Has the constant use of the computer make us forget how to write?

I was just trying to recall when did I hold a pen in my hands except those times when I had to sign a cheque...

I believe yes. I am saying this from my personal experience. Because of constant use of Computer, my speed of writing and its beauty has been affected a lot. I believe this is because of lack of writing. Anything, if we use less, we lose its practice. Because of lack of writing and getting everything done by computers, we are losing our speed in writing which is not a good indication.

Yes i think that computers makes us forget writing

The computers really act as an external memory for human brains. Everytime I try to recollect something important, I tend to open my PC/ Laptop and confirm. Anyway, since I happen to practice writing summeries in my pocket diary, my handwriting isnt that bad now. For instance, though PC/Laptop usage would be prudent for the sake of fairly unlimited storage, excessive usage of it may effect eye-sight where as a writing in pocket book would not..

Although my hand writting has never been stunning---

But I too experienced, constant use of computer left me no where (seriously hurt my handwritting & SPEED).

But it is also true that aberrations are always there.

brother ramalingam,  you know what is this ::::

" a perfect nail on the extremely delicate HEAD "

Without Ctrl+c and Ctrl+v we can't work with computer...May be after sometime we forget to type....

its altogether different ballgame writing and using computer.

(Ms) kaladeen Anyone can see how many negatibve points u have got in the rebound commnets made by you.

It was only the last one. 

It was because you didnt understand why at all Mr makrand had told a single line to Mr viktor that he would have preferred him not to participate in that particular discussion between mr vinay and mr makrand. 

you started again telling without reading things in the background. 

And i dont know why you have this persistent but "pestering to others" habit of giving advice. Think twice on this as you yourself say"Further I do not wish for your advice" in the third para of your lastbut one comment as of date.

Further, I wish everyone thinks like Ms Alka has quoted here to maintain decorum.  her comments and my thumb down are actually same but in different format. She wrote it clearly and i gave you and Mr Vinay and Mr Viktor a thumb down. Because I believe symbols speaks better than word. You should take cue from that.

Mr. Bhave, I wish to know what is your problem. I am not following you but I hate to see people make stupid comments. What you are actually doing is making yourself a laughing stock. I can sense you have a personal problem with Ms. Kaladeen. I notice you are trying to embarass her on this site. From the numerous comments I have read to date I daresay she seem to be very popular on this website. Is it you cannot handle a foreign person getting a lot of attention at Toostep. I notice Mr. Raghu Kastury's comment about her which made me smile " You(Devi) have stolen the show for the entire season for the recession".

Why are you attacking women, Sheetal and now Devi? What is wrong with you man. Stop arguing with the women. Or is it you have now turned on Mr. Stephen too. Do you want him to support your stupid comments?. I think Mr. Stephen is too intelligent to support your crap. Wish you good luck.

This is not fair Mr. M. Bhave, you cannot advise or wish Mr. Stephen to be absent from this debate. Everyone at Toostep is welcome to participate in this debate. This happens to be a debate I posted so I am free to support it and invite all and sundry to participate.

About me posting personal stuff here on this debate that is my prerogative also. It is very strange that you are the only person who has to date cautioned me on this after this debate has been going on for so long now. Mentioning that my cheques were returned for irregular signatures, what is so personal about that? Did I say ‘Refer to Drawer’?

Further I do not wish for your advice, I am competent enough to know the pros from the cons and what is right and what is wrong. I will continue to post as relevant as I see fit. You don’t have to read any of my future posts if you think they are not befitting to this site.  

With regards to the abbreviations which you keep lamenting on, I think your arguments are baseless. If I ever used such abbreviation on this site must have been LOL…I can’t even remember. With use of it on other sites, etc you are now intruding on my personal domain.

Whatever impression you made of me from my debate does not bother me at all. I am who I am and will continue to be that same person. I must say I do enjoy debates and I am definitely enjoying this one. It has attracted so many comments that I am in awe. It has also improved my writing skills, I mean on computer not by hand.

Seeing that this debate has too much of my personal information or so you think, do you think that I should delete it from this site?  You as well as all participants can respond to my question.

