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Ninemsn/ASF Viral Misspelling

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Julia said:
And Wysiwyg, since we're being picky
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Please don't Julia, it's futile.

Maybe they teach that spelling in some schools
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They cover some spelling early in school, but for most of the school years 'English' covers literature.
 
Life would be so much easier if English words were spelled more phonetically. For example, why are there two "l"s in "spelling" when one would suffice? We have "spelt" so why not "speling"?

English is a good language and it doesn't have the ridiculous multiple genders of French and German and all we need to do to make it a great language is get rid of the unnecessary double letters, silent letters, etc. The Yanks made a start many years ago but, sadly, gave up before the job was completed.

The rules evolve and thankfully there have been some improvements since Shakespeare's day. Shakespearean English is like a foreign language these days.

I suppose everyone has seen the passage: "I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. ..."

I know it's sacrilege to some, but spelling is really not that important and maybe Gen Y and Gen Z will fix the problem for us as they move into the education industry with their "text-speak".
 
maybe Gen Y and Gen Z will fix the problem for us as they move into the education industry with their "text-speak".
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I would guess it was started by Gen X in the earlier days of chatting on the internet. Gen Y grew up with the net and probably popularised it, and naturally this transferred to texting as it's a quicker way to type. This is something also very common with older generations due to its efficiency. Occasionally, it is suggested here (by people who must have no idea) that this is how the younger generations type or speak. The truth is that we are probably no better or worse than any other generation, and the majority of us do know the difference between 'text speak' and proper language.

Life would be so much easier if English words were spelled more phonetically
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For some, but I find proper spelling to be highly aesthetic.
 
Chris45 said:
Life would be so much easier if English words were spelled more phonetically. For example, why are there two "l"s in "spelling" when one would suffice? We have "spelt" so why not "speling"?
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Then I could say "why have speling and not spelling". All is via agreement my friend.
 
you sure this obsession with spelling is not OC? We're in a generation where people don't even care about spelling anymore with all those abbreviations from email/text messaging... :
 
Mr J said:
Please don't Julia, it's futile.
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Why is it futile? I'd be very surprised if from now on if, when Wysiwyg uses a word which he intends as an example, he doesn't enclose it in quotation marks.
Or do you mean that trying to get people to spell correctly is futile?

Chris45 said:
Life would be so much easier if English words were spelled more phonetically. For example, why are there two "l"s in "spelling" when one would suffice? We have "spelt" so why not "speling"?
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The very simple rule is "when adding 'ing', you double the last consonant."
There are exceptions to this, however, which is what makes it difficult, e.g. 'focusing'.
Do agree that phonetic spelling would be much easier.

I know it's sacrilege to some, but spelling is really not that important and maybe Gen Y and Gen Z will fix the problem for us as they move into the education industry with their "text-speak".
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I just can't agree that it's not important, and hope you're wrong about the text-speak.

Mr J said:
For some, but I find proper spelling to be highly aesthetic.
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Agree completely. That's a very good description.
 

There is also "where" and "were", which many people don’t seem to understand there is a difference.

There is also the use of:

"We are" vs. "we're"
"You are" vs. "you're"
"I am" vs. "I'm"

The proper use of when to use either would be nice to see.

While spelling is also a problem, there also appears to be a complete lack of respect for the English language when it comes to:

1. Punctuation;
2. Sentence construction;
3. Use of proper grammar;
4. Making up words just because it is assumed the word exists; and
5. Not only the correct spelling, yet the correct word spelt correctly.

jono1887 said:
you sure this obsession with spelling is not OC? We're in a generation where people don't even care about spelling anymore with all those abbreviations from email/text messaging... :
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I think your post explains why there is so little respect from other generations for your generation. A sentence should start with a capital "Y", you assume that we all understand what OC means, as I have no idea. "email" is in fact "E-mail", and a sentence should always end. So the use of "..." should in fact be a: "." "!" "?"
 
Here's a radical suggestion for you to consider.

