Re:Wow! What a question to ask on Slashdot... (Score 1)

I may be in the supreme minority here, but I'm a geek AND an English teacher. I remember having this same conversation with a student who was already far more geeky than I'd ever be and I made the argument, "If you code with improper syntax, then your code doesn't work. Language is like that too." Of course it isn't -- not entirely at least, but that doesn't mean that a certain accuracy with the language isn't meaningful or important. English is the language we use to communicate with; why shouldn't we use it well? The problem with writing mangled English is that it destroys nuance. Sure you can write in text messaging English but I submit there's a level of expression which it cannot achieve. Also, as a writer who's writing his way through a couple of novels, I know that an adherance to standard grammar rules makes me easier to understand. My grandfather was an old-time geek. He was a civilian who worked for the navy. His job was to sit in a lab and invent stuff like self-inflating life jackets and the material they use to coat aircraft carriers. He used to savage me whenever I used poor grammar and my speach improved as a result. He could also recite poetry from memory. HE certainly wouldn't consider incoherence a badge of honor.