Thank you.

Makrand, that's too generalistic a comment. And based on what? Hearsay?

Your assumptions have no logical basis.

Mr. Bhave I have been following all your comments to date and notice your poor language. I am making a comparison between the two comments and yours do not make any sense to me.

 Sheetal is right in telling you at another forum that you do not have to jump into everything posted at Toostep. But it seems that you like to be the front page and believe your comments are the best. When it comes to proper writing I can single out 5 people immediately, Ahmed Sultan, Viktor Stephen, Devi Kaladeen, Shaju George and Mr. SWAMY. They maybe many more but I have not gone through those as yet.

I am fairly new on this site so before jumping and posting arguments,comments and contributions, I am going through many comments by the prominent members on Toostep. When I see the need to post a comment or support an argument only then will I respond.

I am not perfect in english but have been making it a study by reading other people language and I do use a lot of spell check. 

NOT ONLY WRITTING AND SPELLING,TWO MORE THINGS WHICH ARE GOING TO GIVE TROUBLE.1.SPONDALITIS AND 2.WEAKENING EYE SIGHT,THESE HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED BY DR.'S ALSO TO USE THE COMPUTER FOR RESTRICTED TIME.

Mr. Makrand, with all due respect I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say. However, because I have common sense or at least some I am trying to figure out your comment to give you a response you seem to need.

Firstly I have never to date used abbreviated words or internet language to post any contributions at Toostep. So what exactly do you mean by these words

"From your comment it seems to me that you have ALLOWED the abbreviations to take over your REAL sense! You seem to like it too... " PLEASE RESPOND.

Secondly, if you read my argument where I mentioned returned cheques, you will notice I said the cheques were returned  for irregular signature. While the fact remain that I can still write good if I take my time but will I ever see the need to do that if all I do these days in form of hand writing is just to affix a signature.

What  do you mean by this statement

"after all cheques coming back for irregular signatures made by the same person is not really a good sign! :))" PLEASE RESPOND.

Thirdly , when did I ever criticised anyone on Toostep about using abbreviated language causing you to post this comment. 

"I am quite sure that the entire community of toostep is using cells and comps / laptops... and hence not averse to the abbreviated language!! But except for some particularly Sheetal Rawat seems to be using abbreviations DELIBERATELY. I believe she was once very gently reprimanded by Mr. Stephen as well!!

However, I do support Mr. Stephens's comment. He was right to make that observation. This is a professional website and members need to write proper language inclusive of grammar and spelling.

Fourthly I have no clue to what you are saying here and I quote

"Common sense tells me that on a forum where you are aware that you are facing professionals from all walks of life you would make an ATTEMPT to put your best foot forward and at least write / type the full spellings of a word!! How is it possible to FORGET what you have been writing for over 15 to 20 years of your life be destroyed unless YOU embrace it consciously???

If you read and comprehend properly I said I have been using  a computer to type for the last fifteen years. I have been writing with my hand since I was three(3) years old. The issue here was about neat handwriting AND spelling using your brain. This has actually been replaced by computer and spell check to an extent.

Darshil, I notice you made your point since 27 days ago but only oppose my original agument today. This is a debate so any opposition should be followed by a comment.

Now this is a question for you and all other members, if you notice my original(top) argument is based on my experience. It is because of that experience the thought came to me to post this question.

Can you professionals out there tell me why would members oppose a person's personal experience. If was not for the experience this debate would not have been here at all.

What's your views on this ? 

Yes devi you are 100% right that anyhow computer and mobiles has made us too much dependent on writing, spellings, as well as flow too. Whenever we take pen in our hand in our core inner we feel little conscious about writing, its fact that our handwriting as well as writing speed has also decreased .Not only this we gradually decreasing our memory too. we get some article or any important reference online ,we try to save it just after checking that it is of great use to us. We think that its our property we can read some other time. Unless in college days during making reference we did deep studies and immediately write and note the important notes and paragraphs too. Computers in all ways made us extremely dependent.

