From: kehoea@parhasard.net   
      
    Ar an cúigiú lá déag de mí Deireadh Fómhair, scríobh Jeff Barnett:   
      
    > > I wonder have any studies been done comparing uneducated German-speakers   
    > > to uneducated English-speakers and the skill in determining parts of   
    > > speech. It wouldn’t shock me if the English-speakers were worse at it,   
    > > given less need to decline nouns and adjectives. I suppose these days it   
    > > would have to be done on pre-literate children.   
    >   
    > Not trying to be snide but, .... There are some questions about how, when,   
    > and if our American children do become literate. I suppose that many other   
    > countries are asking the same sorts of questions about their youngsters. The   
    > electronics and media influences might be even stronger than those of   
    > linguistic differences.   
      
   Local experience is that Irish Travellers (who have the lifestyle and social   
   pathologies of Gypsies, but echt-Irish genetics) were routinely illiterate   
   until smartphones came along, and now it’s unusual to come across a younger   
   Irish Traveller who is unable to read and write. A welcome change that has   
   happened in my lifetime (I’m 43). Was your feeling that literacy has   
   declined?   
      
   --   
   ‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /   
   How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’   
   (C. Moore)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)