For a moment or two let us talk about spelling. Now I know that I do not spell every single word I write properly. Nor do I expect people to spell every single word they write properly. But I am simply stunned at the level or rather the lack of an acceptable level of spelling on one of my yahoo groups. (Note this group is a community group for where I live and is in no way whatsoever connected to homeschooling).
I find my irritation with the seemingly blatant disregard for spelling to be growing exponentially. At first I was slightly annoyed with the occasional blunders on words like government, handicap and necessary. Now I find myself questioning how a person can function when they can’t string together a decent sentence.
Or perhaps this is just commentary on the degradation of writing. After all these errors are in emails…not carefully written prose. These are just thoughts dashed off as fast as fingers can fly. And in the case of the yahoo group I’m referencing the faster the fingers fly the more likely you are to be a recipient.
So here’s my ponder of the moment with regard to non-personal emails (things sent out to people other than family and friends):
Does what a person writes and sends out via email reflect more poorly back upon themselves when they’ve not taken the 30 seconds to utilize the spell check? Is it easier to forgive a person grammatical errors and a lack of sentence structure than it is to let go of a glaring spelling error? Or does the standard of acceptability change more drastically when the communication medium is email?
Am I just still stuck in the dark ages of letters by post?
Tags: me
March 31st, 2007 at 6:25 am
Give. It’s freecycle isn’t it? (even if it’s not, I still completely agree) I’m just about to unjoin that group to spare myself from the posts. Half the time I just delete the emails without reading them because when I do, I want to gouge out my eyes. I want to reach through the screen and slap somebody and say, “You’re a moron!” Seriously.
You’re not in the dark ages. Nobody’s perfect. But, come on. If a 4th grader can read it, adults should be able to spell it.
March 31st, 2007 at 4:08 pm
I must confess, in my personal emails to my friends/family, I often do not do a spell check. I am a fast typist, and often type things wrong, b/c I am not a perfect typist. I also know I am not the best speller in the world. BUT, I also feel since I am taking time out of my busy busy busy schedule to communicate, often the minute I get the email, so my friends/family can cut me some slack. However, I DO THE BEST I CAN to make sure that something for work, or a post, etc. is spelled correctly, and the grammar is correct. I do agree that when it is something put out there for everyone to read, that people should do their best to make sure it is correct. It is hard to take someone seriously when their post, etc. is full of errors.
March 31st, 2007 at 4:34 pm
People forgive me less because I am a Professor of English. Ha ha. Its more embarrassing when its communication to my students or colleagues.
But here is the raw truth of it: emails and blog posts are archives and can be retrieved by employers, so prospective job seekers should be painfully aware of their output. It’s not ok. Most computers have built in spell check (whilst posting this, I’ve been informed by a little red line that I misspelled colleague, but once corrected I am still unsure…..) and some have grammar checks.
I tell my students that if they they are unsure about a sentence to simplify it rather than complicate it. Less chance of a run on.
My pet peeve right now is the verbing of nouns. I have an English degree therefore I have the privilege of making words up, not some yahoo with a business degree.
Also, if reflects poorly, in many ways, on the sender of such emails. 1) They are not literate
2) They don’t care enough about the recipient to look it over
3) If they are not literate, maybe they are unskilled in their own vocation too….
etc
These may not be true at all, but they certainly can be assumptions made about the authors of such emails…..
March 31st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
AGH! I misspelled “archived” AGAIN!
Sorry.
And hilarious……
April 8th, 2007 at 5:17 am
I’m on your side when it comes to being frustrated with other people’s writing skills. I agree, numerous errors do detract from a message and lower the person’s credibility.
I’ve been appalled at messages written by a local homeschooling Mom who makes a good impression in person, but can’t write worth a d*arn to the point where you wonder if she is doing her children harm by modelling such low standards.
On the other hand, I also tutor learning-disabled/dyslexic adult students in phonics and reading. For some people, writing anything at ALL is an accomplishment. The Internet is devised for people with strong written communication skills, and we excel here. We’ve got to learn to be patient with other Internet users who don’t enjoy the same privileges…