Announcement: Changed spelling

[Flix]

Uh..English accents can be so tough for me. Maybe 'spell it like it sounds' isn't a good idea after all, when it never sounds the same even just one county over.

I was watching an English host interview a Swedish band I like... both had thick accents but I understood the Swedes better than the Brit! The host would spew some question out, the band (and me) would go....."What?"

[Elliot Kane]

The main problem writ large, Flix, yes.

English was originally standardised to make communication easier - the best and only reason to do such a thing.

[Hildor]

Feb 17, 2009 4:08:42 GMT cleglaw said:

There is an irony in your post. You find changes in spelling odd, but you yourself do not take the trouble to spell correctly.

I wonder what you would have to say about grammar.

I find it wrong to "judge" someone's post, just by making a remark about how he/she spells. Especially if the spelling isn't intended to be incorrect. But also still if it is. Ofcourse you can adress the person about his/her use of language, don't get me wrong on that. But I find it wrong to use it as an argument for a certain view on that person's post.

This seems to become a problem on a lot of internet boards, that's why it's concerning me.

[Flix]

Cleglaw, she's complaining about the rules of spelling, so it kinda makes perfect sense that she would play fast and loose with spelling, no?

And what's even spelled wrong in her post? Spelt instead of spelled? Both are acceptable.

[Glance A'Lot]

But I find it wrong to use it as an argument for a certain view on that person's post.

This seems to become a problem on a lot of internet boards, that's why it's concerning me.

Spelling flames are galore, that's true - but so are the reasons for them.

That said, one should differentiate between those who communicate in a foreign language, those who display a honest effort to structure, show some respect to readers (and language) and those who quite evidently are too lazy to proof read or obviously careless about their readers (which implies they know better) and the simply ignorant.

I happen to believe that one's style in forum posts IS a reflection of one's character. We deduce a 'picture' from what we see - for the good or the bad, and as erroneous as it could well be.

[Elliot Kane]

Everything we do reflects our character.

For instance, people who want to be a part of a great community like Chaos HAVE to be pretty darned awesome, right?

So let's all be awesome together and worry a little less about each other's idiosyncrasies of spelling. Unless it's to call Ubereil a 'rouge' of course! ;D

[cleglaw]

I was not rude. There was irony in her post. The context was ripe for someone to point it out.

I agree completely with Glance by the way.

[rhiian]

I think there's truth to both sides of that arguement.
You can judge someone's character by the way they write, but you can't truly know that person.

But yes EK made a good point; as long as we're members on here we're all awesome regardless of spelling ability


[and in my own defence I'm a 16 year old not a waking dictionary; and I tend to be a bit slacky with my writing on the internet because it's just that, the internet; a place where you can express yourself freely and not many people will care )

[Galadriel]

Lol, donut yous warry Rhiian, ze doen't caare aboot zour spilling, jsut gonz ahad end expresz yourselve @s muts as yoo loke ok? ;D

[cleglaw]

Pore spelling gets under my skin.

Enyway, I'm shure you're very brat.

And grammar is not somebody's father's mother.

[Galadriel]

Feb 26, 2009 4:35:29 GMT cleglaw said:

Pore spelling gets under my skin.

Enyway, I'm shure you're very brat.

And grammar is not somebody's father's mother.

[Glance A'Lot]

[and in my own defence I'm a 16 year old not a waking dictionary; and I tend to be a bit slacky with my writing on the internet because it's just that, the internet; a place where you can express yourself freely and not many people will care

Noone needs to be a walking dictionary, but a 'waking' one (in the sense of being attentive) wouldn't hurt anybody.

Being 16 is no excuse, as you are probably aware of yourself - but being slack on the internet because it is a place where you can express yourself freely and not many people will care, is an attitude that is wide spread - unfortunately IMHO.

for 1 - it is NOT that not many people care (hence the many flames);
for 2 - it is an attitude born out of the fact that one is anonymous in the net and nobody (of personal acquaintance) can hold one responsible -call it lack of embarrassment;
for 3 - do you think you will still write that way when you're 32? (I know, this is FAR away at your age) Believe a 52 year old, then you will not want to be held for a 16 year old because of your writing style (*cough* a few years later than that, maybe - again ) In my view you're old enough to be grown up, stylewise.

On a more serious note for the future - the internet forgets nothing, and there are those in Human Resources departments who by now make it a point to 'internet research' candidates. When you're about to start your professional career, that will be more so, possibly even a standard procedure. You may want to take that into consideration?

[Elliot Kane]

With the state of education in England the way it is right now, I'm surprised Rhiian spells as well as she does, honestly. Half the teachers can't spell properly, never mind the kids!

