Hi
This issue has already been raised in the Ital category but I think it is pretty important to all of us involved with literacy.
I'll quote the mail that started the idea and a reply from Stevieboy and we can go on from there.
'Spelling doesn't matter and too many people are worried about. It decreases in importance as more people realise that computers make spelling easier. Language is about 'meaning' not rules. The rules just create fear of failure. ' (by guest)
Stevie's response:
'I agree with guest to a certain degree, in a world of txt spk you don't find yourself rotfl when someone makes a spelling mistakd, you just assume they've not used spell chequer.
However as the poem we saw the other week highlights, spell check is not infallible. We should not be getting too hung up over it, especially in the early days with a learner, the whole point of "correct" spelling and grammar is to allow us to communicate effectively with our target audience if the meaning is obvious does it matter if i follows e or even if it shouls be -sion or -tion?
The English language has been evolving quite happily on its own for nearly 2000 years in the writen form, taking on board bits of Norman French, Scots, Welsh, Norse and sundry other bits and pieces and in this age of global communication we are now seeing the Speakers of English from other parts of the world adding their local spellings and patois. If English continues to evolve into the 21 century at the same rate that other areas of life are evolving the spelling and language being used next century could be as difficult for us to understand as Piers Plowman or Geoffery Chaucer.
God I've just read that back and realise that I'm getting on a soap box but hey ho! if it can stimulate some discussion it's worth it!!!!!!!!!'
My concern (JohnC) with the spelling isue is that many of us are simply defeated by the weird spelling conventions (or none) that we have in English. Is there any way past this? Perhaps phone text English will become a future standard. Would that be a bad thing or a good thing?
This is a massive issue for us and is bound to be contentious. Let it roll!
JohnC
Pleased to see this has moved over from the ITALL forum. My thoughts are currently as follows...
Very often correct spelling is used as a filtering out tool by employers and other reps of officialdom both at entry level and for promotion and so on. But are they/we shooting themselves/ourselves in the foot and missing out on a whole pile of potential that is out there?
I agree that things will evolve quickly in the coming years but I still worry that correct spelling as we have known it will continue to be used as a borderline for inclusion in many situations and often the ones that are linked to earning potential and status.
We have to work with our learners in the same way we work with ourselves as learners and this conversation we are developing here must be part of the dialogue between learners and tutors working on spelling.
We all must try and be aware and make use of words in a way that will achieve the results we want and that's very complex. As it came up in ITALL recenty' a job application in txt spelling may be judged very differently depending on the brand image of the company. Contrast o2, Animal, M and S, Fortnam and Mason and so on. And even the position in the co might make a huge difference. As usual its as much about about reading the world as it is the word.
To say to learners that spelling doesn't really matter without then going on to qualify that by being realistic about when it does and doesn't, and discussing where we are with wider societal attitudes at the time, is a dangerous game.
That's kind of where I am with it at the moment. Forgive me the complete focus on employability issues in my examples. It's just the weight of policy direction coming down on my shoulders.
Mark
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