Do you like posts which use incorrect language?

Deepak i agree that languages change over time-that is how Sanskrit gave way to so many Indian languages...yes English was different centuries ago & will be different after centuries ;but we are living NOW in this century & if we go according to it's present form & structure ;we shall be able to express ourselves in a much better way & more beautifully too....good language does not in any way restrict giving & sharing of ideas ;rather it aids it .

About perfection-of course we are all imperfect ...as you say nobody is perfect but these very imperfect humans have come up with so many masterpieces...let them be, they belong to an elite class but even here in IB i have come across so many good writers that it is a pleasure to read them--& i have only just started...being short of time so many writers i have not been able to read....so don't take this plea..i too am v.v.imperfect but the purpose of human life is to learn & evolve...of course this is only my view & i don't claim to be right always.

of all your comments, this one is a wise piece.See as you said, we have to evolve over a period of time,how can we evovle ? by making loads and loads of mistakes, but when you don't apprecuate their learning, at least don't depreciate them for their mistakes.There are plenty of people, who have good talents, good thoughts, good ideas but just because they don't know grammar, is that true that they are not great minds ?

after all English is an Alien language, we are not at all speaking our very own language perfectly then how can you or me expect everyone to speak English perfectly ?After all no one is perfect.I can understand you, you dislike posts from the people who uses some abnormal grammar, in that case you can just avoid reading their blog, why bring them to forum ?you are not pin pointing anyone, i make lot of grammar mistakes, as i see this post, i consider this one is for me and about me, it will be hard to see.My sincere request, kindly check for the good things in a blog, ignore that grammar part if you cant read along, ignore that blog.AS you said, grammar is essential, when you are addressing world or when you are writing something professionally, here i am not writing for money, i am writing for my self satisfaction for that grammar is least essential...

Several different strains to this thread that I wanted to add to.

1. True and great art is typically not popular art. Jibanananda Das and James Joyce are examples from our times. Those who find great literature in Bhagat are unlikely to have read Seth or Ghosh. Once they do, it is unlikely they will find value in Bhagat. That does not necessarily mean Bhagat is not a good writer. To give an example from pop literature, James Hadley Chase is great, but he ain't no Ludlum. The same applies to film makers like Johar and Bhandarkar. They are really not in the business of making films that are high on creativity, but films that will capture the imagination of the masses. I don't think they will succeed if they start paying attention to the grammar of Tarkovsky or the punctuation of Truffaut. They have evolved their own language, syntax and grammar, and once they find something that works, they replicate it again and again - James Hadley Chase or Swapan Kumar ishtyle. Makes for good cinema, but... :)

2. Much of the, IMHO, very relevant discussion in this thread resorts to a style that would have purists raising their eyebrows ;). However, that has not made the discussion pheeka in any way. It just goes to show that effective use of language comes from using language that is vibrant and dynamic, relevant and contemporary, and clear and concise.

3. When I was setting out to build a career in writing, one of the things that struck me was that one out of five of the Indian blogs listed in most popular blog directories were written in atrocious English. If it were not for the presence of some very fine writing by others, I would perhaps never have set out blogging after seeing that. As I stuck around the blogosphere, I realized that people blog for a variety of reasons. Some for advertising revenue, some to share their ideology, and some for therapy.

For each of these purposes, there is a difference in the value that should be attached to the use of propah English. Darn, if I write utter garbage but fortify it with SEO and keyword research and it draws in the traffic, how does the correctness of language matter? Or take gadget update blogs or commodity trading tips blogs, I am sure most of us have encountered them - do you find the grammar objectionable? Chances are it didn't even register, because you weren't looking outfor it.

4. Blogging is therapeutic to many, both bloggers and blog readers, myself included. I often fail to disguise my passion for what I believe in under the cloak of professional persuasive writing. Sometimes, grammar doesn't listen to me. At other times, the keyboard doesn't. Like may of you, Ifeel better when my pen gleans my teaming mind to a certain level of satisfaction, and at those times, correctness of expression is often the last of my worries. However, this should not be treated either as license for poor language or a reason for not attending to grammar and punctuation.

