Have you noticed a rise in illiteracy?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

It’s something small that I’ve been noticing lately. It’s usually nothing huge, just minor typos here and there, mistaking “would’ve” for “would of” or mixing up effect and affect, easy mistakes. But then I saw someone spell language as “languaj” and I’m not sure that would be a mistake of someone who was studying English as a second language but someone who, poorly, tried to spell it phonetically. I don't know maybe I’m just being persnickety

[purplepoppy]

It could be a predictive text problem. If languaj is their word for language and it pops up they might not realise its wrong. If you look at the screenshot of when I began typing "pencil"
You can see I've a choice of pencil or pensil
Phonetically one is pen kill the other pen sill so it would be easy for a learner to make a mistake.

Or they're just thick as pigshit because there parents didn't beleave in edjewcasion.

[RyanR03]

Nah that’s optimism and I appreciate that
But it mostly it’s just a society swollen with illiteracy

[ProbablyClueless]

Illiteracy and a decrease in competence with math.

I recently had a buddy tell me that he took the ASVAB (a military career placement test) and that he only scored a 27/100. The minimum qualifying score is like 32 for the Army, 34 for the Navy; and that's the score you get if they're just gonna hand you a rifle and say "run over there and hope you don't get shot." That's not for any kind of decent specialty. He's a smart kid, the reason he scored so poorly is because no one ever taught him math. His goal is to be a translator/communications expert for the Navy.

He was one of the kids who graduated high school during the covid lockdowns. It seems like the lockdowns really threw the kids for a loop.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Damn, seven points away must have killed him a little bit

[ProbablyClueless]

Yeah, he was pretty frustrated by it. He has 7 points to go for admission as a basic sailor and then whatever additional would be required for the specialty he wants to go into.

I hope he can study up on math in the next few months.

[DrPepper12]

It sure did! The covid kids are a very monitored "bubble" in enrollment. The damage is extensive

[ProbablyClueless]

@DrPepper12 We'll be feeling the effects for a decade, at least.

[BadApple69]

I think you are being persnickety (not really)…. What a cool word. Thanks for using it.
Well, when I went through school a million years ago I sucked at English. Spelling was something that blew my mind. Grammar…. Forget about it.
I should be the last person on the planet to criticize anyone’s spelling… but I have seen what you have seen. It is getting worse, people can’t spell any more, their phones spell for them.
It’s a sad place in time when I can criticize others spelling.

[Sunnysunny123]

People don't care that much also slangs and using mixed language to talk for ex. when they talk they say two words in English then one word in Spanish, i am european and this happens a lot with any language plus adding English words. Also a lot of people get ofended when someone corrects them, they take it too personal. I do make mistakes but i am happy to get corrected since English is not my first language and i do want to improve it, i would really want to learn more advanced words so i read more in English since people don't use them like: aberration, acquiesce, inept etc.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Offended also has two f’s and using just “ex.” As a shortening for “example” doesn’t read the way you want it to, you can instead spell out the full word or use “i. e.”

[Sunnysunny123]

Grape, thanks girl

[Crimsyjo]

I think a lot is using slang and short hand in texting. At work it feels such an effort to write though instead of tho. And you and would instead of u and wd. I must admit I don't really know when to use affect over effect. I tend to use the latter and only change it if I'm writing in Word and it tells me to.

And lastly... most of my typos are due to autocorrect. It even seems delayed. So if i write "and" and see it correct but after I've posted it says "ahd" instead or something. A typo that it now thinks is my preferred word over the correct one! Same with "bit" and "but". Keeps changing them ugh!! Even tho technically nothing misspelt with either.

[DrPepper12]

We teachers were horrified when we started seeing text abbreviation showing up in essays. Even emoji's. We had our English department dedicate a day to go over various types of writing with them. Like journalistic writing narrative writing persuasive writing letter writing resume writing and how that each calls for a different "voice" and We even demonstrated for them in Google what happens when you use shorthand language that you get vastly different results than if you use proper English. They almost lost their minds when they saw the difference between "boob cancer" and "breast cancer". Turned out to be so successful We do it every year now.

