The First Entry!

Hello all!

Not that I expect anyone to read this pretty much at all, but it shall exist none the less!

I've never had a blog. Even on sites I have and am currently using (such as MySpace and Facebook) I have not kept nor posted blogs. This is different.

I've felt the need as of late to state my opinions. Not that the existence of my opinions are a new thing or that they're phenomena, but they are forming more frequently about more "important" things and my mind seems to have demolished the dam that, in the past, kept most of my opinions and thoughts to myself.

My blog will be about anything. Any single or multiple thing I can think of could potentially and likely end up here. Unlike many things today, this blog shall be, for the most part, grammatically correct. I only say "for the most part" because I admit to not being an absolute expert on the entirety of the English language and its rules. However, I do know much about it and its laws, and I have titled myself its lawyer in the case it must make against the world today. This will become the subject of this first post...

People nowadays seem to be completely (and blissfully) unaware of the propriety that comes with having a universal language. My opinion is: If it's your native language you should be able to use it as the weapon and defense that it is! No one can call themselves intelligent if they can't speak the language. I say speak, but that's not exactly where I limit the topic. I know accents and slang are thrown in to the development of one's speech, but that should impose no visible problem in the written language. Age is always an excuse, but once one achieves a certain age and education level, the excuses are non-existent.

The Internet and its perks, and probably more properly acknowledged by technology as a whole, has, let's say, killed the "need" to be correct. Texting, AIM (which I use as the general term for all such instant messaging tools since I use it as mine), and impatience have all led to the wide use of acronyms (which is what you call a group of letters that stand to replace a longer statement or group of words i.e. (which, for the record, is an acronym for the Latin "id est" meaning "that is" literally and "that is to say" which means the same thing as "for example") brb and g2g). Now, on must first think what makes one so impatient or one's time so important as not to waste fractions of a second as to omit letters or make sentences acronyms. If we all took the time to really look, we'll notice that most omissions, which are made to save time and make things easier to read, usually only decline admittance of one or two letters and make the reader second guess what they're reading. How much time does it take to write properly? Answer: Not much. In fact, when you think about it, it takes more time to put yourself in the habit of omitting letters and words and turning things into acronyms which is all to save time! However, I digress and say that these are no excuses to become dumb! I don't know whether it is mere ignorance or began as shorthand, but "alright" is not a word. I've found that spellcheck neglects to agree, but "all right" is the correct way of saying and writing what means "all is right." You can't shorten what's already a shortened phrase into a non-existent word.

A relatively young someone uses texts and AIM for main communication while at home; whether by impressionism or by their own will they begin using online shorthand; shorthand becomes habit (and for much too many people (mostly females) shorthand, abbreviations, and acronyms are added to verbal dictionaries); habit becomes stronger and pushes out proper knowledge; when this young someone now goes to write papers, shorthand is their mental norm and therefore the writing process takes that much longer only for them to now fail at attempting acceptable language (and they're all the more, pardon the language, fucked when they have to write by hand). People say, "It's not important... It's just the Internet (which, by the way, is properly capitalized)... I write the 'right way' when it does matter!" However, they also say, "Spellcheck will catch it." Yes, spellcheck may catch spelling errors (though not all), but Word and other programs are wrong when it comes to overall grammar 90% of the time! That little, squiggly green line appears and I usually flinch because all it ever has to tell me is that the sentence is fragmented or "should be revised" when it either isn't or doesn't. Not to mention the fact that "should be revised" isn't specific at all. An important note: Word will not save you! Never mind its mindless unintelligence, what about when you have to write freehand? With a pen or, *insert religious figure here* forbid, a pencil. The thing has the one good thing you need these days, an eraser, and you don't use it! Of course, I'm not directing this exactly at you, reader, for it may not necessarily pertain to you.

Also, for future reference, homonyms (which are words spelled differently that sound the same) need to be distinguished. As a sticker from Facebook a friend gave me says, "I don't care how heartfelt your bumper sticker is... If you misuse your, you're, their, they're, or there... I will slap you." There are, of course, more examples of homonyms (such as bear and bare, etc. (and for the record, "etc." is short for "et cetera" which is pronounced as seen there, not the common "ec settra")), but the idea is still the same. I'd also like to point out that when one says what sounds as "should of," it is actually "should've," which is an abbreviation for "should have" which is the grammatically correct way of saying something such as, "I should have known." "Should of" is wrong, no matter how many times you say or write it. It's all part of the language; use it correctly!

Basically, take the time to show people they matter by giving them proper words and phrases. Not only will they understand you better and their responses will less often be "what?" (which is a horribly un-specific question), but they will appreciate it. Also, know that, despite what I've found is apparently common belief, one's usage of written and spoken language is important and reflective of your intelligence! I've heard "it's not how you say it, it's what you say." This is only half true! Not only is it what you say it, but it is how you say it! Vocabulary and grammar (not to mention emphasis and pronunciation) is completely important and entirely necessary!

I'm certain I have not said all I've intended. I'm also certain I've even made a few mistakes here and there due to my rushing. If you find any mistakes (that you know to, in fact, be mistakes and you are not simply saying "I think it's..." or are otherwise unsure) please correct me! All in the spirit of the English language! If I come up with more I may and probably will edit this post. As for now though, I hope you enjoyed it... Maybe you even learned something! More posts to come!