The Dumbing Down of America - Here's Why

[dhermann1]

Here's an excellent article that makes the point the vocabulary is the strongest indicator of success in life, and that the American system of education has been dumbing us down for a couple of generations.
Makes my blood boil.

http://www.city-journal.org/2013/23_1_vocabulary.html

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've been grumbling about this for years. I used the word "concatenation" in a conversation the other day in a room full of Modern College Graduates and they looked at me like I had three heads. We're about three generations away from a language made up entirely of "ooks" and "eeks."

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The decline began when phonics was replaced in schools by Whole Language, a system which was originally designed to teach illiterates how to recognize danger and warning signs. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if all this is by accident or design.

 

[hatophile]

Like, for real?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ya Rly.

 

[Justin B]

Omg!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Like, you know. Uhhhhh. Ummm.

 

[filfoster]

I have found 'catamite' a useful pejorative. I seldom have cause to use any but this one is fun. It also perplexes folks to be complimented on their mastication skills.

 

[Lady Day]

This is a really interesting article.

I takes effort to build your vocabulary. I personally like to re-look up words I may 'think' I know the meaning of and see if the social meaning I have associated with that word(s) is in fact it's real meaning. Too often I'm a bit skewed, so I try and recalibrate my use of the word.

I look up words everyday because I want a gargantuan vocabulary! Makes me fell brainy and whatnot. It's also ideal when you want to get nuanced about descriptions. Sometimes, great isn't what you mean when you eat a peanut butter cookie. An ideal expression would be transcendent.

Ha! Look, I'm chunking!

 

[Espee]

I only learned "concatenation" when looking for the way to combine two or more digital files.

 

[LizzieMaine]

One of my favorite things to do as a little kid was to read the dictionary -- every other book you could ever want to read was in there. All you had to do was routine the words.

 

[SHOWSOMECLASS]

Limited Vocabulary

People frequently use words interchageably, as if they have the same meaning.
For example, the words sarcasm and facetious.
Both are very different in use and intent.
Yet you hear people use the one, when the other word is clearly being communicated.

 

[CharleneC]

One of my favorite things to do as a little kid was to read the dictionary -- every other book you could ever want to read was in there. All you had to do was routine the words.

I did not know that "routine" was a verb.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I gave the households of my stepson and my daughter each a Word-A-Day calendar with the advice (and hope) that they make learning each new word a daily fun event for their children. I need to follow up to find out if they have.

My daughter's youngest (whom we had custody of for about a year and a half so I take partial credit) recently took second place in a spelling bee at her school. All grades (first through fifth) competed together. I was pleased.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[sal]

I have seen CV's / resumes sent to me with the cover letter written with "texting" language.
My profession requires a bachelors degree for employment. How sad is that?

 

[fashion frank]

One of my favorite things to do as a little kid was to read the dictionary -- every other book you could ever want to read was in there. All you had to do was routine the words.

I hear you, my old man bought us a huge one,bigger than our family bible and we were always looking up a word or other.
That was one of the best things that the old man ever did for us kids was buying that dictionary .

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

 

[Foxer55]

Is anyone familair with the episode a few years ago in Washington, DC, where a finance guy remarked that part of the city budget was "niggardly." Well...! Imagine the hue and cry throughout Washington when the uneducated assumed this to be a slur on their heritage and the news media burned the print pages with this awful discrimination by "that" guy. I admit, that here in DC it may have been a poor choice of words, nevertheless, anyone with a mild education should have understood the intent of the comment. But, oh no, "that" guy was pilloried and the commotion didn't die down for several weeks. All over one word.

 

[fashion frank]

Is anyone familair with the episode a few years ago in Washington, DC, where a finance guy remarked that part of the city budget was "niggardly." Well...! Imagine the hue and cry throughout Washington when the uneducated assumed this to be a slur on their heritage and the news media burned the print pages with this awful discrimination by "that" guy. I admit, that here in DC it may have been a poor choice of words, nevertheless, anyone with a mild education should have understood the intent of the comment. But, oh no, "that" guy was pilloried and the commotion didn't die down for several weeks. All over one word.

I do in fact remember that and as you stated "poor choice of words" but your correct it was the intent of the comment ,
but lost on the great unwashed masses ?

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

 

[CharleneC]

I do in fact remember that and as you stated "poor choice of words" but your correct it was the intent of the comment ,
but lost on the great unwashed masses ?

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

It is ironic that in a thread about the lexical paucity of Americans, in which a poster assumes superiority to the "unwashed masses," that same poster does not know the difference between "your" and "you're".

If one is going to show opprobrium towards people who do not know the meaning of a word, please make sure the words used to express that sentiment are the correct words.

 

[Espee]

So now you're saying they're dirty?