My Stupid Rant of the Day: Spelling

[ChromeAlchemist]

I do agree that spelling matters a lot, but a lot of the time I keep such thoughts to myself for multiple reasons, one being dyslexia, and another being English possibly being their second language. However all of this can be resolved by just using Google Chrome.

 

[aba1]

To me this falls under the "don't judge a book by its cover" rule, you really shouldn't judge sombody on how they write but on what they are writting. When people correct a single mispelled word in a whole paragraph and try and toss it in my face I don't even bother with them, they clearly don't care about what I'm saying so why should I care about what they say.

 

[zefiewings]

I am in a particularly difficult place on this issue. You see, everything you said I wholeheartedly agree with and I myself feel a lot of sway being given to the person who can actually communicate well. However there is a major issue in it for my. I am dyslexic. Severely so. I can't spell very well, but half the time my problem is that I just don't see the mistake and therefor can't fix it. In real life I am very eloquent but online I am constantly having to switch out my big words for smaller ones because i just can't make the work seem right. If it wasn't for the red squiggles, I would almost never see that I had spelled something wrong.

I hate that I look unintelligent online but I honestly do try my best to keep my posts readable... I can only do so much in my case.

 

[Camaranth]

Yes spelling is important especially when writing a piece that is meant to be read thoroughly and slowly, but here or other forums where I mostly skim read I tend to glance right over typos and I know I make a few myself.

Trying to read posts which have been written in text speak and short-hand drives me nuts! In my opinion text speak has one place, IN TEXTS where there is a limit on how many characters you can use.

I can't say much about Chrome and Firefox with the built in spell checker. I end up arguing with my browser because I'm familiar with both British spellings and North American spellings, I end up interchanging them a lot.

 

[NellNell]

I am awful at spelling. I'll admit it. Chances are if spell check didn't exist half of this would be spelled wrong. I get what your saying, but its not that big of a deal.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

Spelling only matters when there can be confusion as to what the meaning of the word is i.e. Knight and Night. If that's not the case then as long as the meaning of the text is clear then it really should not matter if the odd word is not correctly spelled. I note the OP said that when reading badly spelled posts he sometimes wonders how old the person who posted it was. I hope he knows that good/bad spelling doesn't have much to do with intelligence at all.

On a tangent...
I am lucky. I am only mildly dyslexic. My reading ability is above average and i have a very good lexicon and vocabulary. My IQ is around 120 to 132 (depends on the test...they vary, and anyway IQ isn't the best way of measuring intelligence) However my spelling is not awesome at all. I have difficulty spelling words corectly. (This is how i would spell it naturally. i have not used a spell checker here delebratly [another example] to show you how i spell).
To all the people who go on about how important spelling is, i ask you. Have you ever been in the position of knowing exactly what you want to say and then not being able to get the spelling of the word right so that you then have to use another word that's not the right one but is 'close enough'? Have you any idea how hard that is? or how bad it makes you feel about your self?

 

[loc978]

I agree to a point.

Glaringly obvious spelling mistakes, use of chatspeak and incorrect usage of words are one thing (one thing which tends to quickly separate the ignorant or lazy from the learned or intellectually diligent)... but harping on someone's slightly incorrect yet perfectly understandable grammar is just silly.

**edit**
*looks down one post*
Now that's what I call a hyperbole and a half!

 

[Zhadramekel]

All that chatspeak malarkey really bugs me buts thats probably more due to a 4000 word report I did on the use of chatspeak in college than anything else. I can put up with the occasional 'lol' or 'brb' though. Just as long as I don't practically need to use a language translator to figure out what someone is saying through a text or online.

 

[AgentBJ09]

-Referenced-

You're not Obsessive Compulsive. You're correct on this. However, a single slip-up which gets by you is natural. I've had it happen before, usually when I'm rushing to get out a forum RP post here. (Thankfully, the Edit button is nearby.)

What is really worrisome is, as you said, someone doesn't take the time to correct their work when they have the tools available to them; IE, Firefox, and Chrome all have spell checkers. Plus, let's not forget that %40 of the emotional impact of your work is lost through posts since there's no voice to accompany them.

