Identify the Claim 99.9% of Proper Grammar is Obsolete - CS2 - Case Study Example

99.9% of Proper Grammar is Obsolete” by David Wertheimer “99.9% of Proper Grammar is Obsolete” by David WertheimerIn his article Wertheimer (2002) claims that 99.9% of proper grammar is obsolete. He takes a sarcastic dig at the state of English grammar in today’s fast paced internet dominated world. He says that a disease has afflicted everybody on the web and it has gone unnoticed because it is based on centuries of convention and education in grammar school (Wertheimer, 2002). He declares that the disease is the fact that 99.

9 of grammar most people type is obsolete.He argues that proper sentencing of structures and use of grammar such as full-length words, subject-verb agreement, capital letters, etc is still being followed by main stream publications but it is not the case outside of such environments where correct use of grammar has already started decaying. Sentences structured carefully are disappearing on the internet. As users are getting acquainted of each other’s vocabulary, proper grammar is deteriorating.

He recognizes that there is a tendency of feeding customized “Internet Speak” that is developing among those on the internet. The grammar on formal websites still follows the traditional laid out rules, emails are starting to see a condensed version and instant messaging is even worse.The reason for this is rooted in the belief that expertise is not a necessity and is a waste of money and time. He cites the example of existence of many civilizations for centuries. Also proper use of grammar does not solve any problem as many cannot read at a collegiate level.

The author then goes on to sarcastically criticize such form of writing as saying that he wonders how such messages are legible (Wertheimer, 2002). He says that on examining any message, even be it from a CEO, many grammatical errors can be found. He points out the reason why such messages have been working.In the last few years as the use of internet has increased, users have not only tolerated such abuse of grammar but encouraged such styles in order reply to messages as soon as they receive it.

Need for speed is the reason behind this development. Punctuating and capitalizing is just a loss of time. Hence the need to be fast has lead to this condensing of sentencing and in turn grammar.One of the examples that author gives is the use of “g2g” which means “got to go”. The author goes on to explain that languages demand perfectionism by being grammatically correct but this is not the case on the internet. A communication’s effectiveness is dependent on the speed of the communication.

Longer the sentence is slower the process and hence ineffective and vice versa. Irrespective of a large number of people using this form of communication, there is no uniformity or a single standard which not only causes confusion but also contradicts the whole purpose of communication.This, the author says, is the main disease and proposes a cure to it. There are techniques that can be used to interpret new grammar. Developing sophisticated abbreviations, complying with new style, maintain a standard like using capitals, etc in order to overcome this (Wertheimer, 2002).

ReferencesWertheimer, D. (2002, Sep 17). 99.9% of proper grammar is obsolete. Digital Web Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.digital-web.com/articles/999_of_proper_grammar_is_obsolete/