In which grade do they teach the word, "nukular?"

Who's the elitist NOW?

I wonder, what level it is, that voters, real down to earth good small town Americans are speaking at.

the_cnidarian: I wonder, what level it is, that voters, real down to earth good small town Americans are speaking at.

Many newspapers in North America aim for grade four. Government in Canada often aims for grade six, I am not sure of the rule in the USA.

I'd say 3rd grade for Palin... didn't she give a shout out to her classmates?

hyperspacemonkey: I am not sure of the rule in the USA.

I know that construction contracts and plans aim for a 6th grade level. The article mentioned similar standards for newspapers. I guess Jethro Bodine had something to proud of after all. I still wonder, what level do most people communicate at when they are off work, and just hanging out?

Everyone knows that the messenger is more important than the message.

Palin said, "Federalist". I'm pretty sure that's what made the difference.

vegasj: I'd say 3rd grade for Palin... didn't she give a shout out to her classmates?

LOL. I think you're right.

BTW, anybody else do some channel flipping after the debate and notice most news shows were reporting opinion polls among undecided voters leaned a bit toward Biden, except for Fox, which reported a landslide for Palin?

On what reading level are the words "betchya" and "gonna"?

kronicfeld: On what reading level are the words "betchya" and "gonna"?

She's from Alaska...I think there's some modifier at work here, like a golf handicap or something.

kronicfeld: On what reading level are the words "betchya" and "gonna"?

I guess you don't learn the words "Alaska", "Energy", and "Maverick" until you get to tenth grade.

How about "infastructure"?

I'm pretty sure that if I'd said "infastructure" any time after leave elementary school my teachers would have kicked my ass.

Isotope: She's from Alaska...I think there's some modifier at work here, like a golf handicap or something.

Yup. Sandbagged like crazy.

Palin sounded like the American equivalent to Eliza Doolittle before Henry Higgins got a hold of her.

The passive and active voice? Are you goddamned farking kidding me?! The most important election in damned near all of our lifetimes. fark!

She spoke? All I saw was her shooting ping-pong balls out of her cooch.

Golly, gee-willickers! Say it ain't so, Joe...you is retarded fer tawlkin like yur in aighth grade!

Seriously..last night I didnt know if she was talking to the American people or Opie and Aunt Bea. Golly gosh darn!

Ah but which one actually used those words coherently?

So...winking at people, saying golly gee gosh darn willikers, nukuler, avoiding discussing specific policy positions is 10th grade level?

This must be how 5th graders are apparently smarter than half the population.

I'd really like to know exactly how they "grade" these or whatever, because it seems kind of silly based on just what's in the article.

Gotcha
Donchaknow
Gosh gee golly willickers
Betcha
Noo-kyoo-lurr


Know what the problem with this system is? No negative points.

Also, I would like to note that three people in the last three minutes, without knowing any of the others' intentions, used "willickers" in a post.

I am so goddamn proud of my countrymen.

At the risk of sounding elitist, I was reading at a sixth grade level in the first grade, which means that at the age of 5 I was already nearly as qualified to hold to office of Vice President as Sarah Palin.

So, Palin spoke about 5 grades higher than her core followers while Biden undercut his by 4+?

Bob Balaban: Palin sounded like the American equivalent to Eliza Doolittle before Henry Higgins got a hold of her.

Man, now all I can think of is that stupid Family Guy episode. WAY TO GO

Daddakamabb: Ah but which one actually used those words coherently?

Well, now that I actually RTFA, it appears that the "grade" was based purely on how complicated the sentences were (rather than things like vocabulary and use of figures of speech, which would've been my criterion):



But higher grade level doesn't necessarily mean better sentence, Payack said. He pointed to Palin's second-to-last sentence in the debate, which the formula put at a grade level of 18.3:

"What I would do, also, if that were ever to happen, though, is to continue the good work he is so committed to of putting government back on the side of the people and get rid of the greed and corruption on Wall Street and in Washington," Palin said.

Wow, that is farking stupid. Palin spoke at a higher grade level? Dontcha know? Stupidity is spreading.

She didn't "speak" or "debate," she recited. There's a difference.

Mentat: At the risk of sounding elitist, I was reading at a sixth grade level in the first grade, which means that at the age of 5 I was already nearly as qualified to hold to office of Vice President as Sarah Palin.

Only if you were "keeping an eye on Russia."

sorry, keepin'

Joe Sixpack never made it to 10th grade. Another example of how out of touch the Palin-McCain campaign is.

form over content on every level.

snowjack: In which grade do they teach the word, "nukular?"

The guy watching the debate with me noted that 'cle' is an awkward construct for english speakers and occurs very infrequently in usage, and that it was a natural tendency of anyone fluent in the language to add a 'u' to make it conventionally pronouncible. He attributes the error more to shoddy and irregular cobling together of the language than the intelligence of individual orators.

