The cuireir mial on sutarday ran and ad siyang our garde there stedutns are tirrelbe splllers.

But why is this such a huge problem?

After all, if you can understand what I just said, then what's the real problem.

Our young ones have a great way of communicating, according to them and they use only enough effort as required.

After all, prior to writting and spelling, which are simply forms of communication, people used to communicate with grunts, growns or clicking sounds.

Remember, the future leaders will come from GenY and younger, so, if they can communicate this way, who are we to say they are wrong.

Wrong in our eyes yes, but does that mean we are right?

Perhaps it's time to move on again and allow a new language to be formed hey!

rehctub
I can see what you are getting at, but the problem is if we let standards fall too far will we always be understood. Miscommunication and misunderstandings may lead to disastrous consequences when giving misspelt or unclear instructions.

What if I wrote to a man at work: "you are really impotent" when I meant 'important'. I guess if also misspelt 'really' as 'rarely' he may take it as a compliment.

Also if you are going to write something or do something there are good reasons as to why we should aim to do it well.

Probably doesn't make much difference to a great many.

I would suggest that you greatly desire your *doctor* to know the difference between ontogeny, ontology and oncology.

Fundamentalist preachers need not know at all.

Rusty.

R theese inayn thredz thee eekwivalent off Kneerow fidling wile Roam berndt ore iz yt parte ov aye plott two dum uss awl dhown¿

You blokes mocking me?
It matters yes I know how bad I sometimes am, but it matters.

Spelling is far more important than most people realise. Concise words can not be mistaken. I compare spelling to dialect of a proper language. Some can understand but many don't. Rehctub's spelling was no problem to understand but as a non-native-english speaking person you'd find it rather difficult. Language & writing are the crux of communication & the clearer it is the less confusion you have.

Pelican>>>Also if you are going to write something ... should aim to do it well.

I agree, but how do you define 'well'.

Also, there is a huge difference between a 'typo' and a 'new language'.

Proxy,
In order for the human brain to be able to process words, the first and last letter have to be in order. The rest really don't matter.

individual,
Are you therefore suggesting that if you decided to reside in say 'Irac', that you would understand the language so long as it was spelt right.

Also, what is so unclear about 'C U then'. After all, we all know what it means, also, english is said to be the hardest language to learn.

Words like 'saw' can have so many meanings, or even 'read'

Gen 'Y's' are developing a whole new language and it works perfectly well, for them.

I am sure someone from another nationality could learn their language much easier than our's.

In places like this it's not important, as long as you can be understood coz we're usually just bashing out some reply, but professionally it matters. It reflects badly on you as a person regardless of whether you think it matters or not.

If we let it slip, we're dropping the standard and inevitably you'll end up with 'lol', 'rofl', '*rollies*, 'GTFOH', etc in official letters. Which is ridiculous. "Language" like that is pure laziness.

To me though, there's a HUGE difference between laziness and someone with learning difficulties. If it's obvious they've made an effort but there's grammar issues still I'm not so judgemental, but if it's excessive typos or net slang then I'll subconsciously write you off .... in an official capacity.

I'm far from perfect with grammar myself, but I make an effort with official documents because I know it reflects on me and it's respectful to the recipient.

rehctuB,
<<In order for the human brain to be able to process words, the first and last letter have to be in order. The rest really don't matter.>>
You're confusing two different things.
Spelling something incorrectly, implies mistakes based on phonetics.
Your above example implies scrambling all the letters of the correctly spelt word, except the first and the last.
Try spelling words incorrectly, then scrambling all bar the first and last letters and then see how recognisable they are.....
elementary >
Lamentree >
Leanmetre

The answer is yes and no.

The human mind is extremely good at filling in blanks, so when 2 people that know each other well text, the messages are understood even though they might be incomprehensible to others.

For a CV, well crafted succinct text is required, as it needs to be clear.

For legal contracts the requirement is even stricter, as the meaning not only needs to be clear, but also completely unambiguous, and the finer definition of words are critical.

So the answer is it depends.

rehctub
Well enough to be understood and the intent clear. None of us are perfect, but I think it is about context.

If I am writing a shopping list or leaving a note for one of my children, I can allow myself some latitude. If I was writing a report for work or analysing some figures my writings would involve more effort on my part.

This is not just in regard to spelling but phrasing and grammar.

When I am on OLO I can often be a bit slap dash, other times more time is spent crafting a response.

Belly
From what you have revealed in the past, I think you have done well and made something of yourself. I certainly don't judge you on your grammar or spelling on OLO, merely by what it is you have to say. It is who we are and what we stand for that is far more important.