IN mobile SMS also started helping to forget many spellings too as there we use short language which is not at all acceptable anywhere but only between friends. Its too much horrible too.

Mr. Swamy, bad manners to be adding to your original comments. No one will notice. Post a separate arugument every time you want to make a point. That's how a debate works.

Writing sms & email in abrreviated language has really lead detrioratioon of writing abilitiy. But the technilogy alone can not be blamed. Earlier we detailed letters same thing done while sending mails to loved ones.

Fully agreed with Devi Mam. I am also feeling this same.

i ll totally agree with devi mam..   ..i feel my writing skill really got effected

its really very nice discussion..

thanks

Well as a student I would say that computer typing has definitely had an effect on my writing.Most importantly it kind of makes me lazy to remember certain spellings because I know my spell check will take care of it. All my seminar and project reports are asked in typing and sometimes I lose track of punctuation marks and spacings as I know that my computer will do it for me if I miss out.Further more there is always a scope to make mistakes when using the computer which makes me feel a little easy and focus on the subject of what I am writing rather than on my writing style or spaces or legibility.My handwriting was also appreciated a lot but of late it definitely takes some amount of practice to get back to my style of writing.Also my fingers are getting so used to typing that my threshold time for writing has significantly reduced.It definitely is sad but I guess thats how it is.

When I started this debate I did not consider the persons who don't have good handwriting and don't know to spell. This was an oversight on my part. In this case the computer is of huge benefit to them, thanks to modern technology. 

Mr. Swamy, for the benefit of you and your supporters my questions are as follows:


1.Do you think we will soon forget how to write properly if we continue to do all our writings through the computer? I meant the use of our hands.

2. Do you think too much use of the internet language will make you forget how to spell? I meant the short cut of words used when chatting.

Did you read my argument?

I was talking about handwriting, so how come you don't see any degradation in your writing by the use of computers?

How has your handwriting improved because of the editing features?

Your handwriting was never good and now you are better off with the PC.

Did you ever chat on the computer? Do you have any idea what I mean by Internet language?  

From all indication it seems as though you are quite happy having to use the PC and not having to write too much with your hand.

I am happy for you that you don’t have a problem with spelling. If you type in Microsoft words like I do then you will never have reason to use spell check, since any word you type with wrong spelling will automatically be highlighted and you can correct immediately. 

To have a balance I am now doing lots of writing on paper in my neat handwriting to preserve my good skills.

NB: Many person focused on the heading of the debate rather than the actual questions to comment on.

I second your thoughts Devi. I was always praised all through my schooling for a very good and neat hand writing, since 2002 since after I have left college and took up a Job it is kind of difficult to actually write more than a paragraph at a stretch. I also feel bad to see my handwriting going bad.

But now since about few months I make it a point to write something using a pencil or a fountain pen most of the time, which makes me feel good :)

You bet it does.. Not to mention after you have filled up some application using your hands, its starts to ache and you have that wrist pain.. What computers can do to normal humans....

I sometimes even feel to 'undo' after I did something in the real world! Also when I am searching for something inside my house, constantly I crave for a simple F3 command.

Tht much operating systems 've influenced our daily lives. Also the continious use of mouse change the characteristic movements of ur fingers, thereby altering ur handwriting also.

Hi Ahmed,

I have just read your comment. Earlier I did not notice it. Language learning, speaking and writing are kind of linked closely with mental faculties which need constant touch with them.

I saw that you were ready to help on mobile in lot of languges. Is there a language which you haven't been using it for a while? Let me check if your proficiency is still the same on it or not. or let me put it the other way, if you are continuously writing with your hand 8 hours a day don't you think your writing skills will improve? Same way the contrary is also true.

You may be blessed with special skills to learn and retain languages much bettter than others, where as others may have skills that may give them the skill to better understand what others convyed, than you, the intended meanings of communication, whichever language it be. So based on generally accepted level of skills, I the writing skills will disappear if we dont use it for long. Actually before writing this, I checked myself writing with hand in Englih, my mother tongue and Hindi. I found extreemly difficult to write in Hindi though I passed Hindi with Distinction in my school. Because I did not write in Hindi after I left school.

