America. Is this true? My parents paid for my University education between 1,5 and 2k euro for each year. This included books too. Still expensive but it pays itself back.
Pidgin
Pidgin
Pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from several languages
Prehaps it should be called PIGdin.A
Pidgin
Pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from several languages
Prehaps it should be called PIGdin.A
insomniac_AU
Active member
I envy you. I'd love to be even bilingual. I did 4 years of elective French classes at school but only took it to avoid another class I didn't want to do. I can't speak a word and wouldn't embarrass myself trying these days. I can kind of work out what's being said if it's written down and I have time to analyse it.
Totally agree about communication and social skills being key to success in life. I might add I shouldn't have said "people who should know better" before. I realise things happen in some people's lives particularly when they are young that they have little control over. I was more lamenting the system.
As of 2010, less than 7% of the global population have a four year college degree.
Grab some tissues and take a gander at the statistics on this site:
https://www.globalpartnership.org/data-and-results/education-data
Global population is expected to level off near 2070, perhaps
there may be a chance to save ourselves and the planet we inhabit.
Grab some tissues and take a gander at the statistics on this site:
https://www.globalpartnership.org/data-and-results/education-data
Global population is expected to level off near 2070, perhaps
there may be a chance to save ourselves and the planet we inhabit.
Gry
Well-known member
Google up "The Powell Memo", for an overview from any source you are comfortable with.
Here is a link to a pdf of the original 34 page document.
https://dy00k1db5oznd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Lewis-Powell-Memo.pdf
If you merely glance through it, you will quickly come to understand
that it is an incredibly powerful document which was in essence
a blueprint that was used to take the United States from where
it was in 1971, to where it is today.
In 1971, the average person could obtain a decent education
by working a part time job.
Today, it is not at all uncommon for kids to graduate with insane
levels of debit.
The term conspiracy theory like many other odd things was coined by a
US government agency.
You know deep inside which one it was.
PDX Dopesmoker
Active member
Bob Cratchit raised a family of 8 children, one with costly medical problems, and he kept a wife who didn't work and he owned his own house in London. All this on a salary of 15 measly shillings. Bob's educational qualifications to live in his own home and raise a large family in what was at the time the wealthiest and most powerful metropolis on the plantet? He could do simple arithmetic, a 2nd grade level of education.
Dickens uses this guy as a personification of poverty and bad luck, but compare Bob Cratchit to your average Joe Sixpack today and Bob is laughing his ass off at Joe's 90 minute round trip daily commute, college debt, tax debt and lack of safety net.
St. Phatty
Active member
It is ridiculous cost-wise.
I went to university in the late 70's. Tuition was $4000 a year.
I have taken about 15 continuing ed classes in the years since, normal college classes in programming etc.
Most recently, at a local community college - Chemistry.
It was more expensive than a 4 year university 40 years ago.
Was going to take the full year, but the lab instructor said I was disruptive for bringing a gas mask to class (I'm allergic to most kinds of smoke and knew they'd be burning stuff.)
Found out that I REALLY like the content. Then made the mistake of following the lab instructor's advice and got "Glossitis" (Tongue was swollen red from exposure to smoke from burning metal salts.)
Started looking around.
ETH Zurich !! Cheaper than most colleges & universities in the US.
Many US colleges at this point are like High School - run by the TSA.
The opposite of "then".
i really don't care if someone cannot "properly" construct a paragraph etc. but if you cannot spell (or won't even try), nor make a sentence understandable, then you have exactly zero chance (in my eyes) of persuading others to your line of thought. even worse is phonetic spelling. utter gibberish, sorry. you want to convince people? act like you have a damn clue...
or "later". maybe "never" ?
i give up...Much of this for me is navigating a tiny phone keyboard. Frequently my mistakes are noticed after I have typed a bunch and in my experience I am only one touch from making it worse. So for each individual error I notice I quickly size up the pros and cons of editing. A few times I have looked at some of my old posts and feel fairly safe in assuming that particular post was typed on LSD. I guess if I think about it my internet use is for entertainment and research. Maybe I should view my posts as more of a document than a conversation in which I do not feel like proof reading.
or "later". maybe "never" ?
Yes, perhaps never is more accurate as now pairs with then and also later in Now and Then and Now and Later but is the option in Now or Never . However, technically all are the opposition to the current now.
Not sure how the taffy from the 70's fits in the picture.
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Fo me as a Non-English person this is one the most difficult things in the English language. It all sound the same and you need to know the grammar rules behind it to correctly use it.
Let me have a go at it:
(Correct me if I made a mistake)
I just saw two of my neighbours driving in their car. I think they're going to the store. That reminds me that I need to go too.
What gets me - is when someone posts a huge block of text - without any paragraphs or breaks in it - and you are supposed to read it like that.
