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In the end of the slashdot.org(on 23rd jan 2015) website page there is quote

Last yeer I kudn't spel Engineer. Now I are won

what does it mean, especially the second part Now I are won.

mplungjan
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Talespin_Kit
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    Now I am one. This is not exactly an ELU question. Imagine the quotation was spelled properly. Except it wasn't. – SrJoven Jan 23 '15 at 11:42
  • @AverageGatsby- Very cute. – Oldbag Jan 23 '15 at 11:55
  • @SrJoven If you can not understand an English phrase, then it must be a ELU question. If it is not then what is it then ?. – Talespin_Kit Jan 24 '15 at 13:46
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    There is an English Language Learners Stack Exchange for those who don't understand English. Take a look at the [help] for this site for the types of questions that are encouraged for this site. Nonetheless, one is encouraged to do a cursory check and explain what research was attempted before engaging experts. – SrJoven Jan 25 '15 at 02:21
  • @SrJoven Thanks for the information on Language Learners site. What kind of cursory check could i have done before posting. I tried searching on google before posting few web urls indicated that it was a joke and thats it. Because, i have no clue where else i have gone apart from posting at stackexchange. – Talespin_Kit Jan 25 '15 at 07:50
  • A cursory check would be to check dictionaries, thesaurus, perhaps a Google search, etc. Show your work, as it were. :) – SrJoven Jan 25 '15 at 21:01
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    It would be easier to understand had they not misspelled "injanear". – Hot Licks Feb 08 '16 at 18:31

6 Answers6

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Translation:

Last year I couldn't even spell "engineer" and now I am one.

This is an ancient joke—it was already current in a variety of forms when I was an undergraduate in the 1960s.

It pretends to mock the presumed communicative incompetence of engineering graduates, because their coursework emphasizes mathematics and rarely requires mastery of English style; but in fact it is largely current among engineers themselves, flaunted as a badge of their superiority to impractical and ineffective students of the humanities. These days you may see the variant "Last year I couldn't even spell 'Programmer' ..."

StoneyB on hiatus
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  • Yep, was well-known when I graduated (with an engineering degree) in 1972. Usually it's spelled "injunir" or some such, though. – Hot Licks Jan 23 '15 at 13:09
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    @HotLicks Perhaps you remember the Auburn engineer's Reading Comprehension Test? 'C m dux?' 'M r not dux, m r chikins' 'M r 2 dux, c m wangs?' – StoneyB on hiatus Jan 23 '15 at 13:18
  • Is this a bit like "The ELU was something of which I hadn't heard last year, and now I know that English Learners is not what it's for"? – Marv Mills Jan 23 '15 at 13:46
  • If this were true, bridges and buildings would fall down. So, frankly, it ain't as clever as it might seem. It actually just shows how really uninformed some jokers are. – Lambie Oct 22 '22 at 16:36
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It's deliberately mangled English as a way of mocking the (putatively low) English language skill level of engineers. It features both bad spelling and bad grammar, making it difficult for a non-native speaker to decipher.

It's similar both to the hillbilly reading test and LOLspeak, both of which are also versions of English deliberately mangled as a joke.

Chris Sunami
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  • Other examples are "Let Stalk Strine" and "Fraffly Well Spoken", both by Afferbeck Lauder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afferbeck_Lauder – Stephen C Feb 18 '17 at 02:30
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Regarding continuity of style, this is the answer:

Last year i could not spell engineer. Now i am one.

A little poem regarding computer spell checkers

AverageGatsby
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Used to be a commonly seen poster around engineering workshops - cartoon picture of a goofy apprentice with the caption underneath - 6 munfs ago I cudn't even spell enjuneer - now I are one!

Phil Bull
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I saw this drawing in the late 60-ies of a not so bright looking guy, saying something like:
”Four weeks ago I kudn’t spell ungenier and now I are one”
The grammar was supposed to be that of an undereducated hillbilly.
I was looking for that picture, when I stumbled into this forum.

KillingTime
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Yngve Näswall
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Although I agree with the gist of the other online answers, there is more to it than that. I first heard this meme in the form of a humorous fake advertisement for a fly-by-night Engineering School, in which the the actor promoting the school says, "You too can be an Engineer after training by our highly qualified teaching staff!" followed by a hill-billy-type character who (obviously uncomfortable at being filmed) holding a slide-rule who says, "Three weeks ago I could not spell 'engineer!' and now I ARE one!" It appeared to me to be a spoof on the trend at the time of a growing number of "schools" to profit from suckering in people who weren't able to get into schools with better reputations and credentials.

Marshall
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    When did you witness this? I can attest that the joke goes back to ca 1970, and StoneyB claims it goes back into the 60s. I doubt that the joke originated with the specific case you witnessed. – Hot Licks Sep 04 '17 at 00:48
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    You say, ‘‘there is more to it than’’ [the other answers], but what is it? What are you contributing to the question ‘‘what does it mean?’’ that isn’t covered by the other answers? – Scott - Слава Україні Sep 04 '17 at 01:54