Spelling is very important

1982 I was struck by lightning, and one of the problems I was left with was memory loss.
I couldn't remember how to spell, or to remember poems or word to songs. I can stilol read music, but my brain won't send the signal to my fingers quick enough.
At that time I played piano, piano accordian and sang.I have learned to spell reasonably well, but lots of times I don't know if a word has double ss, mm, cc nn, or singles
I keep a small pocket dictionary handy
Being able to spell and then have it taken from you, might change minds on how good it is to know good spelling from word sound type spelling.
It mite (might)get u(you) a bit up tite(tight)
Cheers
qutas

If there were no single spelling standard, it would mean the writing of the English-speaking people would become more and more mutually unintelligible.

as long as the facts are write...
who can rebutt facts

lets spell..somethings out right now?

im sure..no-one noticed electicty..went up 25 percent...for infastructure...

lol..what infastructure?

building..a gas pipeline for santos...who are doing quite nicely thankyou,..,from the antonette/blight..RIP-off/..of..?..the largess given by...ever willing tax payers/

electri-city payers..not getting..cheaper prices..peter lied again...lol..now anna

http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2010/s2894275.htm

quote<<PIP COURTNEY:..Amazingly..the next phase will dwarf what's gone before...LOL..Until now..the energy companies have focused on selling gas..and gas fired electricity domestically.HUH?..Now..they're looking at exports...paid for by you mugs...lol

NICK DAVIES:..We've got about 500 years of reserves..to production ratio here.

In other words ..there's too much gas..for the Queensland market.

VOICEOVER..FROM/CORPORATE VIDEO:..Santos's vast reserves..[gifted by qld givt..to its mates,,]..of CSG..will become the feed stock..for a multibillion dollar LNG plant.

THANKS TO ANNA/blight

PIP COURTNEY:..The plan is to pipe coal seam gas 450 kilometres to Gladstone where it will be converted into liquefied natural gas and shipped around the world.

PAUL ZEALAND:..Those three..or four..major pro-ponents..have got projects pretty well advanced..and we're one of those..and each of those will have its production facility,..pipelines..and an LNG plant.

..PAID FOR BY ORIGEN...ie your electricty money

PIP COURTNEY:..Origin will spend $35 billion.

PAUL ZEALAND:..We expect to take out what we call our final investment decision..which is when we agree to finally build it..towards the end of this year..and then we expect to be exporting liquid natural gas before the end of 2014.

ANNA BLIGHt:..At this moment in Beijing history is being made.

sure is anntonette/bli-te..doing great for your..[and peters mates]..

oh peters maTES ARE GETTING THE FORRESTS..38.000 hectares of the stuff to a shelf company...

WHILE WE GET THE SHAFT...AND SANTOS..puts in 2 and a half mil...for roma airport../while we put in 12..plus million...and a 30 bil/mil? pipeline...lol..great mates/rates..eh

Are you therefore suggesting that if you decided to reside in say 'Irac', that you would understand the language so long as it was spelt right.
Rehctub,
If I was native to Iraq I would understand but I'm unsure about going to Irac, I know nothing about that place.
Correct spelling is not to understand another language. It is to properly express oneself in one's written & phonetic language. Another language is a totally different scenario. It has zilch to do with correct spelling. You can't apply the phonetics to another language.

Hi All,

Spelling and grammar are important if we wish to understand, develop and communicate science and technology, etc. We need a precise and correct language.
Perhaps It may considered sufficient to dumb down our day to day communication into grunts and groans, or reduce our written language to lazy shorthand such as used on the internet and other similar communication systems.
My youngest son attended school when educationists considered it unimportant to be able to spell correctly. Some educators proposed using phonetic spelling.
Although he achieved excellent Maths skills, he completed school with poor grammar and spelling skills.
One employer contacted me to advise me to send him back to school to learn to spell.
An example he gave was in a written submissions when my son wrote `I fink’ (phonetic) instead of `I think’..............
My son decided to study a literacy and numeracy course. One day he came home and told me he had achieved an “excellent “mark for his assignment. When I read it through, I was aghast at the number of spelling and grammatical errors.
When questioning his teacher, she informed me it was unimportant to spell correctly, as long as he could communicate. In my opinion, communication becomes difficult if you cannot spell or use grammar correctly.
I asked the teacher whether she considered he would cope with the language requirement s for the legal system; accounting systems; science or the arts; engineering; technical and trade publications. All of these require a good grounding in spelling and grammar.
We could continue to name areas where we need a concise and clear language to understand and to develop future concepts and teach others.
Eventually my son improved his skills, qualifying as a computer technician and programmer and eventually a bank manager. However, he still struggles with writing and spelling....
As computer technician and programmer, he began using the Windows American Spell Checker and it helped him to improve his spelling, (my preference is UK spelling).
However, I might add that the Windows Spell checker is less helpful as a grammar checker

What I would like to see is children being taught touch-typing. When kids are young they 'want' to learn physical, dexterous skills... that's why boys climb and girls do skipping and elastics for hours.

