Language: Tirades & Judgement

I've often heard, or read, friends and colleagues complain about people's bad grammar or spelling. It's usually because the misuse of language has caused some confusion and led to some misunderstanding. However, sometimes these complaints turn into tirades and judgement.

People are judged for making grammar and spelling mistakes. Even the word “mistake” implies someone is to blame. This judgement, in the form of tirades, includes correlations between mistakes in the use of language features and characteristics such as carelessness, irresponsibility, laziness, lack of intelligence, or even being immoral.

Although I admit that I agree everyone should communicate in a clear manner, that some level of responsibility is expected in interactions just as we expect a driver to signal when changing lanes, and that I have told my students working on the second draft of their essay to stop being lazy and check the dictionary, I believe some of these are correlations are exaggerated.

As someone who has taught college students, I have personally met many intelligent students who make mistakes in their syntax and spelling. I've also met other professors who make mistakes in their writing. Therefore, I cannot agree that a person lacks intelligence for not using correct linguistic features. Also, people who call others immoral due to linguistic mistakes do so because they firmly believe by misusing linguistic features they are ruining the language. In reality, language constantly evolves; it always has. Some features in language become more simplified for practical reasons, and many new words are added due to advances and changes in society.

The truth is everyone makes mistakes, even those who accuse others of ruining the language. Linguists make mistakes. Grammarians make them, too. So do proofreaders. And writers make mistakes. I have been a linguist, a grammar instructor, a proofreader, and a writer for decades; I am good at my job and I pay attention to details... and I make mistakes. Nobody is perfect.

Language is sometimes the focus and sometimes just a tool for interaction.

If language is used merely as a tool to communicate in areas other than language itself and the mistakes in grammar or spelling don't confuse anyone or render the communication ambiguous in a way that would impact the outcome of the interaction, mistakes are tolerable, no matter who misuses language features. No harm, no foul.

In my line of work, language is the focus, and there's an unspoken expectation of me, and of my colleagues, to have mastered it to some level because it is a required qualification for the job.

However, it would be unreasonable to expect everyone to have that command of language. For instance, I not only accept mistakes from my students, who are from other countries and learning English as a second language, but expect it from them. Making errors in syntax is one of the stages of language acquisition. Besides, if they mastered their language skills, they wouldn't belong in my class.

Today, many people interact on various social media platforms, and English is often used in many conversations. Although as a linguist, I appreciate those who have mastered the English language and use it properly and, as an ESL instructor, I applaud those for whom English is a second or third language, but use it well, I cannot expect it.

English spelling is very irregular. Many letters are written but not pronounced and many sounds are heard but not written. Letter combination may sound one way in one word and a completely different way in another. To make my students aware of the irregularities in the English language, on the first day of class, I write the word “ghoti” on the board and ask every single student to pronounce it. After everyone has had a turn, I shock the students by telling them it's pronounced “fish”:
“gh” sounds like “f” as in “enough”
“o” sounds like “i” as in “women”
“ti” sounds like “sh” as in “nation”
I urge them to learn the pronunciation, spelling, part of speech, and use of every word they look up for meaning because of these irregularities.

As a teacher and a proofreader, I'm used to correcting mistakes when I see them. However, recently, I have learned to resist the urge in situations when it is not expected of me to do so, mainly because I feel my correction might upset the writer, even if it's done privately.  Since last week, I've asked random people, in the form of short surveys on various online platforms, whether or not they would want to be corrected through a private message if they made a mistake. Most people have responded that they would consider it petty or presumptuous. Some even stated that correcting others is the corrector's way of feeling above them, that the corrector has a need to insinuate superiority. This demonstrates it's not only the person making mistakes who is judged but also the corrector.

I find this to be a matter of perspective, though. In those surveys, several people shared my views on the subject and asked me to correct them if I saw a mistake. As for me, I do want to be corrected through a private message. I would appreciate it because it would save me from embarrassment. I would also appreciate anyone's effort to clarify something I might have said if it contained any ambiguity or lacked clarity, especially if it made them feel uncomfortable in any way.

Communication isn't only about delivering a message but also about receiving it. As I mentioned in my previous post, perceptions are very subjective. People should try to be generous in their assumptions of others' intentions, particularly when these interactions are not face to face and non-verbal cues are not available. There are ways to clarify misunderstandings, to make sure that we have understood the intended message: by admitting that you are unsure about what the speaker/writer means, by stating what you understood and checking whether this was what they meant, and, if necessary, by being prepared to let go of your initial assumption.

Everybody reacts to situations in a different way. Nobody is perfect. All people make mistakes, and not just related to grammar and spelling, all kinds of mistakes. It's not about not making mistakes; it's about not letting our egos get in the way of learning from those mistakes in an effort to better ourselves and not rushing to judgement.