Or does it encourage bad spelling habits? I mean, look at the way teens spell words these days, leave out vowels--ect. Is this because they are being allowed to spell words phonetically in school?
2007-07-10 00:38:08 · 8 answers · asked by Julia Sugarbaker 7 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
I saw there was this group of people making a push to change the English language to be exactly how it sounds. A reporter wrote an entire article in their proposed new English, and it looked absolutely ridiculous.
What I believe encourages bad spelling habits in teens is text typing. The shortening of words (ex. 2day) they get so used to using that, that they forget actually how to spell today, and I've actually seen it misspelled on Y!A.
Phonetics can only get a child so far and help only so often, but spelling, I believe, mainly relies on continuing to come in contact with that word through reading and writing. The more often you see and use the word, the easier it becomes to spell.
The brain learns things after repetition, and if the kids repeat this over and over again, they'll forget the correct way to spell things. I've seen it happen in my own generation (I'm 20) I'm an English major and writing and spelling correctly has always come very natural to me. I read as well, and I think reading for fun has become very scarce nowadays, the Xbox 360 is a lot more fun. Trust me on that :P
2007-07-10 00:46:29 · answer #1 · answered by Southpaw 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that the critical thinking skills developed by learning to spell the King's english would be a great loss. Several generations have managed to learn how to spell regular, old fashioned english. Why are todays students somehow genetically incapable of mastering regular English? I think they are being lazy, and so are their teachers if the teachers allow them to spell phonetically instead of correctly. These same people that complain about the need to simplify english are also the ones wondering about why we need algebra. There are skills you are building when learning these things that you don't even know that you need.
I think a lot of students are using phonetic spelling because of the popularity of text messaging. To spell out an entire word is too labor intensive and not as 'cute' when you send a text. For people to think we need to overhaul our language is just plain weak and lazy. Everybody can learn english, even learning disabled people. What is required on the student's part is that they put in the effort to study.
2007-07-10 09:08:58 · answer #2 · answered by julie m 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When students are learning to read and write they must use phonetic spelling. If they didn't they wouldn't be able to write anything. Once they have learned spelling rules and sight words they should be held accountable to apply those. They also need to know how to use resources to find the correct spelling. Typically, students should begin to transition from phonetic spelling to more accurate spelling sometime in 2nd grade.
2007-07-10 12:47:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We were "allowed" to use phonetic spelling in first grade, but after that it was not permitted in my school. I don't think it had any negative effect on my ability to spell, because we were instructed to "take a stab" at words we didn't know how to spell. I knew I was guessing at some words, but I think it helped me to learn word roots, prefixes, and suffixes by sounding words out rather than only memorizing the spelling.
As long as it's not permitted after a certain age, I don't think there's anything wrong with phonetic spelling.
2007-07-10 07:43:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm a teacher and I do not, nor do any of my colleagues, allow phonetic spelling. Teens get their bad spelling habits from text messaging. Everyone is not naturally a good speller. So anytime a student has a misspelled word I have him/her write the word correctly on his/her own spelling list. I also require them to use spell check anytime they type a paper. It's available. There's no excuse not to use it.
2007-07-10 09:15:00 · answer #5 · answered by Purdey EP 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's etc. I don't believe that is because they were taught to write phonetically in their preschool years. IT's because they do not practice good English and do not read. I made bad grades from preschool all the way through high school. Something happened in my life where I had nothing but time to learn, read, and study. So if a teen cannot spell, it is because he or she is not taking the initiative to learn and better themselves.
2007-07-10 07:51:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I personally believe that we need to simplify English spelling. When English was first developing from Old German, endings like the "gh" as in "through" were actually pronounced. Now that "gh" is silent or pronounced like "f" as in "enough," we should eliminate it. There is a phonetic alphabet, and it's much easier to read, once you learn the symbols, because what you see is what you get. Other languages should be simplified as well, like French, whose spelling is almost as difficult as that of English.
2007-07-10 07:45:11 · answer #7 · answered by Elaine P...is for Poetry 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Oh yes please bring back phonetic spelling...Always interesting listening to HS students read. Half of them sound as though they are dyslexic; guessing words...It's painful...These are the students who have NO knowledge of phonics. They have been taught spelling by memorising words...
2007-07-10 08:39:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