In previous centuries, boys would learn farming and hunting skills, and girls weaving and threshing. Boring, but difficult manual rote learning of skills. Kids are hard-wired to learn this stuff.

Sure some people think that spelling and grammar are redundant, but typing is more relevant than ever.

I want our kids to be 'taught' something... not just indoctrinated with the teachers beliefs in greenie-ism, feminism and socialism

Hi Qutus, would you mind commencing a thread on lightning strikes if you do not mind at some stage, as I have heard conflicting stories along the lines of "lightning strikes in the same place", and "lightning never strikes in the same place". A documentary years ago in some part of the U.S.A stated that the government circle or mark an area where lightning has struck and injured a person.

Are you able to share your shocking experience or share with OLO the location? I know of one family friend in the N.T. who is now deaf, as a result of a lightning strike. For years read up on the subject after a telegraph pole was struck out the back and the vibrations were felt through the home giving the kids and I a fright about 10 years ago.

Thanks most kindly.

oh gee plse excuse my spelling mistake Qutas. WMPL!

Professor-Au I thought there were study results advertised within Australia over the years that discovered a high percentage of males were less than average in relation to spelling, reading and english as opposed to females, and a high percentage of boys excel more in mathematics, as opposed to females given the use of the left hand side of the brain used in more males than females? Whereas many females use their right hand side of the brain which assists with reading, english, spelling and so forth? Am referring to school children in this context not adults.

Secondly, it was noted throughout high school and in the workforce that my spelling is excellent without the use of a dictionary or computer tools. I had put this down to being an avid reader as both a child and adult. The point I am leading up to is this: two of my siblings who did not read as a child or an adult are poor spellers yet academics. The other two including myself are non-academics yet gifted with spelling and grammar abilities and reading enthusiasts.
Comprehension average.

Do you think there is any substance in my observations of the latter Professor-Au? Thanks most kindly.

Hi! we are unique,
qutas is the name of my old Bedford motorhome. I am a tasmanian and bought and built the motorhome in Tassy, but I live in north queensland now. so hense the name qutas.
I know how to reply to a post, but how do I start a new thread.
In may 1982 I had just got a new XE falcon SW for my work. I travelled to west Qld. and would get lots of stone chips. Being a new car I decided to fit a stone guard. I lived in Loganlea not far from the railway station. I had the tilt door on the garage open and the front of the car just in the garage and the back outside.
It was raining a little so thats why I had the front just under the tilt door, while I fitted the guard.
I heard a loud rumble and mentioned it to a mate who was inside.
He replied it was probably a train shunting.
Next I knew I was in the Brisbane Mater hospital with wires connected to me everywhere.
That was when I paniced. I yelled Help theyr'e trying to electricute me.I knew I had had an electric shock, but didn't know how.
After an hour they said my heart hadn't been damaged and I could go home.Colin

Continue lightning strike
My mate was at the hospital to drive me home, but.
I didn't want to go home, I wanted to go to the model train show.
I really demanded to go. Only thing, there wasn't any train shows on.
It was a few days later when I returned to work and found I couldn't remember how to spell customers names who I had been serving for 6 years.
10 days later my hair started to fall out. My pillow would have lots of hair on it each day. That was my main concern, I didn't want to loose my hair.
Next about 6 weeks later I found I didn't see too well.I had to have franklin lense glasses. Different to bifogal they have to have 4 different lenses.
The Doctor said my hair would grow back, but for the moment they would have a hair piece made for me.
We it was fitted and Gee! it looked great. I went out side and the first puff of wind hit it and it stuck out everywhere.I looked like I had had another electric shock,(haha)
I lost most of all my music. I still can't play like I did. I play at home for myself, but not at parties and dances etc. I can't learn the words to songs or poems.Parts of my younger life memory has gone.
However, I spell well enough to use the computer and read books and papers. I wear 4 lens glasses I don't have much hair on top, my mouth is down a bit at the corners so people think I look a bit sad because it is a bit hard to smile.
Luckly, I am close to 72 and I enjoy mostly very good health and hope to live another 20 or so years.
Colin (qutas)

Hope what I have written isn't too confusing.
I was fitting the stone guard and was putting the last screw in when the lightning hit the car.
The Doctor said I lived because I was standing on a dry floor and had rubber soled shoes on.
The strike went up my left arm, out the left shin and the right side of my head. I wasn't burnt on the outside, but a few things were damaged inside. Like the memory side of my brain (slightly) which makes it difficult to learn. Also the muscles in the right side of my face making it a bit hard to smile. Just a bit droopy .
Bit of a sad look, but no way am I sad. I am very happy I'm still here.
Cheers qutas

Hi Colin, thank you most kindly for taking time out to respond. I admire your positive attitude immediately after finding yourself in hospital and upon discharge! More importantly, your ability and patience to overcome all of the other symptoms you have dealt with as each symptom occurred. All these young people need to hear what you have dealt with as a result of the lightning strike.

