Monday, June 4, 2012

Can I Have That In A Sentence With No Misspellings, Please?



Spelling Bees give me hope for the future. Like, stand up and cheer as though you're watching the end of Rudy hope. These kids are going places (probably the library). If  I were to ask 10 adults in their twenties and thirties on the street how to spell 'dirigible', which is one of the words recently spelled successfully by my new hero 6-year-old Lori Ann Madison at the National Spelling Bee, probably about half would spell it correctly. I would also guess that even fewer people know the definition, but that's neither here nor there.

Of course, I don't judge people based solely on their spelling skills. That's what appearance is for, right? And what with spell check, autocorrect and the like, it's almost as though you don't need to know how to spell anymore, unless of course you want to qualify for the National Spelling Bee and have your five minutes of fame on television (a great incentive). Or if you're an adult who wants to appear competent.

Recently, the Associated Press released an article discussing whether texting is ruining the art of conversation. Check it out:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2012/06/04/is_texting_ruining_the_art_of_conversation/?page=3

I'd also suggest that texting is one of the factors maintaining poor spelling and grammar. To many younger generations, 'before' has become 'b4', 'your' is  'ur', and no one seems to know the difference between 'there', 'their', and 'they're' or even care. This is not a huge deal when you are texting or even writing a quick email to a friend. It's when the text shorthand begins creeping its way into term papers, resumes (something I definitely saw at my previous job), etc. that a few minor spelling mistakes could have major results. What a shame to be overlooked for a job because you didn't use spell check!

Not everyone is a natural born speller or a nerd who read the dictionary as a child, like myself. But with a little effort and this handy poster, I am sure everyone can achieve a basic spelling foundation, B4 ITS TOO L8.

Peace.
The Coolest Kid At The Spelling Bee