Spelling. People bark back and forth at each other about it. What does it mean, really?

Question

As I see it, those who consistently make simple spelling errors and mix up basic words can be counted on for being generally unintelligent. I don't see how someone could be educated and make such mistakes. Years of reading books should burn certain things into the brain. All I can conclude is that if you can't spell basic words, you are either unintelligent, or uneducated. Do you think this is wrong? (Examples from JUST my last question: definetly, influances, then (for 'than'), seam (for 'seem'), spelt (for 'spelled'), speach.)

Answer 1

Other possible explanations: The person could be blind, the keys don't work well, the person does not care, the person speaks another language as his/her first language, and so on. In all above-mentioned cases, the person could be very intelligent and highly-educated.

Answer 2

Those kinds of mistakes are annoying & disappointing, I agree totally. My problem with it, though, is not so much that the writer is unintelligent or uneducated, but that spelling and grammatical mistakes are simply _distracting_. To a high degree (unless we're talking about deliberate manipulation of spelling & grammar, i.e. poetical usages), public language is supposed to conform to certain agreed-upon rules. The point (especially here, where askers are trying to get answers) is to get the message across as smoothly and persuasively as possible -- 'definetly', 'then' for 'than', etc. are like the written equivalent of a stutter (nothing against stutterers) - less clear and less persuasive.

Besides a misspeller being dumb or ignorant, there is at least one other good explanation for such errors - they might just be in a hurry. I know a lot of intelligent, educated people who think fast, type fast, and don't proofread, and I forgive them for it because the message is still interesting or valuable.

Answer 3

English is complicated and arbitrary. Some spelling conventions are different in different countries (there's a site I saw where an American was yelling at someone for using British spellings without 1.) knowing that they were a different spelling convention or 2.) realising the author of the blog was a Canadian).

A person may be dyslexic, which makes a lot of our bizarre 'I-before-E except after C or on the Sunday after the first full moon of Spring' rules really difficult to follow correctly.

My stepmother is a lawyer; when I was a little kid, before spellcheckers were common, she used me for editing, because I was a better speller than she was. (I bet I was the only kid in 2nd grade who knew what 'amicus curiae' was, let alone how to spell it.) She wasn't stupid by any means, she was just a terrible speller and typer.

Especially in this spell check era, there are skills that are much more important than quality spelling - being able to analyse, think critically, use computer software, follow instructions, et cetera ad nauseam.

You can look down on weak spellers if you like, but I'd say the content of the message is much more important than the spelling.

Answer 4

It could mean more than one thing:

It could be that one didn't study well enough. They might have attended an Ivy-League school and weren't interested in that part. (It's like that saying... getting a diploma is different from getting an education.)

Also, I have to admit, the word-processing programs we have now, they do the thinking almost a quarter of the time. Some of us have been less diligent in checking our own spelling.

Not being able to attend school is also a reason. Perhaps the most forgivable of all.

It could also be that language and spelling, per se, aren't your strengths and you need someone to iron things out for you. You could be more fluent in numbers, or chess. Lack of intelligence is hard to find these days. There are about eight sub-intelligences (linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, spatial...), and I won't be surprised if they can add some more.

Or it could be you've studied so many language, it becomes difficult at some point to unknot yourself from one and shift to another.

Though I'm siding with you. It's hard not to scoff or put down people who get things ("s-e-p-e-r-a-t-e?" "good lord, no! it's s-e-p-A-r-a-t-e") wrong.

Some people, they just didn't grow up caring. Or they think society will forgive them, with all the corruption/developments of languages and all, or they just slacked off in one essay, and the bar just plunges.

(Ugly run on senteces, those were.)

I'm sure there are lots of other reasons out there, too.
I understand your question, and, it's so rewarding to find someone who cares about spelling.
I appreciate this a lot.
(I clicked on the Check Spelling link, too, before submitting this one.)
:) Cheers.
I enjoyed your question.

Answer 5

As a teacher, I can tell you that some of the most intelligent people I know cannot spell. Some of the least intelligent people I know can't spell. I think that some people are inclined to be better spellers than others. Also, reading books does not necessarily make one smarter, but there does seem to be a correlation between being an avid reader, and a good speller. So, while I disagree that smart people are good spellers, or that you can tell if someone is smart based on their ability to spell, the more you read, the better your spelling should be (unless there is something more going on in your head, like a "learning disability").

Answer 6

spell·ing

spell·ing [spélling]
(plural spell·ings)
n
1. ability to spell: the ability to spell words correctly
2. forming words by ordering letters: the forming of words with letters in a conventionally accepted order (often used before a noun)
3. specific example of letter order: a specific example of how a word is actually spelled

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


For some people this is not their native language. Many rely on translator programs and those things still suck! Also different English cultures spell differently. (spelt - in England is a legitimate spelling)

What bugs me the most is computer-ese. I didn't take a course in speed writing. Like Winston, I am too involved in mastering the English language.

Answer 7

you cant bark at someone for spelling simple stuff wrong all the time. I'm sure you have friends that shorten messages by typing things like "yo, wats ^ man, i was chillin at da grill on da oda side of tha street." Some people put their dialect into their words when they write things. I'm like a dictionary with spellings and meanings but when I get tired of spelling really long words I shorten it to where it sounds like I'm remedial. And sometimes people type things so fast they don't realize what they put and they don't care to go back and fix it. There's also dislexic people, learning disorder people, and yea, the uneducated and idiots. But there's too many variables to your question to just assume someone as being uneducated or unintelligent.

Answer 8

Not everyone learns the same, or has a knack for spelling. I'm sure there is a positive correlation between years of education and correct spelling, but I've known manin intelligent and educated people who were bad spellers.
i ALSO make a lot of typos when I type fast..so longas you get my meaning, the spelling is not so important in this context- so don't be pompous.

Answer 9

When someone criticizes another's use of language they are BOTH:
1) Telling it like it is, the person may (sometimes) need to do some work.
2) Insulting them, because the criticizer has been given the right to do so, feels offended by the nature of the question, and prefers to judge the person in an ad hominem way rather than actually address the question.

Answer 10

I dsiargee wtih you... the cpaabiilties of sepllnig, and/or garmmatiacl erorr has nhtoing to do wtih inetlilgecne. It just maens taht sepllnig and/or garmamr is not tiehr srtength. Or the preosn deosn't wirte or seapk the smae lagnuage as you for a fsirt lagnuage.
CyberNara grammical