"She don't speak English"

[Vidor]

"Pain don't hurt."

--Patrick Swayze in Road House, 1989 American film set in a rough lower-class bar

[Velo]

OP, your concerns remind me of discussions I've previously seen on "eboincs" and poor language skills. For example, the DEA wants to hire "ebonics" translators and some school districts are discussing teaching classes in ebonics, instead of standardized American English.

Without a doubt, language changes and evolves. One need only look at ye olde English for proof. In fact, new words such as "emoticon" are constantly being added to languages. However, I wonder at what point do we allow bad English to pass for standard or formal English.

There are many dialects, such as Cajun English, Southern English, even "l33t speak", but Standard English is the most common and without a mastery of it, one will sound uneducated or otherwise will not be able to communicate effectively. It's one to thing to use a lot of slang or local dialect around friends or in a friendly environment but it's another to say "I wants to go to dis here school becuz" on a college application.

In this poster's opinion, it's a gray area. In the case of "she dont got no english skills" it seems to be more a lack of education or understanding, rather than a language evolving naturally. However, in other cases sometimes slang or other words start to become far spread and meshed into the standard language that everyone uses them, no matter their education or background, such as "ain't" and pop culture references as as "do'h" which was recently added to the dictionary.

As for spelling, I leave you with these jokes:

A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz of ould doderez -- to riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Changes to the English Language

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly,this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favor of the 'k'. This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replased with the 'f'. This will make words like 'fotograf' 20% shorter!

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expected to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double leters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' wiz 'v'. During ze fifz year ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and similar changes vud of kurs be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After ze fifz yer ve vil hav a rali sensibl ritn styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evriun vil find it ezi tu undrstand ech ozer.

Zen Z Drem Vil Finali Kum Tru!