I would also love to know what positives you gained AFTER the lightning strike? Have you met any wonderful people [apart from Nurses and Physios] since the lightning strike that has improved your life?

Many of the accounts/stories I have heard on the news over the years match what you have described regarding the lightning coming into garages, sheds, under verandahs, at the back of semi-trailers and vans. Kids under trees struck locally on occasions.

Colin, I will submit a lightning thread for approval to Graham Y [OLO] if you have not done so by Saturday.

Kindest wishes and keep on enjoying life.

That is something I have long wondered about, if it was safe sitting on the verandah when there is lightning about. Thanks for this information We Are Unique I will stay inside from now on.

I was always told it would hit the highest thing first, like the tall palms in the yard before it would hit the verandah. Maybe you could mention if this is true or not when you write your article about lightning. It would be interesting to know.

I had heard this over years also Cherful. On Saturday night [if no-one has already done] will send an application to Graham and the OLO Team. It would be fantastic if someone else commenced one in the meantime!

we are unique.

Asking for response based on gender regarding the ability read and write?
The issue is much more complex than gender.
Based on experience of fifty odd years I tend to a view that young girls coming early under the influence of female teachers, relate well to them as they think in a similar manner. I have watched many female teachers teaching and found they easily went off in tangents. While I am not critical of this but merely point out it is not suitable for the male student.
The female seems able to concentrate on several things at one time, whereas males tend to cope better with one "subject", quickly losing focus. I realise this oversimplification.
You will find fewer male teachers employed at primary school level for a wide range of reasons; hence, with neither a male model or the early discipline available to keep the male child focussed.
Rather than continuing generalised comment, I would recommend reading research documents that analyse the difference between co-educational schools and single sex schools. I believe you will find the outcomes between male and female vary little when applied to single gender education.
There is an argument that males develop their focus much later than females when there is no male teacher model available. This must influence education development.
Having, been involved as an employer and later in employment and training for many years, I would conclude that using gender is not a valid argument. Using”Irishisms". They are the same but different. The thinking, reasoning, analysis and interpretation by the different sexes can be quite different yet the outcome will be the same. Some of this is due to social influence and others will be due to how each thinks and handles each issue.
As an employer, I found that female workers better suited and consistent to certain tasks, staying with the tasks until completed. (Tongue in cheek comment) Whereas many males were much more easily distracted; "needing to walk away and have a smoke or to go to the toilet to contemplate their navels" :)
continued

The subject is too complex to view from a narrow blinkered perspective.
There are many issues. Using my grandson as an example, considered unable to read or write yet in reality he is a quite fluent reader now that he has been prescribed with Erlin Lens. He still has a problem with spelling and at 16years of age; this will take some time to remedy.
The Education Department failed, by failing to recognise the problems. Treating symptoms he was quickly labelled “rebellious and a bad boy”.
The reality his behaviour was a cry for help and not receiving this he responded in badly as this got him some attention albeit the wrong attention. He was treated as “dumb”, “stupid”, etc.
An IQ tests showed him as an exceptionally bright child but this was of no value when no one recognised the other problems.
Over the years, I have seen the same results from many similar children. They fit in the “too hard” basket
Now, he has the lens he will progress rapidly, based on the outcome of a couple of weeks.
I can provide many examples of young people treated badly by society. One young fellow comes to mind that left home due to his parents breaking up and the continued fighting. Exceptionally bright, he was a beautiful guitarist but with no support, he finished up as a homeless person.
It raises the question in my mind as to how many children fail school because they are not receiving the appropriate support. Had he suffered from short or long sight or astigmatism he would have been able to get help, yet when he suffers from a problem, which involves the rods and cones in the eyes support, is not available through the Health system.
Again, let me reiterate, the issues of reading, writing and spelling are much more complex than taking a simplistic view.
Changes will only occur when bureaucracy changes it policies from power control and empire building to providing an appropriate service to its clients.
In Australia, we are probably 20 years or more behind the times.