5. I like reading language that is respectful of the gift of language. I like to think of my writing as an expression of my gratitude for the strength that comes from being able to communicate. We are the only species that can articulate our thoughts in such precise and yet varied ways. When I think of the miracle of language, Ifeel obliged to polish my offering. I wouldn't offer soiled fruits at the altar of my gods, why would I then want to do that with language and with my readers. I feel stylistic devices such as SMS language and regionalized Inglish are fine as an act of choice. Like Deepak says, it is not possible to say with certainty that the children of tomorrow will not be learning that in their kindergarten classrooms or that correct usage of language will not become the symbol of protest in the years to come.

6. The blogosphere is perhaps the last bastion of how the gods of all religions wanted men and women to be. Freedom, love, tolerance, acceptance, encouraging and helping each other, sharing our intellectual resources, sharing our ideas, our hopes and our fears. It is also nonintrusive, in the sense, you get to choose what you want to read. It seems petty to make the use of language, that too, one specific language which has been *******ized more than any other language, the criterion for the value of a blog, blogpost or blogger.

7. The longer I live with the gooseflesh that poorly written blogposts give me, the more I keep encountering such posts. I choose to let go of the gooseflesh. Takes just one psychological keystroke.

PS: Thanks, Indu for initiating this volatile yet fascinating thread!

I am floored Subho by your deeeep analysis...we have all had our say & i am sure all will feel vindicated....so is it time to wind up this thread ,or does anyone else want to have his say ? i think i will hold my tongue because diplomacy is not my forte & i don't want to annoy any more friends...we are all still friends aren't we ?

everyone is having an amiable discussion here Indu... as bloggers we all respect our fellow-bloggers and different tastes and thoughts are bound bring up SOME conflict. i dont think there is any need for you to be diplomatic or something... that would be highly resented i guess... and vindication??? where does that even come from on a INDI forum???

@Kirti...hehe.I get your point, and to some point your pain. I had a similar experience with beleive it or not "God of small things"...Starting was fabulous but after a while it was a drab for me, I finally hated the book :)

I am not discounting you or other people who like well written novels ..But my point was that Well written novels already have a good platform and an avid fan base,they have awards like Bookers ,are covered by international magazines 

But novelists like Chetan Bhagat and Ravinder singh are targetting a segment that consists of many people who are

--Not avod readers

--Not a very Loyal readers

They use language that can potentially be written by anyone, a lot of people tried to copy Chetan Bhagat but failed. In a way ,they are in an exceptionally competitive market where the only thing that can click is good word of mouth.They never get center stage in literary or art feststivals ,many critiques wont want to be found dead reading their novels:) 

So in a way they are also doing a tough job and many a times people don't give them enough credit for that.:)

Agreed that everyone has their own taste ,and opinions . I don't think i can ever read Arundhati again :)

What i like about Likes of chetan Bhagats is that His Books became the First book many people read ,and that is a great thing.He got people started :)

Yeah - But I fear for many people it is the last book too. I haven't seen too many of the core Chetan Bhagat loyalists moving on to anything else.

@Madhur Ji... he he i agree too. my friend was telling me just yesterday about a guy whose fav book was a chetan bhagat but didnt know who was the author of Harry Potter. :P :P he said it was the first time he was hearing that name :P :P to people like me, jaw dropping was a natural course of reaction :P :P

so i agree with what you say... he definitely got people started. but the question is... will they move on to better books??? 

i mean yaar... HARRY POTTER hai yaar. even my PARENTS know about it... :P :P so it almost a PHYSICAL pain when people talk like this... i mean... HARRY POTTER. :P :P

So when someone asks me for a book by CHetan bhagat, I smile because maybe he/she is a new convert ....Sydney sheldon can wait untill they have discovered the joys of reading:)

@the fool

Atleast its a start :) even if 1% read other books,its 1% gained

Kirti,antara,TF& Madhur --all this discussion about current authors leaves me rather dejected because i only know the likes of ****ens,Hardy,hugo,maugham,Dumas,,Danielle steele,Sydney Sheldon,ALberto Moravia,Albert Camus,Daphne-du maurier,Marie Corelli,Alexander Solyzhnytsin etc....but how can i ever forget Enid who first roused in me this hunger for Eng literature....

When i go through your discussion i realize how much i am missing...there is only so much i can do in a day...in fact i purposely avoid fiction on IB because it will take a lot of time.

