Robert wrote:
Stevertigo writes:
I think this is nonsense. Proper English is a product of specialization. English is not the property of English speakers, but a lingua franca that everyone owns.
Pseudo-academic, pseudo-egalitarian nonsense. That's the same kind of talk that has damaged the education of much of the inner-city youth in America.
Frankly, it is also racist in effect. This kind of attitude has created two generations of poorly educated Hispanic and Black youth in American cities. I couldn't think of a better plan for the KKK to promote if they want to keep racism alive forever.
Hence, its destined to become simplified phonetic - scratch that - fonetic speling iz tha furst thing laikli tu hapen tu English - or it should. Someday soon.
This isn't about ownership, racism or colonialism. It is about writing article in English, for people who speak English.
And frankly, many of our articles are being damaged by people with good intentions, but who have poor English reading or writing skills (or both.)
Even though I may often differ with some other Wikipedians about just what is correct English (notably lately over over-capitalization), I am strongly in support of using good English. If people want to persist in pseudo-phonetic renderings of the language let them do so on the yet-to-be-created ebonics Wikipedia. Language is also about a cultural continuity that includes Mark Twain just as much as Shakespeare. A generation that grows up on these fanciful spellings is well on the way to breaking its link with a cultural continuity. That's the cost of such dumbing down.
Ec