Fictionary

Just a brief addendum to Mark Jennings-Bates article “Jennings-Bates Fictionary”.  

Unlike Mr. Jennings-Bates’ statement that he is “not an academic, not a journalist, and not passionate about writing”, I trained as a journalist (print) and am passionate about reading (other peoples writing).  I fully understand Mr. Jennings-Bates curdling blood.  The trend in publicly-disseminated writing to misspelling, inappropriate grammatical usage and, yes, making up words is worrisome at the very least.  

What are our kids going to do as they launch into the work world and/or academia when the model they have for proper usage of the English language (as cogently laid out in the Oxford English Dictionary) is so terribly broken?  When I read a newspaper, magazine or book replete with errors of this nature I despair of the future of articulate, grammatically correct English in use in Canada.  And, I also despair for the future of all those young (and old, too) who walk around sounding like ill-educated idiots.  And how does the rest of the English-speaking world view us?
 
I hope to contribute to the “Jennings-Bates Fictionary” as time passes… don’t let me catch Castanet in those contributions!  And, just as a footnote, Mr. Jennings-Bates is too modest.  He’s a darn good writer and speaker.

Marsali MacIver