Is Spelling Important?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

The point is that someone with reading difficulties will struggle to read something written by someone with writing difficulties, or anything else that's not written in a standard format for whatever reason

 

That wasnt the point I was making, but never mind.

[Feeby100]

1 hour ago, 1st ade said:

Which (IMHO) means that someone writing for a mass audience should "get it right"

 

Me writing a shopping list for Mrs 1st Ade - do what you want.

 

Someone writing (for example) a stoppage notice for CRT needs to be clear, unambiguous and concise. Otherwise you get boaters who thought the navigation was open turning back at the cofferdam and others turning left fifty miles shy of the breach as they misunderstood the advance warning.

But this is a forum hardly a major problem if you can understand it just get on with it and stop digging people out 

 

Edited April 16, 2021 by Feeby100

[1st ade]

1 minute ago, Feeby100 said:

But this is a forum hardly a major problem if you can understand it just get on with it and stop digging people out everyone last two shall get a life

I agree - a forum is the midway point. But if I'm posting advice on the correct charging of Lithium batteries to avoid explosions surely it's down to me to "Speak Clearly"

[Feeby100]

Indeed but the people that a pulling people up are picking for a reaction 

as the post are simple asking for advise etc 

not telling some one how to run gas pipes or run the bloody country 

 

[Tam & Di]

16 hours ago, Feeby100 said:

 

 I'm not sure how what I thought was an amusing juxtaposition of two photos with a pair of homophones got to this. Feeby100's spelling seems pretty good - perhaps it's a pseudonym for Bernardine Evaristo (she won the 2019 Booker Prize for a book with no fullstops  ?‍♂️)

 

Tam

Edited April 16, 2021 by Tam & Di

[Feeby100]

1 minute ago, Tam & Di said:

 I'm not sure how what I thought was an amusing juxtaposition of two photos with a pair of homophones got to this. Feeby100' spelling seems pretty good - perhaps it's a pseudonym for Bernardine Evaristo (she won the 2019 Booker Prize for a book with no fullstops  ?‍♂️)

 

Tam

Indeed and what have the people digging everyone out won ? 
 

[Arthur Marshall]

3 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

The point is that someone with reading difficulties will struggle to read something written by someone with writing difficulties, or anything else that's not written in a standard format for whatever reason

Standardised spelling has encouraged the relatively recent notion that reading is easy  while writing is hard. There's no real reason why reading properly shouldn't be as important a skill as writing properly. That way it all balances out.

Insisting everyone writes the same (especially on social media, which is informal) is like insisting only "received pronunciation" is correct. 

Not hiring a brickie because he can't spell "cement" properly would probably lose you yet another useful employee. It's hourses for corses.

[Machpoint005]

13 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

Note - reading difficulties does not imply a lack of intellect or education. 

 

Nor is the converse true. Nor any permutation of the three.

[Arthur Marshall]

38 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

Indeed and what have the people digging everyone out won ? 
 

J B Priestley was asked once what his favourite line in literature was. He quoted the dodo in Alice in Wonderland, at the end of the caucus race: "Everyone has won and everyone must have prizes".

I always liked that.

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, 1st ade said:

>>the advance warning<<

 

... which reminds me of a sign on the side of an Uber car yesterday: "Advanced bookings only". I wondered how many 'A' levels were needed to qualify for a booking.

1 hour ago, Feeby100 said:

But this is a forum hardly a major problem if you can understand it just get on with it and stop digging people out 

 

 

That's the whole point, though. Some of us cannot.

 

 

48 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

Indeed but the people that a pulling people up are picking for a reaction 

 

How do you know?

 

 

Have you asked them?

[Jerra]

13 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Standardised spelling has encouraged the relatively recent notion that reading is easy  while writing is hard. There's no real reason why reading properly shouldn't be as important a skill as writing properly. That way it all balances out.

Insisting everyone writes the same (especially on social media, which is informal) is like insisting only "received pronunciation" is correct. 

Not hiring a brickie because he can't spell "cement" properly would probably lose you yet another useful employee. It's hourses for corses.

The problem with modern communication is spelling checkers.   I will give you an example I frequently see the word defiantly being used where it should be definitely.   What happens is the person misspells the word and being sensible sees the red line or other indication that it is wrong, so they use the checker which makes a best guess at what the word should be from the letters used.

 

 

[Athy]

11 minutes ago, Jerra said:

  I will give you an example I frequently see the word defiantly being used where it should be definitely.  

 

 

I've met that one too, and it can give entirely the wrong impression.

[Jerra]

6 minutes ago, Athy said:

I've met that one too, and it can give entirely the wrong impression.

Which for me underlines why spelling is important.   I said earlier in the thread I thought the internet and social media was spoiling spelling and grammar.   The spell checker is an example the other thing is people's reluctance to being corrected.   If somebody makes a mistake in fact or technical information they accept being corrected.   Make a mistake in spelling or grammar and the are up in arms if corrected.  I find it strange, if nobody ever corrects you on anything you spend your life living in a haze of misinformation.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Jerra

[magpie patrick]

34 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Insisting everyone writes the same (especially on social media, which is informal) is like insisting only "received pronunciation" is correct. 

