Why is the spelling so bad?

Bangin, it was a question, not an argument. I know that I can spell incorrectly at times. I also am not implying that I am overly intelligent, so I don't get your point. It was merely a question, not to get into an argument with you.

Edit: Also, I should have been more specific. I am not referring to words mispelled by typing the letter out of order like: htis or hte. I am not about words that people try to spell how they sound, if that makes any sense.

[Edited on 4-24-2004 by nyarlathotep]

I always try my best to use correct grammar and spelling in my posts. On my school, you can actually lose points on tests if you don't spell correctly. That really makes you check twice before you turn in your test.

Maybe the admins should give warnings to people that make terribly incorrect sentences and don't spell correctly?

[Edited on 24-4-2004 by amantine]

To answer your question we must look at today�s means of communication. Probably 90% of nonverbal communication is written using computers. When a word processing program is used most people will utilize the �spell check� feature and not rely so much on their own ability to spell correctly. It�s been awhile since I was in high school but I assume they mostly use computers to write their papers. Fifty years ago they didn�t have this technology; they needed to rely on their own knowledge to write papers for school or letters to loved ones. They didn�t have email so most nonverbal communication would have been written by hand.

A lote of the problem is people having dyslexia. I have it, and untill now it has kept me from posting on chat sites because people get annoyed when things are mispelled. Some people don't understand how difficult it is to struggle with. Besides, my husband is a teacher and he tells me that educational studies have shown that dyslexics have a higher average intelligence than the regular population, therefore your theory that spelling correctly is a sign of overall intelligence goes out the window, and he, who is not dyslexic, won two spelling bees as a student.

It would be nice if we had a spell check. Mine was done by my husband.

Originally posted by earthmagick12
A lote of the problem is people having dyslexia. I have it, and untill now it has kept me from posting on chat sites because people get annoyed when things are mispelled.

Some people don't understand how difficult it is to struggle with. Besides, my husband is a teacher and he tells me that educational studies have shown that dyslexics have a higher average intelligence than the regular population, therefore your theory that spelling correctly is a sign of overall intelligence goes out the window, and he, who is not dyslexic, won two spelling bees as a student.

It would be nice if we had a spell check. Mine was done by my husband.

Actually, spelling is not an overall sign of intelligence, but rather a part of it. I should have worded my third paragraph differently. Have you ever taken an IQ test? If you have, then you know that spelling is part of it. I have a Cambridge self-scoring ten-part IQ test and spelling is in there. I am not annoyed by people not being able to spell correctly, so if I have offended you, I am sorry. Please don't let that prevent you from posting because I would rather have someone post and not spell correctly and hear their point of view rather that someone not posting at all.

You are probably correct about dyslexics being more intelligent, it just means that you could do poor on the spelling portions, but are far more intelligent in other areas.

what about people from other places than the U.S. (yes they do exist!) but really, I've got many brittish friends whos spell out color with a u would you rip on them with this thread too?

Originally posted by ShirtNinja
what about people from other places than the U.S. (yes they do exist!

) but really, I've got many brittish friends whos spell out color with a u would you rip on them with this thread too?

i think that is their dictionary spelling of the word colour, so i doubt anyone could correctly say that your friends mispelt color. and nyarlathotep, if u wer refering 2 how ppl speel wen dey r online, i dont think it matters when speaking to others informally, but i guess that is all up to who is at the keyboard.

Another thing, when you are the one complaining, i do realize you did not say you had great spelling yourself, but it really does make you look like a hypocrite when you mispell words and use incorrect grammer (ie "why do we spell so bad? shouldnt that be "badly")

And please don't anyone call me a hypocrite as well if i mispelled anything, i am an admitted terrible speller

oh and DeltaChaos, does it bother you as well when stores post signs saying "10 items or less" instead of the correct "10 items or fewer"? just curious

[Edited on 24-4-2004 by pineappleupsidedown]

Originally posted by ShirtNinja
what about people from other places than the U.S. (yes they do exist!

