Spelling and Grammer?

Question

This following question applies to any language (though it is obviously written in English).

In this day and age of "Spell Check", et al, has language proficiency lost it's relevance?

Support your answer.

It's refreshing to see the attention to my question and the depth of your answers. I'll choose the winner by Sunday, November 18th.

Thanks to you all for your participation!

Answer 1

My answer will also be based in English, as I have not developed proficiency enough in any other language to speak intelligently on it. Language proficiency has not lost relevance at all. Incorrect usage can often slip past a grammar check or a spell check, while correct usage or spelling may get caught in them. In fact, given the occasional non-information or misinformation that these tools provide, it is in some ways more important than ever to maintain the level of proficiency to overcome this.

A different issue, but related, is the increased acceptability (in non-formal uses, of course) of text language - "lol" and the like. Here too, though, it is not a matter of proficiency reducing in importance so much as a matter of the language growing and changing, with users of the language needing to assimilate new usages to remain proficient. The language evolves continuously, and proficiency includes maintaining the ability to keep up with those changes.

Answer 2

Because of internet, the people (esp. the younger generation) tend to lose their spelling and grammar (not grammer!) proficiency. That's too bad. Sometimes I see mails from people, with so many abbreviations and acronyms, that I think "do they even know what the REAL words are???" Also, people think that it's just okay to quickly write something on the internet, without even checking what they are writing. I see the worst mistakes sometimes! Even from NATIVE English speakers!

Language proficiency has not lost it's relevance, it's still important. Newspaper writers, authors, etc. still have to be able to write in good English...

About spelling checkers. Don't rely on them. Here is a funny poem that you can run through any of those spelling checkers, but NO error will be found. A child can see that it's full of mistakes though:

Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marks four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a quay and type a word and weight for it to say
Weather eye yam wrong oar write.
It shows me strait a weigh as soon as a mist ache is maid.
It nose bee fore two long and eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it,
I am shore your pleased to no.
Its letter perfect awl the way.
My checker told me sew.

Answer 3

No. Spelling is not the only factor that makes a person proficient in a language. Grammar plays a much more important role.

Besides, even if you spell check something you wrote, you need to know exactly what you want to say so you don't choose the wrong spelling as correct, considering many words with different spellings are pronounced the same.
.

Answer 4

Spell Check only looks for correct spelling....it doesn't check for proper grammar or use of the word.

For instance, "there" and "their" have 2 completely different meanings, but both are spelled correctly.

Or, "its" and "it's" mean 2 different things but are both spelled right.

Another big problem is punctuation and capitalization. The words "Congress" and "congress" have different meanings as does "House" and house. There is no continuity in a sentence or paragraph without punctuation. There is no beginning, middle or end. It becomes simply babble.

Answer 5

Based upon the atrocious use of language, sentence structure, and spelling seen here in YA I'd have to agree that a lot of uneducated people use YA and language proficiency has indeed become meaningless. (((LOL...spelled meaningless wrong...left out a letter...spell check caught it)))

Answer 6

Since when Grammar turned into Grammer?
You could sure use some spell check.

Answer 7

No it hasn't.
Language proficiency goes well beyond knowing that the "its" you should have written has no apostrophe. Felicitous language use will never be computerized.

Answer 8

you are wrong, that question it's not normal in other language. Only de word whit latin root are comun to differents language, but no the English. ja