[Crimsyjo]

@DrPepper12 haha I remember it hit the media when some kid wrote a whole essay in "text speak". It was praised as ingenious and innovative.
I actually think some of the issue is caused by people reading actual printed books less too. I don't think the brain processes things the same reading online. Plus the spelling issues are everywhere now.
It sounds like a great demonstration your place does. Haha its so true the word boob and breast. Completely different vibe despite same area of the body.

[XHopelessRomanticX]

I have a friend who teaches 5th grade and I’ve heard her say that the kids can’t read above a 3rd grade level. There are lots of teachers coming out of the woodwork telling the world their kids are behind in literacy. You’re not being persnickety, it’s a very real problem.

[DrPepper12]

Teacher here. Absolutely it's a BIG problem!!

[MisterWack]

Wht have now meann?

Seriously, I believe people just don’t care enough to go back and correct their mistakes. When we write on a screen, there is really not a moment where the average person reads back what they wrote / to correct errors. Just laziness or perhaps just going with the flow and feeling authentic in their approach I don't know.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Flirting with OCD at this level (but working on it), I can confirm that I'm puzzled by people not caring in their textual communication, I envy them sometimes 😅 But authenticity is something I didn't consider, that's new !

[MisterWack]

@Maybe_Maybe_not Thank you.
Sometimes I do that, authenticity.
Like I just go and go on my brain’s power driving the words & sounds from my inner monologue onto the digital page, just as I did just now.

[DrPepper12]

It's funny you should say that I was much more lenient with my students when there were spelling mistakes on handwritten work but I was absolutely unforgiving and vicious when it was type work. That's simply meant that you were too lazy to spell check it and you deserve what you get!

[MisterWack]

@DrPepper12 Absolutely. Some students are too lazy to use spell check and it teaches them to utilize a basic feature to better their essays, paragraphs, research papers, college works, etc.

I will say as a student there was a common issue where Google Docs wouldn’t always alert users (including myself) that there was a mistake and if there was, it wouldn’t tell you what the mistake was… That was incredibly frustrating (just a flashback, not saying it is your scenario)

[RyanR03]

Well. I have noticed illiteracy in comment sections but I’m not a teacher and I work in finance sector. So.. I don’t see the illiteracy on the ground floor. But I’ve heard. I don’t know… im an avid reader and thankfully. I always took literacy for granted. Apparently I should be grateful

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Actually I'm much more concerned by nonsense than illiteracy in comment sections buuuuut there might be a convergence I didn't consider. Like you, I assume literacy, I also assume logical thinking, and this one, is a daily assumption I'm more and more questioning lol

[RageBabe]

I have, and although I sometimes have the urge to correct, I don't do it because I'd feel really judgy. I don't think you're being pernickety at all. Also, pernickety is such a great word.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I didn't notice, but I'm no native either so, lol. Now, being not native makes me think that there has to be a skyrocketing number of people landing into English speaking, from all over the world, due to internet usage steady increase !

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Assuming, this could transform English, if the flux of foreign input is high enough

[HawkPerception]

Not just illiteracy. Math as well.

https://youtube.com/shorts/KZq2P9IgFIg?si=FfjUkjAJf1KSZrCF

[DrPepper12]

I'm actually okay if the kids don't know anything beyond geometry algebra and trig. Anything beyond that like calculus or game theory and stuff like that will very likely not have any use for the average kid. I'm glad that every school in my state now has a financial literacy course where they go over real world stuff like leasing versus buying, credit card and student loan debt, IRAs CDs 401ks and all of that good stuff.

[chrissykerdock]

30 percent of chicago high school students know how to read vote harris and see where it gets you

[Miristheiss]

Not with me, my wife or our kids. With the rest of society? I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me if it was true but I have no real proof other than my guess.