) but really, I've got many brittish friends whos spell out color with a u would you rip on them with this thread too?

First of all, no one is being ripped on this thread, at least I don't think so.

Secondly, the very first sentence that I started this thread with says that I understand that a lot of the people on this board are from other countries and english is a 2nd language for them, so I was NOT including them in my question which was not a rip on anyone.

And to answer your question regarding the word colour or color, I believe the British way is correct, so I wouldn't be "ripping" that if I was ripping anyone to begin with.

I always correct my grammar if i see anything worng. I edit the posts.

Originally posted by pineappleupsidedown
[ (ie "why do we spell so bad? shouldnt that be "badly")

Uh...that is not what I said. LOOK at the line, it says: "Why is the spelling so bad?". So according to you, it should read: Why is the spelling so badly? I'm not too sure what you are trying to say there.

Originally posted by kinglizard
Probably 90% of nonverbal communication is written using computers. When a word processing program is used most people will utilize the �spell check� feature and not rely so much on their own ability to spell correctly.

I really think this is my problem. I hate to use an excuse, I realy think its true.

One thing, posting on boards like this or any, if you want to get better at spelling, you can. Some dont care.

Lets not be too touchy feely about this, when you see a poster making continual horrendous spelling mistakes, you can be pretty sure they are either stupid, young, or both.

(No I don't mean the simple typos and junk errors we all make, I mean the people that just spell even the most fundamental words incorrectly. Almost seems as if they are doing it on purpose).

Errors in grammer and punctuation bother me much more that spelling errors. One can assume that the grammer will carry over to the way someone speaks face to face. Spelling does not.

WEll i am the self promoted worst speller on the board. For me its that my hands work faster then my brain and i have alot of typos. I dont think it is really a sign of stupidity. I have never been able to spell but yet i can still hold a eloquant conversion with you in the "real" world. I think that its just something you have to over look here on the boards. Its more like a discussion then an essay debate round here.

ALSO JUST ANOTHER CHANCE TO RANT ABOUT HOW WE NEED AN ATS SPELLCHECKER WILLIAM

[Edited on 4^24^04 by Quicksilver]

Originally posted by Quicksilver
WEll i am the self promoted worst speller on the board.

No you aren't, not by a long shot.

Originally posted by ShirtNinja
I've got many brittish friends whos spell out color with a u would you rip on them with this thread too?

That is not a miss spelling.

Originally posted by nyarlathotep but I have never seen such bad spelling and grammar.

Ah-hem... not to pick nits, but... "I have never seen such poor spelling and grammar."

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

Originally posted by nyarlathotep
but I have never seen such bad spelling and grammar.

Ah-hem... not to pick nits, but...

"I have never seen such poor spelling and grammar."

cough cough spell checker

Originally posted by nyarlathotep

One way to gauge someone's intelligence is their mastery of their own language. I see people constantly ripping our president because he seems so stupid, when the same people can't spell definitley correct.

So, can someone answer me why this is so? I know I am just ranting, but this is my biggest pet peeve.

Sure I can answer you! Intelligence has NOTHING to do with spelling or gammer. Spelling and gammer are details, those who pay the closest attention to details fail to see the big picture. No one becomes an english teacher because they have an IQ over 150. So I would say that the people who are the most detailed oriented are the least intelligent.

The issue with Bush is entirely different. I think it is apparent that Bush has brain damage to his language center and simply isn't able to communicate whole ideas or concepts because of that. Although it could be brain damage in another critical part of the higher reasoning part of his brain.

"I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way." - Mark Twain

I'm not so concerned anymore that people can't spell or use proper grammar. I'm worried people can't READ! Or at least don't want too, since that's the best way to learn to spell and use grammar principles...

I'm going to write this little history thingie, but I don't think anyone around here is going to READ it, because it might just end up being more than 20 words long!

I'm also starting to think that maybe I suck.

DC