Hopefully that wasn't too garbled, I'm an engineer, he's the linguistics specialist (no, really, that's his research area) so I may have screwed it up a bit on the rebound. Anyhow, stop harping on that mispronunciation. It's not really 'mis' anything if it's pronounced that way by half the goddamned population.

Mentat: At the risk of sounding elitist, I was reading at a sixth grade level in the first grade, which means that at the age of 5 I was already nearly as qualified to hold to office of Vice President as Sarah Palin.

I've heard a lot of people exaggerate their intelligence before, but I've not seen anyone claim to have been in first grade at the age of one. Either that or you jsut completely owned yourself with the situationally ironic intelligence snark, poindexter.

//Honestly, Palin was the better orator, technique-wise (run-on sentences of death notwithstanding). Content-wise, though, she was completely outclassed. Biden actually had to give up on the cleverness after the third barbed reference to a news-story about McCain buzzed harmlessly over her uncomprehending head. She barely even caught the 'bridge to nowhere' one. So much facepalm listening to that woman talk.

If everyone spoke at a high-school reading level, this world would suck to live in. You're SUPPOSED to speak at roughly an eighth-grade level because it's simple and you can only come up with words and put them into sentences so fast.

The fact that Palin averaged a tenth grade reading level of speech is an indicator that most of her lines were finally edited and recited from memory.

word choice != word comprehension

This has to be a joke.

Jim_Callahan: The guy watching the debate with me noted that 'cle'

An example;

clear
unclear
nuclear

there is no "U" but even the mispronunciation is wrong.

Jim_Callahan: //Honestly, Palin was the better orator, technique-wise (run-on sentences of death notwithstanding). Content-wise, though, she was completely outclassed. Biden actually had to give up on the cleverness after the third barbed reference to a news-story about McCain buzzed harmlessly over her uncomprehending head. She barely even caught the 'bridge to nowhere' one. So much facepalm listening to that woman talk.

Two things here.

First, Biden was the better orator. I think you discount the repetitiveness of her little quirks, the droning monotone quality of her voice, and the weight that should be assigned to the run-on sentences. More people notice the bad run-on sentences than any good "technique." It only takes a little bit to attract attention and distract people from what she was saying (which may have been her intention).

Biden was often loud, articulate, and economical in his sentence construction.

Second, I don't think Biden "gave up" on the cleverness because something buzzed over her head. He gave up because she wasn't responding to it and was just repeating her talking points.

If correct, it explains how Biden has gotten reelected for 40 years.

He's not the stupid one, we are. Or rather, you all are.

FishyFred: If everyone spoke at a high-school reading level, this world would suck to live in. You're SUPPOSED to speak at roughly an eighth-grade level because it's simple and you can only come up with words and put them into sentences so fast.

The fact that Palin averaged a tenth grade reading level of speech is an indicator that most of her lines were finally edited and recited from memory.

A high-school reading level is Trig level.

the_cnidarian: Jim_Callahan: The guy watching the debate with me noted that 'cle'

An example;

clear
unclear
nuclear

there is no "U" but even the mispronunciation is wrong.

Maybe we can chalk this up to a flaw in teaching pronunciation? Putting it in the terms of "clear -> unclear -> nuclear" gets the correct pronunciation out of my mouth, but that's not the way I think when I pronounce the word. I pronounce it correctly. I'm guessing it's a difference in education.

Jim_Callahan: //Honestly, Palin was the better orator, technique-wise (run-on sentences of death notwithstanding).

Perhaps, but in a debate (at least, in the academic sense of what a "debate" should be), that's not necessarily a bad thing for Biden. He didn't seem too concerned with how good a speech he was giving and tried (for the most part at least) to actually answer the questions.

Jim_Callahan: The guy watching the debate with me noted that 'cle' is an awkward construct for english speakers

The guy watching the debate with you is either a foreigner or a jacktard who thinks it's okay to say 'libary.'

It is not a complicated construct for English speakers, it is a complicated construct for dumbasses.

FishyFred: If everyone spoke at a high-school reading level, this world would suck to live in.

Yeah, it'd be damn awful to live in a world where people are more educated. God knows most people are too smart!

Ha! Letterman went after Palin tonight. Pretty funny stuff.

McCain really pissed him off. I mean Letterman is on a personal mission, it seems.

Anyone can punch up their language for a speech (which is what last night essentially was for her).

Biden talked to America. Palin talked down to Biden and the nation.

Which is why she did not win.

In the near future, I hope to see a news story that includes the following line:

"Austin, Texas-based Global Language Monitor is rethinking its methodology for determining the grade level at which people speak, noting that its current formula does not place enough emphasis on the actual sentence spoken nor the use or meaning of the words in the sentence."

I actually like the way Palin speaks. It reminds me of Bobby's mom from Bobby's World.

What she SAYS, on the other hand...