So speaking writing is onething and understanding is onething. Example, to understand Devi's debate here, the idea here is that computerisation is causing us to rusticate our human skills. Any skill needs practice and that too regularly.

Today, our children dont have the same amount of expertise on our mother tongues as they have on English. Now over a period of time their children will not even have that. Can you speak or write as greatly as your fathers and fore fathers? That is because we were not able to transfer our langauge to them and as well as they are not spending on the mother tongue as much as we spent in our child hood. That is because we have been using English and not our mother tongue so we are loosing the touch. In the same way, when we continuously keep using key board, we will loose touch with pen and hand in English. This is not rocket science, to tell that we will loose touch if we dont practice.

How many pages in a minute you used to write when you were not using a comp and how many now. You check it for yourselves. By the way please count the spelling mistakes that you may make while hand writing to give you an idea how badly we became dependent on this automation. While it is not wrong, we should always keep ourselves aware of this fact and keep our eyes and ears open so that we are not caught unawares in the event of sudden disappearance of these gadgets or tools whatever you may call.

Finally on the lighter side, if I may be allowed to give my mobile numbers for assistance, I would give it for some more interesting reasons rather than working as a human form of spell checker!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, Ms. Devi I think this is one of the most answered query in the recent times. Great question, that makes everyone think and motivate them to answer.

Please keep sending, we will sharpen our thinking skills

The experience and the learned say that anything that is not practiced or used ... gets rusted and withers / gets diluted (it's performance as a skill goes down as the neural networks in the brain/nervous system gets altered); And practice makes a man perfect in anything ... !

While there may be some truth in what you say (that we will forget how to write with hand & spell properly, if we use computers all the time!), but according to my experience, I learned driving and swimming way back in teens and have not practiced for last 15-20 years ... Have I forgotten how to swim and drive properly and effectively?

May be my skill has gone little awry/poor, but if I sit in front of driving wheels or jump in the water for few hours, all that skill will come back to me in a flash, as all that is buried underneath in neural patterns/networks or lying low and it resurfaces ... and the more, I practice further, it will get reinforced and better and better ...

Writing and even driving / swimming are some of the basic skills which are quite strongly embedded in our neurons (nerve cells) and it does not get obliterated, although it may get rusted or covered by dark veil of dust/layer of unknowing ness, which will resurface or become clear as soon as covering layer is wiped off (Just as the lamp or light shines as the dark covering/layer of dirt/dust is cleaned in a lantern or clarity is restored as soon as mirror is wiped of fog/dust etc.)

Hi Ms. Devi!!!

Hw r u?

Thanks for ur appreciation

Regards

You are absolutely right. Dependency on computer for

everything is making many changes in our habits and

 alongwith it our normal capabilities also. Even personal letters between family

 members are now reduced to few lines typed out casually in an e-mail.

I also experience this strange problem about signing documents as two

signatures refuse to tally. Not only that the capability of writng get hampered,

but also problems appear in the wrist  and palm area needing serious medical attention.

The danger is more for youngsters who will find it difficult to do well in written exams.

A little writing practice before going to exam will be good for them.

I will agree to this i am a victim of computer usage them, Ha Ha Ha, But i tend to forget to spell many words these days that even on my computer these is a inbuilt dictionary in my browser that corrects me if i forget some spellings.... surprising but true

Smitha and all the others I appreciate you expressing your views. Thanks for the support.

I do agree with Devi, sometimes young computer users can loose their mastery over language using computers more often than writing. Those of our age it may not be that big a problem since we grew up and groomed in writing. Then ofcourse signature not matching might a problem for those who don't use pen often.

Yes Mr. Uday! Comment on second para by Mr. Ahmed is very wrong. he must not put up his argument in this manner. Its only insulting

Regards

Comment given in the second para by Mr. Ahmad Sultan, should not be written. 

Although fast, use of computer and the internet language are decreasing our writing capacity.

needs changes as per time...same here...