Well enough catharsis for a day....by the way my spellings of the authors' names might be wrong...it's been so loooong.

I agree with you in toto.Nevertheless bloggers including me tend to be impulsive and rush to publish the post .On a second reading of the post many deficiencies come to  notice.To be honest , whenever I come across such mistakes in my post at a later date, I make it a point to edit and correct them.I correct incorrect sentences ,spelling mistakes ,but I never change the content already published or delete sentences .Of late I am trying to make it mistake free .

It is true -we do tend to make mistaks but at least we try not to.

I agree with you in toto.Nevertheless bloggers including me tend to be impulsive and rush to publish the post .On a second reading of the post many deficiencies come to  notice.To be honest , whenever I come across such mistakes in my post at a later date, I make it a point to edit and correct them.I correct incorrect sentences ,spelling mistakes ,but I never change the content already published or delete sentences .Of late I am trying to make it mistake free .

I am  or was a kind of perfectionist, trying to get things right in everything I do. But life teaches us a lesson and I have learned to adapt. 

First thing that caught my attention was the fact, that though you have shown concern about language, your i's are not capitalized and spaces have been skipped in few places. . Please don't be offended as my intention is not of teasing or insulting you. I am just telling that these things happen with everyone. 

First let us see what the blog is all about. If it is something like a light hearted, funny posts; than language should be excused. Blog is all about communication and not literary creation. It should all be about passing on the message in a right way. Youngsters have taken to sms language, and that is their choice of communication now. They feel left out of crowd or not of modern generation if they use proper sentences. I have seen teens typing proper sentences unknowingly and then erasing them to write in their sms script.

If the blogs are written for a cause or reviewing books etc, it is inappropriate to use incorrect language and grammar. Anyway proper language, good communication skills and proper spellings never hurt anyone, so go for it if you can. But those who want to use Hinglish, Kanglish, Tanglish, or smslish should not be reprimanded for writing in that language, because it is their blog and their style. If a person is not comfortable with the blog, they can sure skip it. Where is the necessity to promote or read a blog? It is not a movie you have paid for the tickets and have to suffer till end.

Indu, I have read your blog today and it was an amazing post about wonderful life skills.  Good work there. Now with my life experience let me tell you one thing. The only person we can or need to correct is ourselves. We cannot change other people, especially bloggers because it is their own domain, their own style. We can only reprimand them when they use vulgar, abusive or offensive language.

BTW it is funny that most of the people who have mentioned about writing accurately have missed spacing, grammar and committed mistakes on this thread itself, which says "Kabhi kabhi galti ho jaati hai, jaane do yaar". 

Farida first of all the motive behind this thread was not to reprimand anyone.....i merely asked if others also feel this way.

Secondly T.O.I. have started this trend long back of not writing capital i for first person & i abide by it because i like it this way.

I purposely  missed some capitals just to see if it irks anyone & it did.

I have been told that capitals are not appreciated here & that is why i make spaces in between to show the beginning of another sentence.

I have no problem with the insertion of vernacular phrases in between because this is I.B. after all...but when we write the rest of the piece-in whichever language it might be-i firmly believe that we must try our best to not maul the language....of course some mistakes are natural because we are humans after all but we should not run amok without a care for syntax & grammar....if i knew a blog was going to be of this kind,i would certainly refrain from reading it.

My intention behind this thread was not to change others but merely to ask for others' opinions...it is not my habit to thrust my opinions on others,but i think asking for their opinions does not tantamount to that.

Yes i know one can write whatever one wants on his/her blog.

I understand that your motive was not to reprimand, but I do understand some bloggers felt that way.

Indu, TOI cannot change English, they have no rights. When we talk about proper grammar then we stick to grammar and not what TOI does. 

The way you try to irk someone by doing something on purpose, could be so are the other trying it out, may be. They may find some kind of satisfaction by doing it. 

People have always said they do something because they like it that way, that is how languages gets mauled. That is how American English, Indian English, Australian English etc. came into existance. 

As you have asked for opinion, let me tell you that I do not get bothered by the language of a blog, or the style they use, though I cannot help noticing it. I myself do you LOL, often in my blog so I do not complain. 

On the light note let us take the fact that misspelled and grammar are the two words usually not written properly in English. That speaks a lot