Is English getting more simple?

[PLAYER57832]

I... was taught to use less language to make my point.

Chandler wrote that the hardest and most time consuming part of writing was making it short. Just read one of his novels and you'll see the benefit for yourself.

However, this is a forum. Most of us are tapping on the fly, or with an ear over our shoulder, wondering who might be creeping on our cubicle.

That leads to two different outcomes: awkward, short statements that don't benefit from the kind of revision that requires at least three revisits to the material or long, rambly posts that don't benefit from the kind of revision that makes a lot of material succinct. Which, of course, also requires at least three reworks and often at least an overnight break before the third revisiting.

This means we should not really expect a standard of elegance any higher than that of a rough draft on these message boards.

True. But I prefer long rambling posts to posts like "UR GAY."

guilty as charged

However, some things can be said succinctly and some things cannot.

[mpjh]

You can say anything succinctly; it just takes some thought before typing.

[PLAYER57832]

You can say anything succinctly; it just takes some thought before typing.

Yep, you can condense most novels into 2 sentences... but I'd still rather read the novels, thank you!

And succinct or not, truly explaining how a forest ecosystem works or how to build a rocketship or how polychaets can live around sulphure vents takes longer than explaining how to plant a seed.

[MeDeFe]

You can say anything succinctly; it just takes some thought before typing.

Yep, you can condense most novels into 2 sentences... but I'd still rather read the novels, thank you!

I wouldn't go so far as to say all novels can be summed up in two sentences, but certainly no more than 30 seconds.

[jonesthecurl]

Proust, certainly.

[pimpdave]

Yep, you can condense most novels into 2 sentences... but I'd still rather read the novels, thank you!

What if it's the last chapter of Ulysses?



BOOM!

roasted.

[Snorri1234]

And again:

I'm defining "simple" in terms of the expansiveness of the grammar.

Why?

[Almo]

I... was taught to use less language to make my point.

Chandler wrote that the hardest and most time consuming part of writing was making it short. Just read one of his novels and you'll see the benefit for yourself.

However, this is a forum. Most of us are tapping on the fly, or with an ear over our shoulder, wondering who might be creeping on our cubicle.

That leads to two different outcomes: awkward, short statements that don't benefit from the kind of revision that requires at least three revisits to the material or long, rambly posts that don't benefit from the kind of revision that makes a lot of material succinct. Which, of course, also requires at least three reworks and often at least an overnight break before the third revisiting.

This means we should not really expect a standard of elegance any higher than that of a rough draft on these message boards.

True. But I prefer long rambling posts to posts like "UR GAY."

well you are kind of gay

[thegreekdog]

well you are kind of gay

Then the person should type - "I think you are gay" rather than typing "UR Gay." I'd lend more credence to the former rather than the latter.

[jonesthecurl]

Yep, you can condense most novels into 2 sentences... but I'd still rather read the novels, thank you!

What if it's the last chapter of Ulysses?



BOOM!

roasted.

I can condense the whole of Ulysses into one word.

Burble.