However, I think it's also good to try and correct the misspelling yourself sometimes when you have those checkers turned on.

 

[Korak the Mad]

I agree to a point.

Glaringly obvious spelling mistakes, use of chatspeak and incorrect usage of words are one thing (one thing which tends to quickly separate the ignorant or lazy from the learned or intellectually diligent)... but harping on someone's slightly incorrect yet perfectly understandable grammar is just silly.

That's true, because sometimes someone may speak another language, and they may mispell words but only due to the accent they have. My dad once bought something off ebay from someone who spoke with an accent and misspelled the words, but my dad knew what the person was saying but it took him a moment to figure it out.

I am usually very finicky about how I spell (I'm on the autistic spectrum and I am very obsessive compulsive about mistakes), and if I don't know how to spell something correctly I use the google toolbar to see how it's spelled. I notice when others misspell on the forums, but it only really bothers me when the person is insulting someone, or goes trolling other peoples comments. There was one forum I responded to about the kkid who had autism and was in trouble on Xbox live for winning alot of awards within a short period of time, and someone used my quote to insult the crap out of me. I almost responded back to insult the person about how many minor spelling mistakes there were (there were a ton of mistakes), but I decided not to give the person the satisfaction of riling me up.

Yet, even people who are perfectionists about spelling even mess up. I tend to double type or forget to put in a few words, but I usually catch myself before I post on the forums.

 

[solidstatemind]

Go cry about something that matters?

I can write in not only grammatically correct English, but I'm also decent at writing artistically and I was fairly competent at writing short paragraphs in iambic pentameter back in my school days. Am I going to do it on a gaming forum.... fuck to the no.

(Oh no, I used a conjunctive adverb after a comma, I also gave my ellipsis an extra period for the lulz and didn't capitalise the F in fuck directly after said ellipsis. Am I in your bad books now?)

Just because people make simple mistakes, typo's or even purposefully flout the rules of linguistics to make their narrative voice appear more relaxed and conversational, as opposed to formal and fully considered. Does not mean they are incapable of writing correctly when it is required.

People who get uppity over spelling and grammar in a freakin internet forum are the lowest of the pseudo intellectuals as far as I'm concerned.

Wid dat... aym OUT!

First- the name of the post is my STUPID rant of the day, isn't it? Did I anywhere say that I considered it a matter of utmost importance? No-- but I did argue that habits perhaps reach beyond just these forums.

Purposefully flouting convention is fine, but a large number of 'simple mistakes' are not; at least, not to me, particularly in light of how easy it is to get a browser or an add-on that spell-checks for you. Frankly, it just seems lazy, and if you're too lazy to use a spell-checker, why should I be bothered to try to figure out what you're trying to say?

I'll admit that harping on every tiny mistake is silly, but too often lately I have seen instances where poor spelling or grammar actually were an impediment to understanding what the poster was trying to express. Perhaps this wouldn't be a big deal on just 'a freakin Internet forum', but as I mentioned, habits carry over. (But personally, I don't like to be thought of as being inarticulate or ineloquent regardless of the medium I'm communicating in, but I freely admit that's a personal quirk of mine. If that makes me a 'pseudo-intellectual', so be it.)

Lies. Spelling doesn't matter for shit. There is no job that being able to spell will assist you in.

Not true: while I'll agree that there are very few jobs where spelling is directly relevant (such as copy editor), I can tell you from more than two decades in the workforce that if you spell poorly, it will reflect badly on you to your boss... and that will have an impact when performance review time comes around-- it usually falls under 'communicates poorly', and can cost you a raise or a promotion; this is particularly true when it comes to jobs where you have to frequently interact with others. But otherwise, I agree with what you say.

 

[CCountZero]

(Oh, and for the record, I'm not referring to people for whom English is a secondary language, but usually those folks are fairly easy to identify.)

Frankly, I find that people with English as their first language are leaps and bounds worse at it than the rest of us.

I figure that might have to do with how the natives speak the language, and combine it with slang and its ilk, while the rest of us learn and speak the language in a "clean" fashion, because we use spoken language in our own native language instead, and thus aren't exposed to the habits of doing so when speaking English.