[laly520]

Illiteracy rates have generally declined over recent decades

but many users online aren't native speakers or don't care enough about correcting their comments

[jeremy_09]

Illiteracy is not being able to read, not bad grammar.

Also, grammatically, "would've" is correct; "would of" is not. It's "would have."

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Yes, the would’ve/would of is a sign of that illiteracy because that’s how people are relating the spelling phonetically rather than recognizing it as a contraction

[WhitneySnow]

I don’t think so. I think the widespread use of texting has made real illiteracy almost nonexistent, at least for my generation.

[Sharkstealth]

I have said before. The smart are being killed off in this country USA because women have more rights. This is the reason for mass shootings. Nothing í inovative in the USA unless it comes from foreigners.

[DrPepper12]

I've got news for you as a classroom teacher. In the advanced placement classes and the international baccalaureate classes, freshman year it starts out about even between guys and girls, by senior year it's about one guy to every four girls. The women are simply beating the pants off the guys in every educational statistic.

[Sharkstealth]

@DrPepper12 yes but what are they doing? Nurses, psychology and that psychology degree doesn't seem to be helping the masses. There is a very good explanation for that. It's called sex. This is nothing new Mr. Professor. How much college did it take for you to figure out the obvious? But again the women are not making the country great. Foreigners are for this very reason.

[DrPepper12]

I assure my former students are in every conceivable occupation. Every one. What do you mean help the masses? Why are women not making the country great?

[Sharkstealth]

@DrPepper12 ill use an example. The other day I introduced myself to a girl I had seen regularly for a few years at my local gym. She was very nice saying nice to meet you and thank you. As I was leaving thd gym a car pulled up with her friend. She showed me a phone of somebody threatening me with gang gi assault. I still have no clue if the girl I introduced myself to had anything to do with it. I informed the gym of the confrontation and the female owner told me that the car came from a different area as I walked out then circled twice before approaching me. This is stalking. The female owner took the side of the girls who claimed after being videoed stalking me that I bothered them. She told me if another person claims bother that my gym membership will be revoked. I've never had a complaint in 3 years. This is our future.

[Sharkstealth]

Women are not doing anything. Maybe we will have a woman president but as detailed above quite posibliby will start more wars. They are not changing the world and only capitalizing on sending work elsewhere. Intelligent men are being killed off from lack of sex because the girls want submissive male porn stars stereo type. Prostitution is illegal so foreigners are taking over. Women are not because they are not.

[Nikki1989]

I notice it every day at work and online. It just seems most people just can't be bothered.

[TedBr]

Does not come as a surprise with continuing decrease of school resource and main form of communication is short messages instead of complete sentences. Add lack of reading full articles of books.

[martian13]

Everyday all of the time! Especially online when reading articles and such. It really grinds my gears Tina!!!

[elaphe]

Yes, people seem to be lazy with grammar. And if it is pointed out to them, they say "you know what I mean" or call you a "grammar Nazi."

[Nik1hil]

Hm... The standard of what we call Literate Have been Pulled down to a Lower low..

[DrPepper12]

I think a lot is voice to text which isn't ready for prime time yet.

[dustybiker2]

I'm always correcting mine.

[Yannae]

I haven't. Then again, I could be part of the problem :(
Feel free to correct me anytime!

[Jamie05rhs]

You're absolutely right. And it's getting worse every year.

[Lx0ne]

More like people don't care enough, if for the most part you can understand what they meant. It doesn't matter

[RedInnocent69]

Sounds like education isn’t working. We should get rid of the Department of Education.

[dustybiker2]

Audio text will commonly make those.

[OfMiceandMen]

Naught att al?

[OtterMan68]

scientific, economic, & historical? Yes.

[beefcakebradybatson]

ESPECIALLY HERE !!!

[DishLady]

On G@G? Yes...