Karaoke Forums

Caution!! Rant to follow:

Please understand right up front that I'm no English teacher. I make a lot of mistakes, especially when typing. However, as karaoke hosts, and to a lesser extent, as karaoke singers, part of our job is to "communicate". Whether speaking or writing, that simply means that our message must be sent and understood by the receiving party.

Lately I've seen posts here where the spelling and grammar are so horrible that I want to scream. My seven-year-old grand-daughter, who is both mildly autistic and very hard of hearing could, and would do better.

As a result, I tend to dismiss the opinions of those who butcher the language, regardless as to whether they may have valid points or not. More often than not, I'll just pass them by........ and bite my tongue.

Rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Earl, I agree with you. I am usually very good about my own grammar & spelling (although I do have a tendency to ramble in my writing - much like I am starting to do now).

Anyway, I know I've seen some posts that were without any punctuation. Those are fun.

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I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

I used to be pretty anal about stuff like that, I've gotten over it for the most part. Of course the internet introduced a whole new slanguage for us with ttyl, and many others. Of course some people don't care to go back and correct, some do, some don't know and some don't see the point. I personally try to take a look before I click but I do make mistakes, sometimes I edit if I see them after I post, sometimes I'm not that proud of my typing/spelling/punctuation skills that I just let it go.


Having said that, I don't like to see posts that use all upper case, or all lower case, or don't break up long posts into paragraphs.


Sometimes the posts that I think Earl is describing do catch my eye, makes me wonder but I don't comment on them. But I wouldn't discourage anyone from posting who thinks they don't have a strong grasp of the language and writing skills. They still have important points that should be heard.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I agree, Earl! People can call me a Grammar Nazi if they wish, but to me there is nothing that will make a person look and sound more uneducated than improper use of grammar.

Incorrect: "I wish I could have "sang" one more song."
Correct: "I wish I could have SUNG one more song."

Incorrect: "We should have "went" to BT's karaoke show."
Correct: "We should have GONE to BT's karaoke show."

Incorrect: "Supposebly, BT is a Grammar Nazi."
Correct: "SUPPOSEDLY, BT is a Grammar Nazi."

Incorrect: "I would have "ran" the sound much better."
Correct: "I would have RUN the sound much better."

I have a local colleague that refers to female bartenders at his gigs as "Bartendress", and I just cringe every time he says it. I've tried to tell him that that is an improper word, but to no avail.

I also think the word "Barmaid" is rather outdated and sexist. Most female bartenders I know prefer to be called "Bartender", which to me sounds much more respectful and professional.

Thank you, Earl for starting this thread, and letting me get a few things off of my chest!

I saw a bumper sticker once that read: "If you can read this, thank a teacher".

I make an honest attempt to have proper grammar, usage and punctuation. However, not all people have that same skill taught to them. So, in my opinion, I don't get too harsh on somebody who has a hard time with spelling or grammar. It really reflects on the culture of the area they were taught and raised in, nothing to do with them personally.

With all that the modern day technology lingo has created, I believe we (as a whole, not individually) have become lazy, and it has become necessary to become fluent in "typonese". So don't take it personally, it's just one of the "signs of the times".

"If you can read this,,, thank YOUR 3rd grade teacher "

I think some people post from their phones which can make for some strange sentences sometimes. Especially if they have the auto-correct feature that puts in an entirely different word than they meant to use.

Blame it partly on texting. People try to keep things as short as possible and learn to read without puctuation because it's hard to add that to text's.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

WASS ALL DA FUSS ABOUT I KNOWS HOW TO SPAIL AND USE PUNCHAWATION AND EVERTHING LIKE DAT....

Even the word "karaoke" is mispronounced badly all over the country, and nobody even notices,,, except,,, my brother who spent a huge portion of his life living in Japan. He tried, unsuccessfully to convince me to pronounce it with a Japanese dialect. Well, not meaning to burst his bubble, I pronounced it how I was taught, and in the dialect of where I live. And there is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

YOU FORGOT UR AN U R.

