People who can't spell.
(We all know I'm anal - you're just lucky you haven't had to sit through this one earlier)
Typos (and being a bit dense temporarily) aside, the inability (or, even worse, the lack of desire) to spell words correctly annoys me something wicked (mental note - spell check blog entry before posting).
I'm hanging it around the neck of text messaging myself. A lot of people shorten words by missing out a letter, especially if you're stretched for space and trying to condense it, but seriously, why change a word completely for the sake of saving a letter? If you're comin over for dinner, I can survive, but if you're cumen over for dinner? Not so much. The thing is that evidence is popping up all over the place that there are those among us that actually think that these new versions of words are the actual way things are spelled, and because it seems to be largely phonetic spelling, it just kind of sticks.
Sooo, what set me off this time?
Sitting on the motorway yesterday behind a car, beautifully sign written, for a cleaning business called ‘Mr Sparkel’.
Uhhh … last time I read a dictionary (today, to make sure how you spell 'sparkle' as it happens), that’s not how you spell it. In fact, it’s not even in there as a variation to the spelling of sparkle (as in, dispatch/despatch kind of thing). So, it begs the question as to why? Did no one check a dictionary before they plastered it on all 4 sides of the vehicle in enormous, brightly coloured writing? Seriously? I suppose at a long (loooong) shot, it could be the owner’s last name, and therefore a loose play on words, but I’d say not.
OK, fine, I searched the Companies register (we've agreed, I'm anal, just go with it) for the Company details and checked that the owner’s name wasn’t actually Mr, Mrs or Miss ‘Sparkel’ before I posted about it (because then I'd feel a wee tad stupid if it turned out it was), which it wasn't, of course ... although I wasn’t entirely surprised to see that the company had been placed into liquidation. Getting the spelling of your name wrong isn’t exactly a good start now, is it?
It really does bug me though that there seems to be an entire culture/emerging generation of people that can't spell, but don’t realise that they can’t spell because they’ve essentially been brought up on this bastardised version of our written language and anything seems to go.
In the end, I had to overtake Mr Sparkel so I didn’t have to look at his car.
3 comments:
Totally with you S. Have you read the Lynne Truss books? She rants not so much about spelling, more about punctuation. Her next book is on manners or something to that effect. Very funny. Makes your anal seem positively easy-going!
It's our duty to raise the next generation to spell, punctuate and grammatise properly. Yes, I know I just contradicted myself by making up a word. I prefer to think of it as "coining a term" but whatever. Anyway, hence the reason you do really need to get a child (by whatever means) at some stage. To carry on the legacy of the English language. Or atleast hijack some neighbourhood kids for some intensive training.
Over and out. xox
Agreed totally!!!! Drives us both nutty too! Our pet peeve at the moment (okay for a LONG time) has been people that say "aks" instead of "ask". You know that they are out there.....
I'm so with you on this one as well...of course when I text (in case you haven't noticed) I NEVER shorten words or use "txt" language unless totally necessary, as in i'm out of space and only have to squeeze in 1 letter.
Don't even get me started on "aks" or my personal favourites, "somethink", "nothink". They were words since when????
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