Where those of us who are... 'richer in years' shall we say ;D ... had the advantage of a more rigorous education, the educational establishment has long been poisoned by 'progressive' (Read 'imbecilic') methods of teaching, where expression is valued over grammar and spelling is a purely optional concern.

The system was faltering in my time. Now... well, don't ask...

[Glance A'Lot]

I'm truely sorry to hear this (though I HAVE seen rhiian do well!)

So something like this German Spelling Reform is inconceivable for the English speaking world!? {Note the public outcry against it!} And its purpose was to simplify learning German!

[Elliot Kane]

Heh. Incredibly inconceivable, yes! You'd never get the sacrifices of ego necessary for it. Britain and America especially would be unlikely to give an inch, whilst I don't think Australia would care what anyone else decided. Canada & New Zealand would likely be amenable, but they're the only English speaking nations who are really all that reasonable. The rest of us are more stubborn than mules.

Doesn't sound like it worked out too well in practise for the Germans, though...

[The Sonar Chicken]

Feb 13, 2009 18:28:14 GMT Alrik said:

I remember that the Larian forums have the "official" spelling of "tomatoes" now.

(Even worse: Probably invented by me ... )

Oh, really? What's the spelling?

Feb 17, 2009 4:39:36 GMT Elliot Kane said:

"She's me Muvver's Muvver, innit?" ;D

Oohkay what's Muvver? ;;

Eh Glance A Lot: isn't that overdoing things a bit? As long as you keep your online and offline identities separate and make sure there're no traces(email, shared or similar nicks) and so forth when applying for a job, I'm sure most wouldn't be able to track you down.

Furthermore, there're companies which use either American or British spelling(depending on their location, their clients, etc.) so there's no "right" or "wrong" spelling/language.

Besides, depending on who you're talking to, the attention you receive might actually vary depending on what kinda "speech" or "language" you use. ^^;; After all, don't various industries like IT, business, etc. have their own lingos, slangs, speech style that'd be foreign to many?

[Alrik]

Feb 17, 2009 4:39:36 GMT Elliot Kane said:

"She's me Muvver's Muvver, innit?" ;D

"Wuz it a lawn-muvver ?"

[Elliot Kane]

Luci - in various regional accents, 'Mother' would become 'Muvver'. My method of demonstrating the uselessness of phonetics in spelling

You might also consider the poor innocent 'vase', which in standard English would become 'varz' but in standard American would become 'vayz'.

Yay for phonetics, huh? ;D

[Glance A'Lot]

Eh Glance A Lot: isn't that overdoing things a bit? As long as you keep your online and offline identities separate and make sure there're no traces(email, shared or similar nicks) and so forth when applying for a job, I'm sure most wouldn't be able to track you down.

IF you do these things, your chances are much better - but you'd be surprised how many people don't. And one slip relating a real-name email address to your favourite nick, and you're done. Further, not all boards are safe with their user data. I learned in the meantime, but I'm sure there is some old data floating around in the net - and I'm quite happy I didn't ever post anything I would be ashamed of today (embarrased I may be though )

Furthermore, there're companies which use either American or British spelling(depending on their location, their clients, etc.) so there's no "right" or "wrong" spelling/language

Well, that's not quite true - there is correct British spelling as there is correct American spelling, as there are others - look at your Word-Spellchecker for options! It is totally OK to select one suitable to you and use it, that will be accepted - if you're consistent. Any mixture will show the knowing that you simply don't know what you're writing in.

Each major language DOES have a standard for the written language - a standard which may, actually usually does, differ from what is 'normally spoken' (Which is certainly true for German)

Doesn't sound like it worked out too well in practise for the Germans, though...

In the beginning it was a classical 'ivory tower' project. The results rather detached from practical needs.
When it was published, there was resistance galore - but in all fairness, a lot was not reasonable.
Mayonnaise became Majonäse and resulted in an uproar - but bureau became Büro centuries ago, and nobody thinks about it.
Dolphin became Dolfin under protest - but photo became foto...

You get the picture?

In some very few instances the reform actually resulted in distorted meanings with the new rule of separating words. But most can be resolved in a context, when not discussed as stand alone examples.

I must say, in the end, the 'rulers' (in this case beyond government) stood firm - and the problem will grow itself out.

Was it a necessary reform? I haven't heard a public uproar crying for it in my lifetime...

[killerzzz]

Ah belayve that propah spellin' bulongs in surrious discussions an' laax spellin' bulongs in laax discussions.

Accents, however, are just fun in any situation. ;D

Zay spaice tings oup a beet, no?

Killerzzz