Sentences like, “Everyone has his opinion” have always been problematical for the feminists, hence the use of, “Everyone has his/her opinion”.

Because it’s a pain to have to write “his/her” all the time, we have recently started using “their” so we now get, “Everyone (singular) has their (plural) opinion”.

This is just replacing one problem with another so why not either introduce a new word “hiser”, or better still, use the gender neutral word “its”. We use "its" for animals and since we’re all animals, you know it makes sense!
 

Then proper grammar would be "Everything has its opinion".

Having poor eyesight and having taken some time to recognise that fact when I was young, I've always viewed spelling as pictographical. I recognised words on the blackboard at school by their shape, more than their actual spelling. I think people generally do likewise to some extent.

J's concept of aesthetics therefore rings my bell. Spelling has to look right according to the accepted convention.

Incorrect spelling and grammar takes longer to read and comprehend as there is an extra layer of interpretation. Good language is a joy.

 
wayneL said:
Incorrect spelling and grammar takes longer to read and comprehend as there is an extra layer of interpretation. Good language is a joy.

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I so agree about this. Hence, although the best selling novels by Dan Brown no doubt have fascinating plots, I've never been able to read more than ten pages because he's simply a damned awful writer.

On the other hand, there are writers where you read a paragraph over again just because of the pleasure of such beautifully constructed language.
 

This rings a bell for me, Julia. I find myself reading all sorts of articles, and even books, on subjects of no prior interest to me, if they are well written.
 
Julia said:
Or do you mean that trying to get people to spell correctly is futile?
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Yes. You may correct one word for someone, and they may spell it correctly from that point on, but that will make as much difference as removing a grain of sand from a beach. It seems more trouble than it is worth. To many language is an art, but its reason for being is to communicate. I suppose as long as the idea is understood then the use of language has been a success.
 

Roll on the Idiocracy!

If spelling/grammar etc is allowed to continue to degrade, the ability to communicate effectively, particularly in print is diminished.

Try communicating a complex idea to an uneducated yob with a vocabulary of 250 words; most of which are not understood fully... an exercise in futility.

I've been accused of hiding behind long words on this very forum FFS! All I ever try to do is select the correct word to convey precise meanings (cackhandedly most of the time I guess ).

Never underestimate the value of good language.
 
Mr J, it was you who suggested good language is aesthetically pleasing.
Conversely, I could suggest that poor spelling and grammar is offensive and irritating.
 
god spieling is the foundaysion of a go0d onlyne comueti. and ninemsn has graeyt spieling
 
In my experience, those who care the most about form (how they express themselves) also tend to care the most about content.

Posts that are weakest in terms of spelling and grammar also tend to be the weakest in terms of content.

Not accusing anyone of anything, just making an observation.
 
WayneL said:
Never underestimate the value of good language.
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I don't, and the main reason I love the English language is because of the many ways we can specifically express our ideas. However, society doesn't seem to place much emphasis on high quality language.

Julia said:
Conversely, I could suggest that poor spelling and grammar is offensive and irritating.
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I do like good presentation, but ultimately substance is all that matters to me, and this applies to everything in life. I won't let poor language get in the way of a good idea. We should also differentiate between language skill and writing skill.

Because it’s a pain to have to write “his/her” all the time, we have recently started using “their” so we now get, “Everyone (singular) has their (plural) opinion”.
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It's only a problem if you believe language must remain static. Language has always evolved.

Posts that are weakest in terms of spelling and grammar also tend to be the weakest in terms of content.
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In general, but I find some of the best content to be in brief, casually written posts.
 

Everyone has an opinion. Problem solved.
 
Mr J said:
We should also differentiate between language skill and writing skill.
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How common is the pronunciation of words exactly as they are written? Slang, strine and accent heavily influence the languages spoken in this country. Words are shortened, slurred, altered, toned and misused, creating a language that is generally understood but nothing like the written word.

Most of us do know the spelling and meaning of words, even though we do pronounce them from slight to very differently. Words dribbling from mouths is tolerable for most but lookout if the written word gets butchered.
 
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