Who's killing the English language?

There are plenty of topics I could write about this evening. I was having trouble choosing, actually, until I popped over to the web site for one of our local newspapers.

No, I don't really want to discuss a hot news item, though there are many worthwhile topics right now. What I would like to talk about is the general decline of the state of the written word.

While I do not claim to be an authority on the proper grammar, spelling, and usage of the English language, it appalls me to be assaulted by improper usage by the media.

When I was in grade school, we were told to follow the standard for written language as set by our nation's newspapers. It was pointed out that, not only were most of the writers of the news highly educated professionals, but that their copy was scrupulously edited before being set to print.

What the heck has happened to those standards? Just because copy is going on a web site instead of on a printed page is no reason to get sloppy!

Time and time again I find typographical and spelling errors on the homepages of New Hampshire newspapers. But, I will admit, today's affront was a bit trickier. I had to double-check it myself before I dove headlong into my cauldron of righteous indignation. Here is the headline that caught my attention:

"NH Guardsmen on duty along U.S.-Mexican border to curtain illegal crossings"

Are the Guardsmen going to hang draperies along the border so that no one will see the crossings? Probably not. Would communication have been better served if the author of the headline had used the word "curtail" instead of "curtain"? Probably.

What was the author thinking? I will wager that the author believed he was invoking a word that is pronounced kur-tane. I have heard this word used in conversation hundreds of times. I am pretty sure that I have even used it myself.

Guess what? It does NOT exist, at least not as C-U-R-T-A-I-N. (If the word does exist, and you have a proper spelling for it, I will gladly get off my high horse in favor of a short donkey.)

How can we expect our children to develop decent communication and language skills when they are constantly exposed to poor usage by the media? It's one thing to dismiss poor spelling and usage in IM and e-mail as mere informal communication. It's another thing all together when supposedly reputable publishers no longer exemplify the standard of language to strive for.

Maybe it really is just The Union Leader and The Telegraph. I believe that I will have to start visiting some of the bigger New England newspaper sites to see how often they trip over their keyboards. I'll be sure to let you all know if I see that there really is a trend beyond the literate backwaters of New Hampshire.