Posted on 07/28/2012 8:48:38 PM PDT by garjog
t used to be we thought that people who went around correcting other people’s grammar were just plain annoying. Now there’s evidence they are actually ill, suffering from a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder/oppositional defiant disorder (OCD/ODD). Researchers are calling it Grammatical Pedantry Syndrome, or GPS.
Maybe you’ve heard of the grammar gene—its technical name is the FOXP2 gene—which may be responsible for a variety of grammatical ills, such as the inability to construct compound/complex sentences or to effectively deploy the passive voice. Now there’s evidence that a variant of that gene, FOXP2.1, may actually cause us to obsessively correct other people’s grammar, or should that be, to correct their grammar obsessively? The discovery of this gene, alongside new evidence from fMRI scans of brains exposed to real-time grammatical errors, has led some scientists to predict that soon we may be able to find a cure for GPS, for many sufferers a debilitating, off-putting, sociopathic syndrome.
(Excerpt) Read more at illinois.edu ...
It’s not just my own daughter - I’ve had some of her friends do it as well - they also do it to their own parents. It can be amusing when the “moms” are having a thread going and the kids start chiming in correcting our errors!
Wilde had a tremendous wit and mastery of language.
Wilde had a tremendous wit and mastery of language.
Cute article. :-)
Both my eldest son and I must be afflicted with the condition. I can’t wait to show him this article. ;-)
I can relate. My 16-year-old son corrects me when I’m speaking. I used to proofread and write, but I didn’t walk around correcting people when they were speaking. These kids sure keep us on our toes, though, don’t they?
Good for them and you. They obviously had some teachers of various types along the way who taught them well and they use this to their advantage.
I serve on the board of a small group which provides scholarships to up to ten college bound students per year. Their application must be submitted with a statement of at least one and one-half pages on why they should be chosen, what they intend to study, etc. Everything had to be handwritten. We received 63 applications this spring and accepted 8. Of those eight, only five had no spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors, were very legible and exhibited awesome written communication skills. IMO most of the remaining 55 will have to take some type of remedial classes in order to make it through their course work.
We began our program 7 years ago, received only 18 the first year and wish we had had enough money to help all of them. This is a very small sampling to be sure, but we have noticed a gradual deterioration in the quality of the output from the applicants.
Was that the boot or the bonnet? And is the boot the trunk or the hood, I can never remember.
You know, now that I think about it, who are those Brits to be complaining just because we can't pronounce schedule and aluminum. It's not like the rest of the time that we talk as if we have gravel in our mouths - or are those teeth rattling around that cause that?
Insure only refers to the word insurance, such that you could buy. It's the difference between assure and ensure that I find difficult to teach.
We should do lunch sometime. Where do you office?
(How do you like those two sentences?)
Need I point out the obvious concerning the beginning of your post?
LOL. Yes, we must put everything in the right order, mustn't we?
Is it a disability? Can we get a check and free stuff for GPS?
Proactive over anticipatory would not work in certain contract law situations. “Anticipatory breach” is a well understood shorthand for a significant body of legal ideas and precedents, but if you said “proactive breach,” no legal practitioner would be sure what you were talking about.
I'm afraid this is a run-on sentence.
There, fixed it!
Regards,
Urine trouble now , you caught me.
...or then and than. Drives me nuts :) I’m fairly certain I have this disease.
I can get away with anything perceived as faulty because I own a "Creative Spelling Dictionary," witch absolves me from this bastion of English language piety and those who Lord over us with rectification and shrivitity! I yous this reference quite freakwently!
I’m glad your daughter is so astute! Very few young people are, especially if they go to public schools, where such details are not emphasized. My current employer keeps trying to hire office help who can spell and can write English in some recognizable form, but they’re few and far between.
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