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Are You A Language SNOB?


Be honest, are you a language snob?

The first rule of communication is to be understood. The layers and nuances thereafter are reflective of where we sit on the educational hierarchy. 

I had a school teacher who was adamant that there were rigid black and white rules to pronunciation. Some of his crazy beliefs still permeate and I find myself becoming irritated when I hear a commentator pronounce advertisement the 'wrong' way.

You can decide which of the two most obvious enunciations rock your world, but it serves to highlight the power of our biases regarding peer credibility.

Elocution was a thing during my youth, again another crazy notion, obviously in my opinion as every key stroke reflects my thoughts. The idea that an accent somehow confers a status that we buy into is a little puerile and yet....

Those of us over the age of 25 or perhaps 30 work ourselves into an internal hissy fit when we stumble onto forums where the language is economic in the extreme. Punctuation, correct spelling as we've been taught, and any semblance of attention to detail seem redundant.
In the absence of the now ubiquitous emoticon we'd have no idea what flavour of interaction we're engaging. 

Great communicators communicate in the language of their audience. That language may be sign language, music, text speak or tribal chanting, what matters is that the intended meaning is communicated.

When we communicate on business platforms we need to be aware that we are not just communicating 'how to' messages but we are also presenting an insight into our identity. 

THERE - THEIR - THEY'RE - 3 different words!

If I don't know you and you invariably mix up your "your' for "you're", "there" for "their" "its" for "it's" etc sublimely I'm judging your intelligence, unfairly I know, but that' the way society conditions us. On some level I'm perceiving a lack of attention to detail, and wonder whether you care. 

Perhaps one day the written word will fade and Siri and her ilk will reflect the brave new world but until then it's wise to take the time to tune into the language of your audience and mimic accordingly.


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