[PLUG-TALK] How long to hack a toaster?

[Dick Steffens]

On 11/02/2016 07:28 PM, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> If this is a transcription of a spoken report, I will cut the author 
> some slack.  Otherwise the English is poor--hard to read.  Has careful 
> prose gone the way of the dodo bird?  Now, I am just a poor nearly 
> illiterate engineer, so if I am put off, how are all you English 
> majors out there reacting?

Speaking as a transcriber, the article does sound like a transcription 
of spoken words. I have transcribed writers who speak in a much sloppier 
fashion than they write. I have also transcribed engineers who often are 
much better at speaking than the writers. But I've also transcribed 
techies who (sorry about this) tend to be of the younger generation. 
They are, like, you know, literally not well educated about proper 
English. It seems that what we learned in high school is not taught 
anymore. Even some college professors have fallen into lax usage. It's 
not uncommon to listen to people who must have never heard of the word 
an. But, as our linguist, JJJ, has pointed out, language evolves. It 
just grates when I hear some of it.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens