DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Intelligence and spelling

Is bad spelling really a sign of a lack of intelligence? Check out these two bad spellers.

web page
3. He Was A Rotten Speller

Although he lived for many years in the United States and was fully bilingual, Einstein claimed never to be able to write in English because of "the treacherous spelling". He never lost his distinctive German accent either, summed up by his catch-phrase "I vill a little t'ink".

Who was he Albert Einstein

web page
WRITING HABITS: Fitzgerald is an authentic instance of an author who wrote by ear, the way a composer writes music. His prose is rhythmical, and he punctuated for sound, not for sight or in accordance with mechanical rules. He has been unnecessarily ridiculed for his bad spelling, which does not diminish the brilliance and control of his prose: literature is not a spelling bee. Fitzgerald felt that it was his publisher's responsibility to correct misspellings and other mechanical and usage errors, but because the Scribners proofreading standards were low, his books—particularly...

That's Fitzgerald as in F Scott

Spelling in the English language can be a PITA, sometimes, just knowing which spelling of a word to use is difficult.

That was my point in the other thread. My son is another example. He struggles very hard with spelling ( he has a speech impediment which makes it hard to hear words properly) and we have to go over and over with spelling words for him to get good grades. He is a honor student who has never finished below the 95 percentile on any standardized test.

Very true and especially when you're trying to do something entertainling rather than important like school or office work. I often have to look up words to spell them correctly but I'm not so concerned among friends I figure the'yll overlook my foibles.

Quote:

---

I often have to look up words to spell them correctly but I'm not so concerned among friends I figure the'yll overlook my foibles.

---

I do this quite often. I'm not concern about my friends as much as some others who get smug about such things.

The difference is that you TRY to spell correctly. You also try to punctuate correctly. What I have a problem with are people that say "it's just a message board, who cares"? These people KNOW how to write, they are just being lazy. It's always pretty clear when it happens.

**Edited because I can't spell.

Computers haven't helped. With spell checkers, kids don't need to know how to spell, or at least they don't think they do. Just yesterday, my stepson came by the house with his friend, they had a report his friend needed to print for a college class.

They were having spacing issues, so they asked me for help, I sat down and the first thing I noticed is like 1 out of 5 words was marked with the red misspelled line. So we ran spell checker to fix them all, and I'm looking at it and asked why he didn't Capitalize the name of the store(was a report on the business practices of a local grocery store) and he answered that it wasn't the first word in the sentence, and sure enough, in the next line he had the founders name also not capitalized.

This kid is taking a college course and doesn't even know that you capitalize proper names regardless of where they are in the sentence. I really wonder if Florida schools teach anything other than prepare for the state comprehensive test each year.

I may need to bring out the crying baby image.


You have one person in the above example who wouldn't write in English because of how badly he spelled. If he thought spelling didn't matter, he would have written in English and not worried about it.

You have the other example where the person had someone to edit for him as many authors do. If he didn't think spelling was important, he would have simply published his works without editing.

I do find it to be complete laziness on some people's parts. I'm certainly not saying that misspelling a word is some big huge deal, I do it myself. If the person continues to do it and does it all the time then they don't care and that's certainly up to them. I do care and I try, no matter who I'm communicating with. It's more of a respect thing for me.

I TRY when it's something important on here I make lots of errors and typos. This is not being graded it's for entertainment it is just a message board. If I can figure out what someone is saying I don't care how they spell it. The only time I see a problem is if it makes a difference in understanding what someone is saying.

It matters often on this board. For example, when people don't use a period to show their sentence is ending can make it very hard to decipher what they are trying to say. Luckily, that doesn't happen very often. I guess I just don't understand why a person types something they know is wrong. Again, my problem isn't so much with spelling errors as punctuation errors. Periods and apostrophies are our friends.

I said in the other thread that people do judge people who don't spell well as less intelligent in many cases. I didn't say that was accurate, just the way it is.

I think people's skins are way too thin.

Love you Lama!

I really only have a problem with spelling/grammar issues on a message board if I have to read a post 3-4 times before I can figure out the words the typer is trying to say.

Exactly.

With the exception of 123, I don't really see a problem on here. That is except for all the drunken posters, Like Jules.

LOL! I was thinking along those lines P.

Well, except the part about Jules. I *heart* Jules! (you're on your own with that one!)

Suck up.

Suck up? Damn right! Jules may be the nicer one, but I'm still a-skeered of her!

Didn't you just say that Michelle was the nicer one? Make up your damn mind. I know it's difficult because you are a woman but if you put your mind to it I think you can.

All of you old hens need to lighten up .

He called you a hen.

Ha! I'm a lot older than Babe!

That's not far from the truth...Afterall it was you who told me I need to grow a pair. Maybe I need to join BPG and Dawg Duty in theeir support group for those picked on by Jules.

I'll believe it when I see the birth certificates.

Suck up.

No. I'm putting Babe down.

No need for a support group, because she knows I am amoung those that don't care. I guess that makes me lazy.

I only pick on people who say stupid things.

If you don't do that, I'll totally leave you alone.

Eye r 2 $mart.

I'm another example .... i'm by far the SMARTEST POSTER on the board (just ask me . i'll tell ya .. *L*) .. and i cant spell worth a lick .. *LOL* ...

Doll Face - U must love me .. i cant spell or punctuate .. or form proper senatances .. i'm the triple crown of moronic when it comes to that stuff ..

this ones for u Jules ...

to: Chelle

from: Jules

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

But you don't do it on purpose. There's a difference.

I am and always have been a poor speller due to a mild dyslexic condition I have had since childhood. I reverse letters all the time....I even see them that way from time to time, yet have always tested well on reading speed , comprehension and retention.

I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I am far from dull.

Quote:

---

As for respect I think it's more disrespectful to point out other's mistakes but that's me.

---

And I think that a person who is about to graduate from high school should be able to spell the word "congratulations." It's a word that is spelled incorrectly on here quite often actually, as is the word "lose."

Other countries kick our ass in certain areas because the children in this country have had the standards continually lowered, and I think it is a shame...and I will point it out each and every time on any thread that is related to education as the one in question was.

Sue me.

Spellling onlly countts inn spellling beees.

Othr thn tht it reely dosn't matter. You can still get yer point across. Understanding the key concepts of your feild of study are much more inportant than being able to spell. I don't know of any collages that offer spelling majers, english maybe, but not spelling. And though spelling is an integral part of writing, you need not be a speeling genius to write a novel. As we go farther into the computer-age, with spell check and the sort, I think speeling is going to fall by the wayside.

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.