Just don't behead me if I'm mistaken.

Lies. Spelling doesn't matter for shit. There is no job that being able to spell will assist you in.

Thing is, you're right. Most jobs doesn't require perfect grammar.

However, if you don't take the time to properly prepare your submitted work, it speaks highly of your conduct in other matters. It screams: "I'm a lazy bastard! Hire me please!".

That's not a signal you should, in any way, be interested in broadcasting.

 

[Eumersian]

This is not a stupid rant at all. I appreciate good spelling, grammar, and style in writing all the time, no matter where. I try to have pretty decent spelling and grammar in most circumstances, despite the fact that I dislike writing. Perhaps it's because spelling and grammar is one of those things that just makes so much sense to me.

 

[solidstatemind]

Another way it matters? If you don't know the proper usage of your and you're, or its and it's, (to provide just two examples) it undermines the credibility of any statement or argument you are trying to make. Basically: if you're not 'smart enough' to use proper English, why should any weight be given to your words? I'm not being a snob here; this is just an unconscious bias that most educated people have. I will freely admit that I have read posts and found myself wondering how old the person was.

I think those properly educated in the use of logic would realize that it is fallacious to dismiss most arguments based on spelling alone... =/

Uhm, which fallacy would that be? I know it's not a strawman fallacy, like the one you just engaged in, given you inaccurately characterized my statement. Note the bolded above: I did not say 'cause you to dismiss', I said 'undermines the credibility', and I stand by that characterization. Also, note that I mentioned that it was an unconscious reaction: by definition, logic is not applicable in this instance... or at least, it can be argued whether or not people- even trained philosophers- can apply logic at an unconscious level, or if 'unconscious' by definition means a less reasoned and more emotional reaction.

But seriously, I'm not here to argue logic and reason; I only dismiss out of hand arguments that are so poorly spelled as to be unintelligible. That is legitimate, given that if I can't understand an argument, it is meaningless to me. If you feel that is unreasonable, well, I'm sorry but I can't help you: I literally can't treat them any differently.

 

[trollnystan]

SNIPPED ALL EXCEPT

Oh why do you hate grammer so?

Now THAT is a pet peeve of mine. It's grammar. Not saying this might not be a typo, but so many people honestly think it has an E in it. It makes my eye twitch. Although it can be kind of funny when it's people correcting other people's spelling or grammar; I've bumped into a lot of them in writing forums. ("I really like your story, but you could use some help with your grammer. I'm good at grammer I can help." Thanks, but no thanks.)

OT: I agree. I cut people who are dyslexic, have learning disabilities, or aren't native speakers some slack but if you are over 14, a native speaker and your spelling/grammar is so bad I can't decipher your post then you'll have to pardon me if I don't bother caring about whatever it is you find so important. Especially with Chrome's spell-checker, and the fact you can easily install one in Firefox and IE.

The occasional misspelled its/it's and to/too - and so on - doesn't bother me so much; typos happen after all. And this is an internet forum, not the UN. You don't need to use formal language and eschew all slang spellings, just TRY to be legible.

I'm also well aware I'm perhaps being hypocritical; I by no means have perfect grammar what with my love affair with semi-colons, commas, and adverbs. (Those beautifully seductive adverbs...) However my spelling is usually pretty good, 'cos I use Chrome and it is goooooood to me =)

 

[BabyRaptor]

I look at it this way: People who use chatspeak are either stupid and don't actually know how to spell or are just plain lazy. There's no excuse for some of it..."You" is a three letter word. You sound utterly retarded when you shorten it. "Please" is another that bugs the hell out of me. I don't care what you're asking me to do...You want something from me, speak English. I will completely ignore someone who says "pls" or "plz" or any of that shit. "Rdy," "grp," "dmg," "y"...None of these are hard words to spell.

You want to be taken seriously? Make the effort. If you look dumb, people are going to treat you such and ignore you.

Also, don't rage when people ignore you for sounding like an idiot. If you have a right to talk like you want, we have a right to no pay attention to it.