TerriLee in WA (state) wrote:
Oh, good grief!! As the daughter of an English major, all the things
mentioned annoy me. My mom use to tell me the very same thing; pronounce it
correctly, and spelling becomes much easier. Her other favorite remark was
"Words have meanings!" She said this when people used a word in the wrong
context, or used it to mean something it was never intended to mean.

I taught English up to university entrance level on and off for many
years. I am dyslexic. The spelling checker is a wonderful tool, but it
does annoy me that these days so many kids use it without checking to
ensure that it is both set to the correct version of the language for
the area and exam system in which they live and work, and that they
accept it's corrections without checking that it has given them the
correct word, or the correct version of the word chosen.

For people like me who have no problem with pronunciation (I was brought
up in an RAF environment, mostly in England, by Scots parents, and my
'accent' is close to BBC/received pronunciation, with odd pockets of
Scots here and there), spelling can still be challenging, and genuine
errors hold no fears for me. There is, however, no acceptable reason an
no excuse for sending out official documents with spelling or
grammatical errors, and I too get out the red pen and send them back for
correction.

I am a very firm believer in the organic nature of language, and have no
trouble with words being hijacked, altered, changing their use over
time, and with grammar changing and adapting to suit new circumstances.
However, I am firmly against spelling reformation: that way you lose
the roots of the language, the context of the vocabulary, the ability to
map the changes, and, ultimately, the meaning. English as we speak it
today is a complex collection and amalgamation of languages: the
vocabulary and grammar have been absorbed from many root languages, and
there are more shades of meaning in it than in almost any other. We
need to continue this growth and change, not stifle it. But we also
need to accept and acknowledge those roots and the conventions of
grammar and spelling that go with them if we are to make any sense to
ourselves and those around us. Let me recommend Eats, Shoots & Leaves:
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss (Paperback -
31 Oct 2005)
and Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life (or Six
Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door) by Lynne Truss (Hardcover
- 31 Oct 2005)

And always remember: spelling and grammar 'rools' are more a set of
guidelines and convention than laws! They are optional: fabric isn't!

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Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
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