It's not the writing style that is standardised - it's the layout. Spelling needn't be perfect just "there or thereabouts" 

When it comes to reading there is an interesting division between people who hear what is written and people who simply read it - the latter can readily read words they can't pronounce, the former struggle with that. 

[Heartland]

In the world of Dyslexia I wonder on how words could be changed

 

CRT could be come TRC  Troublesome Rivers and Canals

 

[Athy]

3 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

When it comes to reading there is an interesting division between people who hear what is written and people who simply read it.

That's an interesting point. I quite often hear what is written; for example I've read several Inspector Morse novels recently, and when Morse or Lewis speaks, I hear John Thaw's and Kevin Whateley's voices in my head. Similarly, I recently read the autobiography of a chap I know, and I heard his Brummy tones in my head throughout the book. I don't know if most people "hear" like this, but I've always assumed that they did.

[Alan de Enfield]

14 minutes ago, Jerra said:

If somebody makes a mistake in fact or technical information they accept being corrected. 

 

Not all do.

Some accuse you of being pedantic, nit-picking and a stalker to boot.

[Jerra]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Not all do.

Some accuse you of being pedantic, nit-picking and a stalker to boot.

Fair enough perhaps I should have said the vast majority do.

[1st ade]

47 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I will give you an example I frequently see the word defiantly being used where it should be definitely. 

I write that a lot and the reason (I won't say excuse) is that my misspelling or mistyping is closer to the former than the latter. I meant definitely, I typed (I thought) definitely but the spell checker said "no" and offered defiantly - the other word I struggle with on a keyboard is "Collouegues" or "Collueoges" or "Colouaeges" or, (FFS) even "colleagues" - none but the latter offer the word I meant as a suggestion

[Athy]

3 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

 the other word I struggle with on a keyboard is "Collouegues" or "Collueoges" or "Colouaeges" 

How about "co-workers" or "friends"?

I do sympathise. I write quite a few reviews of L.P.s, singles and CDs for magazines. Therefore the word "release" is one I use quite often. I KNOW how to spell it, but for unknown reasons my computer almost always spells it "reelase".

[Jerra]

2 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

I write that a lot and the reason (I won't say excuse) is that my misspelling or mistyping is closer to the former than the latter. I meant definitely, I typed (I thought) definitely but the spell checker said "no" and offered defiantly - the other word I struggle with on a keyboard is "Collouegues" or "Collueoges" or "Colouaeges" or, (FFS) even "colleagues" - none but the latter offer the word I meant as a suggestion

You are making exactly the point I am illustrating.   My spelling isn't good, a bit of an admission for somebody who for forty years earned their living as a teacher I know.    That means I am all the more careful to try to ensure I have got things saying what I want them to say and spelled correctly.  I have various little "tricks" which help, one is if I am in doubt about what the spillchucker suggests I ask google to define it and see if the word means what I want it to mean.

 

Time consuming but if you want what you write/print/post to be readily understood it is worth it in the long run,as is a quick proof read before clicking post.  Even then I spot typos and mistakes when somebody quotes my post.

1 minute ago, Athy said:

How about "co-workers" or "friends"?

I do sympathise. I write quite a few reviews of L.P.s, singles and CDs for magazines. Therefore the word "release" is one I use quite often. I KNOW how to spell it, but for unknown reasons my computer almost always spells it "reelase".

Brain working faster than fingers?  It knows a second e is coming up and makes the fingers trigger it too early.   Well that's my excuse and i am sticking to it.

[Athy]

46 minutes ago, Jerra said:

.   My spelling isn't good, a bit of an admission for somebody who for forty years earned their living as a teacher I know.  

Not nesser-celery. It depends on your subject. At one of my schools, the P.E. master's (handwritten) end-of-term reports had to be (type)written again by form teachers because they were such gibberish. He was irked when he found out, and spent a couple of hours swinging from trees and beating his chest, but calmed down when someone bought him a pint.

   Addition and/or adaptation of punctuation was also a standard part of checking colleagues' reports. Then there was the maths teacher, a highly articulate lady and probably the best all-round teacher with whom I've ever worked, who just could not get it into her head that "alot" was two words.....

Edited April 16, 2021 by Athy

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

I've met that one too, and it can give entirely the wrong impression.

Thats one problem with spill chuckers, they don't know what word I wanted to use

[Hudds Lad]

Predictive text or Auto-correct is a pain in the nethers, took me three goes to type the word "Tea" yesterday on my phone as it thought it knew better.

[Athy]

6 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Predictive text or Auto-correct is a pain in the nethers,

I'm not sure if my computer is equipped with this feature, but on occasion I look at a sentence and think "I CAN'T have typed that!" so I guess it must be.

Sometimes, when I am using my search engine, it playfully omits the first letter of "canal", with surprising results.