A global challenge

Apparently the epidemic of lost grammar and spelling skills is global. David Campbell, an Australian mathemetician and writer, was "right on" (no pun intended) when he complained about the problem in an opinion piece in 2007. Click on this post's title to read his article. That he's a mathemetician complaining about writing skills is close to home for me.

My father was a chemistry professor and world-renowned geochemical research scientist. He was the editor of professional scientific journals. I attended one of the universities where he was dean of the College of Sciences, and knew some of his students. Some of them protested bitterly because they would lose points on chemistry exams for misspelling, incomplete sentences, improper subject-verb agreeement and all other manner of grammar errors. "It's a chemistry exam," they would say. "You can't take off for English mistakes." "Of course I can," he'd say. "If you don't learn to communicate articulately, how will your research get published? How will you have credibility? Will you be communicating what you actually intended to say? Will your peers take your work seriously? Your credibility as a researcher is on the line."

And my parents' insistence that I learn to be articulate using the "old-fashioned" rules has stood me in good stead, I believe. I make my living by words and interpreting meaning by analyzing punctuation. I believe that those with literacy skills will rise and hold the world power. Let's get together and return articulate communication to a place of respect and popularity.

Just a reminder to read David Campbell's article by clicking on the title of this post.