Any employer will say that someone who can speak and write clearly is more likely to be hired that someone whose speech is full of slang and whose writing boasts double negatives and run-on sentences.
The ability to exhibit proper use of language is an important characteristic of a successful person. Simply put, proper speech and writing make people appear more intelligent. Improper use of language can make them appear foolish.
Why is it, then, that so many people fail to even attempt to use language correctly? Whether upbringing instilled countless bad habits or laziness kept them from caring, many people seem to have no grasp of their native language. On a daily basis, I hear people spouting off slang terms and sentences that even a bad English teacher would deem incoherent messes.
Maybe I’m being petty and unfair, maybe I have an unorthodox love for the language that no one else can really understand or maybe I’m wishing for something that is rather unrealistic, but I simply cannot fathom how people can abuse the art of language.
I guess those who do slaughter the language aren’t really hurting anyone except themselves, but hearing the language suffer continuous ridicule through consistent misuse becomes rather aggravating.
What hurts more is the lack of concern for improper grammar skills. Recently I heard someone say that he never cared about his English composition classes because he would never need to know “that stuff” after he was out of the class. Being a pre-med student, his only concerns were his math and science classes.
I, like most people I know, would put more faith in a doctor who can communicate clearly with me than one who, regardless of his or her actual expertise in the field of medicine, is incapable of speaking in an intelligent manner. Fancy medical lingo means absolutely nothing to those of us with no experience in the field. Medical jargon may make one feel intelligent, but the adverse affect is achieved if one demonstrates an inability to translate into intelligible English.
I realize that English composition classes aren’t the most exciting classes, even for those of us who enjoy writing. Many of the topics seem petty and most of the papers written contain topics that we would have never thought twice about. Obviously the classes weren’t designed to turn every student into a novelist or poet; the goal is to graduate students who look intelligent, or at least educated, when they write and speak.
Few people, if any, can be considered true masters of language. It would be completely irrational to hope that everyone would have a complete understanding of the language and be able to use it to its fullest capabilities, but people should use the language with more respect or at least be willing to fix their errors in grammar.
I’ve heard hundreds of excuses when I’ve discussed this with others in the past.
One of them, who writes mostly in an online journal, claimed that he doesn’t worry about the way his writing looks because he just likes to concentrate on getting his thoughts out.
Unfortunately, he has yet to see the fine line between stream of consciousness and complete incoherency.
Another claimed that certain care was taken for certain things. When writing a paper or giving a speech, of course she was going to pay close attention to her language, but when talking with friends or chatting online, she didn’t give it much thought. Before I go on, I must say I’m guilty of doing the same thing, but it’s not a practice we should fall victim to.
When we lose grip on our language skills in every day life, we’re likely to lose them when the time comes to sound professional. Sadly enough, we’re even more likely to not realize our errors. Consistent careful use of language should be something everyone practices, not just when trying to make a good impression.
Finally, someone told me that speaking and writing with grammatical correctness should never be considered a measure of one’s intelligence; English is not everyone’s strong suit. Indeed, intelligence cannot be measured by what people say and how they say it, but others will base their perceptions upon the presentation of information.
When I talk to someone whose collection of adjectives consists of modifications of four-letter words and “good” and “bad,” I’m going to make a mental note that they’re not very bright. When I read someone’s writing and it is clearly without agreement and speckled with misspellings, I’m not going to think of them as an honor student. Everyone, no matter how intentionally, creates initial impressions of others based upon the way they communicate.
The English language can determine whether we graduate, get a job or have any success at all. So why not take a little extra time and caution when writing and speaking? It can’t hurt anyone to look and feel a little more intelligent.