Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Power of Grammar over the Media’s Credibility



It is quite amusing how fast we can receive information today. With the help of the mass media, we are easily updated on recent happenings around our society. Undeniably, the media has a huge influence over their audience. Though sometimes, the people we rely on for information commit simple grammatical errors.


I’m sure everyone is familiar with Kuya Kim. We know him as the “The Weatherman” who obviously reports weather forecasts. In his reports, we usually hear this line:

“Ang pinaka- latest sa ating weather report ngayon ay…”

Something seems wrong in this sentence. The Tagalog word “pinaka” means “most” in English, so “pinaka- latest” equates to “most latest” which is a double superlative.

Let me share something that I’ve read from Jose Carillo’s English forum.


"There's a total brownout." 

(This one was said by Karen Davila [of the ABS-CBN TV network]. As she kept on saying it, I felt compelled to call the station. Luckily, I was able to get through. Within minutes she was saying "total blackout"—but in an embarrassed tone.)     


Karen Davila, another highly respected mass media personality, is guilty of idiomatic error.





Sadly, grammatical errors occur in my favorite newspaper as well.


It is quite disappointing how careless the media can be on their grammar.  As the cliché goes, “Nobody’s perfect.” For these people however, a simple mistake becomes a very big deal because it may question their reliability and professionalism. Moreover, they are expected to be more careful since they serve as the source of public information. The simplest grammatical error can cause vagueness and confusion to the information that they want to convey.

Sources:
momsterteacher.com/2011/09/
www. Images.google.com

24 comments:

  1. What a great blogpost. I think it's quite 'bitin'. The article is so clear because of the quoted lines you have mentioned. Thank you, Pau. God bless.

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  2. Hello, Angel. I enjoyed reading your post because you got a brilliant and easy-to-understand topic. You were able to express your thoughts without causing confusion to your readers, and you managed to present your ideas completely even though your post is quite short.

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  3. Your blog post is good though it's short. I easily understand what you were trying to say. Good job, Angel! Congratulations.

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  4. I often hear the line of Kuya Kim "ang pinaka-latest weather news ngayon..." I noticed that error is common to us Filipinos. Good job! :)

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  5. Hello, Angel! :)
    "With the help of the mass media…" You can omit "the" before "mass media".

    I agree with Yona, you chose a very interesting topic. I thought you were going to delve deeper into it though, and your last statement seemed like you were just getting started. Anyway, you still did a fine job. :)

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  6. Good job Angel! You chose an interesting topic. It was also easy to understand. Congratulations! :)

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  7. I liked the way you organize your ideas in such a short blog post. I also find your topic interesting and easy to understand. Congratulations. :)

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  8. I congratulate you for writing a concise blog that conveyed to us everything you want to explain. I think media should be careful, especially many people are influenced by the things they watched resulting to the common errors we have today.

    I also appreciate that you provided concrete examples to prove your point in this post. Great job! :D

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  9. This is a good post. However, it would be better if you continued and elaborated your topic.

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  10. It was indeed an interesting topic. Congratulations, Angel! :-)

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  11. Hi Angel! That was an entertaining post! I noticed that many of us are fond of posting about the grammatical errors in the media or in the public. I guess that is how widespread they are. Everyone should really be careful on using the English language.

    Great job! =)

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  12. Hi Angel! This post was quite short, but you were able to present your ideas clearly. Congratulations! :)

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  13. Your topic is very amusing and interesting. Job well done!

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  14. Hi Angel! Your post is interesting though it's short. Good job, Angel! :)

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  15. Love this blog post! I wonder how much it costs reporters when they make mistakes like that though. But anyway, GREAT JOB! :D

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  16. What an interesting topic! Have mercy on Kuya Kim! haha

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  17. Your blog post is simple yet interesting. Good job! :)

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  18. Hello Angel! Your blog post is simple, yet interesting to read. You briefly expressed your thoughts about the issue, and I commend you for that. Congratulations!

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  19. I do not expect an average person to be able to speak and write well, but those who speak and write for the public should at least know what they are doing.


    Good Job, Angel! :)
    "That in all things, God may be glorified!"

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  20. Hi Angel, your entry is really interesting. However, I was left hanging, you could have delved deeper into the subject. Nonetheless, you did a good job.

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  21. Your post is very interesting. I really like your topic. Good job Angel! :)

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  22. "...they are expected to be more careful since they serve as the source of public information." I agree.
    Short and sweet.(Ma'am Alfelor's accent) :D
    Nice job, Angel. :)

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