Was watching a program on TV the other night and caught an interview with a 'teacher'. Young lass, about mid 20's and she was saying that it was difficult to teach children how to spell these days as "they don't know how to teach it" and "most teachers these days don't know how to spell anyway". What th' ..??
And yes, have noticed a marked deterioration in spelling skills. (and don't get too stroppy about my 'mistakes'. I can spell, in fact can scan a page and an error leaps out and whacks me over the retina. If I make a mistake it's because I can't type, am lazy, or is deliberate.)
The one that have noticed recently is the use of "loose" for "lose". They're two different words, dammit. Yes, I guess that it's easy to "lose" something if it is "loose", but really .. The other one is "definate" for "definite".
(look up "finite")
One of the difficulties with learning this polyglot language called "English" is that it is made up from a multitude of different language groups. Different grammars, spellings and syntax. Have noticed that generally, the 'work', 'action', single syllable words come from the Angles and Saxons. Multisyllable, or 'thinking' words come from Latin or Greek. 'Romance' words come from the Normans.
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Language! I was in a situation where I had to learn the Finnish Language. Everyone told me it was so difficult, with fifteen case endings, and it is agglutenous. (I think I spelled that wrong). I was overjoyed when I learned that it is spelled phonetically exactly as it is written, there are very few dialects, and there are no exeptions to gramatical rules. It was a snap. I would be terrified to be a native speaker of almost any language, and have a need to learn English. It is non-phonetic and there are exceptions to almost every rule. Yuck.
Am not an expert. The language "English" is, perhaps, one of the most frustrating, annoying and .. well, JOYOUS of languages.. capable of evoking the most beautiful poetry and mental imagery when used well. My favourite writer is Dylan Thomas.
"It was night in the small town
starless and bible black .."
In Malaya we use to learn English English but we now learn American English (so they say but I think we are learning No English). We learned how to spell the England's English, we now learn to spell SMS English (if at all). And we here now speak ........What English?
sorry, "used to".
The americans have taken the "you" out of "colour"
and "honour"
My dictionary by the computer is the British Empire Universities Modern English Ilustrated Dictionary, Daily Dispatch edition. It has everything I need to know about 1924 including how to address a letter to an Archbishop and the rules of lawn tennis.
Most importantly, it gives me the proper english spelling not American tripe.
And no, smarty it wasn't my school dictionary.
Good one jahteh. Perhaps I still yearn for the rules of the "British Empire".
Perhaps the rules of "fair play" i.e. 'cricket' circa 1924 should still apply.
It also has all the lastest aircraft and automobiles and a glossary of cricket terms for use in the Empire.
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