Battle to revive good grammar
I SHARE Ben Lowry’s frustration (News Letter, February 9) with the lamentable standards of English as displayed by our Northern Ireland politicians.
I suffered gross embarrassment some months ago in a meeting which was attended by local representatives and several potential inward investors.
One of the visitors, thinking he had got it wrong, openly apologised for having ‘mistakenly’ said that he ‘had done’ something.
I had to exercise a little diplomacy in pointing out that he was, in fact, correct whilst a local politician - who had spoken earlier – was the one who was at fault.
If it is a lack of understanding that is to blame, such leaders are hardly capable of handling the much more complex issues of government.
If laziness is the problem, they can hardly claim to respect their electoral mandate.
I had thought to write a book of Stormont gaffs (or Stormount gaffs, as many of the inmates would say).
It could be a large volume but I can’t work out how it could be proof read.
For some years, the church seemed to be the last bastion of the Queen’s English but, alas, even some local clergy are now displaying poor standards in the spoken word.
Ben Lowry is right – many of our school teachers are as much at fault as others.
Sadly, I have found the higher echelons of Stranmillis College to be disinterested in my concerns.
So maybe Mr Lowry is justified in his fear that the battle for the revival of good grammar is almost lost.
C.C.
Belfast 8
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Livonia
Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 08:56 PMUnfortunately C.C. you do not have to leave the pages of this forum to see how our language has been mutilated. Here is a recent example from a regular poster. I quote "UW Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 08:21 PM Get your facts right! The republic is closing RC schools as well! Talking about selective views! I will and have never went with a oo march in my life. I seen a few when I was a child! I have grown up now and I am a adult! What about you?? Grow up and wise up!!” Unquote. This is what passes for intelligent debate in a premier newspaper. It is as if all the aids to learning our language had never existed. Despair is a mild description.
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