This is what happens when things evolve, before there was not much use of computers a decade ago or when we were in college, everything was done in writing, and we used to concentrate more on how our writing was just to impress the person who is reading it, and these days we depend more on computers because it is easy and has many features, it can give printout of whatever you need, so there is no point of writing these days, so with times things have changed, Humans are developing the technology where he finds it easy for everything...

cool guys it is only a debate..chill

This is not about forgetting language or writting, it is about feeling bored about lot of writing. It is like a habit, if you spend a lot of time with someone or something, you will feel that person or thing closer much closer to you, and when these things will go away from you for some time your habbits will be changed...Same is here.Today we use to work on computers from morening 9 to endless evening. And it is very often that we use to write something on papers, rather then signing some files & papers. Mobile & e-mails have almost finished the letter writting. 

I am 2500 KM away from my parents, and daily 2-3 times i used to talk to them. So i use my mobile, google chat etc. And in this regard writing by pen is far most thing.

Upto doing my MCOM & MBA, in papers and while preparing Assignments, we use to write 7-8 pages for one answer, but now not....  :(

ys dear! I also meant the same....

I partially agree, we cannot or never forget to write properly although since we are more depended on computers the changeover takes time. But it is hardly a matter of few seconds to get back to our original writing skills. What I think is that now due to the computers paper applications or letters writing requirements has drastically become less.

Therefore it is not the computers but the requirements of writing which has resulted in such situation.

Still I am in support because spelling and grammatical checks cannot be done to the accuracy of the computers in writing on the paper. 

Hi Dear!

Very gudmorning to u...

Just gone through your debate (Interesting topic), and the views (mixed) of the people you got.

Well! I too personally feel that v r very much dependent on computers. They have also made business more smooth and convenient. Every one wants to be first. In this fast approaching nation, People are becoming more competitive. So they look for quick (but efficient) nd progressive work.

It depends on person to person hw well they write nd well hw they use computers. u can c in this content  that i too use short words at som places.

I love writing but on the other love to spend time on my system as well for anything i want to get the information about. i need not depend completely on any person. He/she may or may not give the true nformation.

Its all matter of the fast growing world. We must move with the nation but on the other hand we must not forget where we came from. Writing on a peace of paper or typing on ur PC / Mobile. U have the option nd u have the right to choose from. Next time when you want to type somthing, do it if u really want/need it. Dnt think "Cant i write it.?"

At least u'll not waste a Paper dear!! And if its not in writing chances are there u may lost the file u placed in with.

Both (Writing nd typing on the system) has its own limitations nd greatness.

Look for its uniqness nd goodness nd use it. Dnt c to its limitations.

My debate was niether against nor in favour of anyone. Just my peronal thought.

Hope you too some what agree to me if not completely.

Regards

Smitha Allen

Yes.. I realise that inversely proportional to my growing speed of typing, I am losing my speed of writing and good handwriting.

Similar to this, before start using mobile phones, I always had more than 200 phone numbers in my memory. Now since I am storing the numbers in mobile, the numbers in my memory came down drastically..

To multiply 2 digits or even 3 digits, it was easy for me without any paper/pen before I started using MS Excel extensively. Now for any simple calculations, I will open Excel..

Yes.. I am getting depended to computers...

Yes...day by day my typing speed is increasing. I can type even after clsoing my eyes. But my habit of writing is far behind. Now i feel bore while writing after 2-3 pages. 

I always feel better to type at computer rather then writing...     :(

It is true.

Practice of hand writing is lost with increased working on computer. But this is true for every job. The rule of "USE IT OR LOOSE IT" applies.

good debaade

Yes you are very true. It happens to me often. In the rare occassions of writing more than a few lines, I find it so diffcult and bot my hand and mind resist so much.

Regarding spellings also it is becoming difficult to know whether I spelt correctly or not especially when writing in hand. This is similar to the phone numbers and bithdays and other important days. Previously I used remember every phone nunumber and everyones birthday.

When these computerisation began, I get somuch shouting from my wife for not remembering the birthday, her phone number!!!!