Re: Another point in etiquette: the nature of e-communication.

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Nick Kearney (nickkearney@mx3.redestb.es)
Thu, 29 Apr 1999 00:16:37 +0200 

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 00:16:37 +0200
From: Nick Kearney <nickkearney@mx3.redestb.es>
Subject: Re: Another point in etiquette: the nature of e-communication.

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At 10:48 28/04/99 -0400, Marc wrote:

>
>But what are ideas if not thoughts, and how can we know thoughts without
>words? I understand that many aspects of communication are non-verbal.
>However, when we must communicate in writing, the choice of words and the
>structure of phrases are all the reader has. Unfortunately, poor spelling or
>poor grammar are at best distractions. They may also suggest unclear
>thinking on the part of the communicator. Sooner or later, I would think
>that reader will erode when we fail to pay attention to the rules of
>language.

However, what is interesting about this kind of interaction is that it is
halfway between writing and spoken conversation, it is semi-spontaneous,
semi-reflective, and as such has its own special character. There is more
leeway for rephrasing, and typos of various kinds. Obviously gibberish is
unacceptable, but if slight spelling mistakes, and certain digressions as
regards punctuation take place, they are perhaps minor considerations. We
are not writing mini-"articles" when we contribute to this list, we are
taking part in a different kind of dialogue, where the rules are
necessarily flexible, if only because of the fact that, for many of us, if
we had to check that every contribution were in perfectly constructed
English, we would probably never contribute.

There is also the other aspect which involves a tolerance of those who are
not using their first language.

Nick Kearney
Florida Centre de Formació
Valencia, Spain

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