Poor Spelling; what's the cause??

[rusky]

I've noticed that the spelling on forums & Facebook seems to be getting worse.

Not the use of txt speak, but there/their/they're or tyre/tire (I know that's the American spelling but still) It makes hard reading apart from anything else!!

Grammar & punctuation are probably just as bad, but I don't notice this as much as my grammar & punctuation isn't too hot! For this, I blame the school for not teaching it

So what do you think the reason is for the spelling? Is it down to schools & if so, why has it reached this level??

 

[Arch]

I wonder if it's always been the same, but more and more people are writing stuff all the time now, so it'a more noticable. There was a time, perhaps, when a lot of people did no more than write in greetings cards or the odd letter, and those who did the writing of letters, notices etc, were those with better education, and those who felt confident writing. Now, everyone is tapping away online, often in a hurry, not bothered about re-reading to check content and so on.

 

[MisterStan]

Predictive text on smart phones and spellcheck on computers - makes people lazy.

 

[vernon]

Predictive text on smart phones and spellcheck on computers - makes people lazy.

+1

 

[smokeysmoo]

Know idea what the cause cud bee. Maybee its the teechers, maybe its the interweb, maybe its the pairants.

All I no is i have know probums becauze mi spel chequeur is in full wurkin ordur

 

[Gary E]

I'd sooner get good advice spelled incorrectly, than bad advice spooled baddly

But I know what you mean.

My biggest problem is when I review and edit a post before I send it. I tend to change little bits which then effects the context or leaves 'redundant bits' in. I must confess - I often have to go back in and edit posts after I've made them.

Conversely - I get constant criticism from my kids for spelling out words fully and using punctuation in my texts to them!

 

[vernon]

I've noticed that the spelling on forums & Facebook seems to be getting worse.

Not the use of txt speak, but there/their/they're or tyre/tire (I know that's the American spelling but still) It makes hard reading apart from anything else!!

Grammar & punctuation are probably just as bad, but I don't notice this as much as my grammar & punctuation isn't too hot! For this, I blame the school for not teaching it

So what do you think the reason is for the spelling? Is it down to schools & if so, why has it reached this level??

To be honest, this is an old chestnut. Contributors can suggest a whole range of causes and collectively they are probably right. What is more important is determining an effective strategy or range of strategies to improve the spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Don't expect to see an instant observable improvement when the strategies are identified, funded and implemented as the population is already exposed to poor spelling, punctuation and grammar in the printed and electronic media including the occasional blooper in quality publications.

 

[snorri]

I blame the parents.

 

[rusky]

Smokeysmoo has highlighted another of no/know. I don't think predictive text or auto-correct can be blamed for the their/they're/there as the spelling is correct.

I can see the Americanisation creeping in because of spell checkers/auto-correct or predictive text though.

As Arch says, maybe it's just more noticeable rather than on the increase.

 

[rusky]

The occasional blooper in quality publications is, IMHO, to be expected as no-one is perfect!

What are the reasons for people being exposed to poor spelling, punctuation & grammar? Is it accepted & has this given rise to it becoming more common, i.e. a downward spiral??

 

[rusky]

To be honest, this is an old chestnut. Contributors can suggest a whole range of causes and collectively they are probably right. What is more important is determining an effective strategy or range of strategies to improve the spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Don't expect to see an instant observable improvement when the strategies are identified, funded and implemented as the population is already exposed to poor spelling, punctuation and grammar in the printed and electronic media including the occasional blooper in quality publications.

So are exams getting easier??

 

[colly]

I wonder if it's always been the same, but more and more people are writing stuff all the time now, so it'a more noticable. There was a time, perhaps, when a lot of people did no more than write in greetings cards or the odd letter, and those who did the writing of letters, notices etc, were those with better education, and those who felt confident writing. Now, everyone is tapping away online, often in a hurry, not bothered about re-reading to check content and so on.

I think that's right by and large.
When I was in my late teens I changed jobs to one where I needed to write quotations and reports and my writing and spelling improved no end simply because it had to, and fast.

But, then when you look back at some school work, letters, or essays done by some relatively young children from say the late 1800's and compare it to the standards of similar kids today the difference is often startling. Not just the spelling, but the overall structure of the sentences and phrasing.
On the other hand kids today are brought up in an altogether different environment, discipline in schools is more tenuous, distractions such as television, mobile phones, computers, pressures of a commercial kind etc.
Of course a lot of the posting on chat sites such as this are done by people ranging from teens to eighties so perhaps it is just people are rushing and feel, as it's a sort of throw away medium, it really doesn't matter.

 

[Norm]

(seen already on here and elsewhere) It's the difference between knowing your shoot and knowing you're shoot.

 

[dodgy]

I'm a bit peeved by spelling/grammar mistakes in the body of a message, even more so when they're in the subject line of a thread because we get to read them every time we open the thread up.

By the way, you only need one question mark after your subject.

 

[vernon]

So are exams getting easier??

The problem is not related to exams.