Sawwy m8, but engrish ain't even my 2nd lang

I know that this forum is mostly up for U.S. users, but please, have in mind that not everyone here is born in the States, neither in an english speaking country (me at least). The neat thing about the internet forums is that one only needs an url or an IP address to get there and it doesn't matter where you're from or where you at (except if you live in North Korea, then you'l probably need more than that). That and some basic english skills and voilà (that's french), there you are talking with some guy at 10000km (6000 miles give or take) from your chair.

The karaoke scene in my city (and my country for that matter) is pretty different than here (by here I mean the U.S.) and I find it really interesting to have an insight of what goes on here. Even if my english skills sucks.

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http://youtube.com/tricky2k

I've never seen that one before. I guess it's not that common, because I would see that one as typo.


At one place where I hosted, I would announce Debra (the Bartender) as "Your Alcohol Intake Coordinator."

I haven't heard bar maid in YEARS. I don't even say bartenders, I say bar staff.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Earl, I can definitely appreciate your rant. I think I know exactly what prompted it. I would love to post some corrections to that person, but it violates the rules of this Forum (and could get me banned).

A few items that get to me is:

1. WHEN A PERSON USES ALL CAPS. This is an EYESORE, and is considered to be SHOUTING. It's one thing if you're trying to make a point, and you emphasize it by using ALL CAPS on the portion you want noticed, but don't post an entire paragraph (or several paragraphs) using ALL CAPS.

2. When a person types a lengthy post, and doesn't use the ENTER KEY to make a blank line to create a new paragraph. Without an occasional line separation, it can sometimes be difficult to follow what a person is trying to relay in (what can be) a very long post.

3. Punctuation. Use it to pause for air. The occasional . (period) and , (comma) would be nice in what can be one very loooooong sentence.

Of course, my biggest pet peeve is:
There - a place
Their - referring or belonging to
They're - They Are
Your - referring to a possession
You're - You Are

Learn which word is which and how to use it!!!!!

I would never point out someone's lack of education by pointing out their grammar and spelling mistakes. For that matter I would never point out that someone was a terrible singer either......anymore.........often.

Agree! We all seem to forget that Karaoke Scene is global & people from all over the world are now participating in the threads. People from different countries have a different grasp of the English language than those born & raised in the U.S.

I hope this thread does not discourage those people who will now have second thoughts from posting knowing that their post would be subject to scrutiny. Most of them weren’t born nor raised here. Myself included, English is my second language. Grew up in the Philippines, my primary language is Tagalog & it’s the only language spoken in our household.

Having said that, you’ll probably notice some infinitely or immeasurably misplaced grammar from my posts here & there. Nevertheless, it’s a little easier for me because our dialect is also in the form of alphabet from A-Z. The point I’m driving at is: it would be a lot difficult for Korean, Chinese or Japanese to transcribe their thoughts into English because their language constitutes & written in characters (except of course if they were born here or immigrated in the u.s. at an early age).

But I still do appreciate them from participating & posting, regardless! I’m not about to impose a correct structurally sound grammar on their posts for something they’re not familiar with. Just saying, folks.

Now, I know the folks Earl’s talking about & I do agree with him too! No excuse for Americans posting incorrect spelling & sloppy grammar (no offense, I can say that; I’m a minority ). Now is the time to kick my soapbox pedestal legs, please

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Excellent point.

I believe that most of us here are able to recognize those that you refer to, and we DO make allowances for that. I think the thing that makes it more difficult to keep quiet about, is when it's obvious that the person posting is from here (the US... born and raised and educated), and they submit a post that makes them look totally illiterate.

That being said, feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I think that this topic thread was opened up with those people (US) in mind.

I admit, I can be lazy about things like punctuation,and even make up words occasionally or slack on grammar,(see what I just did there? ) but this is a forum post, not an essay. As long as someone makes a bit of effort and can be understood, I'm okay with it.

By the way, there are several type-o's in the original post. Captain Spell Check wouldn't be pleased.

I'm actually not all that hung up about it. I do attempt to mostly proof a one time but I am not going to get bent about making a mistake. I do admit I put more weight on a post where someone might not have a high education but may make a valid point over someone that slangs on purpose.

GET OFF MY LAWN!