being able to spell = being intelligent

Herbal Deity

Giselle wrote: »

I don't assume that someone who has difficulty spelling is less intelligent, any more than I assume someone who has difficulty with maths, or reading maps, or parallel parking, is less intelligent.

But surely these are all indicators of less overall intelligence, i.e. someone bad at spelling is less intelligent when it comes to spelling, someone bad at maths is less intelligent when it comes to maths etc.

I mean, not everyone is intelligent. It's a complex thing to try and measure, but there has to be some kind of metrics that you can use to get an indication of someone's intelligence.

Rockn

In primary school you learn the difference between their, there and they're and where to use apostrophes and commas and so on. There's no excuse for not knowing that (unless you have a learning difficulty ).

It depends on context too though. I wouldn't expect someone to use proper grammar in a text message or IM. But in a professional email or a printed article.. make an effort. I was reading a newsletter earlier with an article where the "author" had a load of spelling and grammatical errors. The worst was spelling 'was' as 'woz'. I couldn't help but think that she's not the brightest.

grindelwald wrote: »

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the
frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses
and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid
deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.



so esay

'Sup homes!

Dudess

stovelid wrote: »

To highlight an earnest or well-meaning post and ridicule it though, it just makes me feel for the targeted person and think a lot less of the person doing it.

I've winced at muppets doing it on Personal Issues threads to really heartfelt posts.

Even if people mean well when they correct people here, would you correct someone's grammar in the middle of a real-life conversation in front of others? I doubt many would - I can't think of it coming across as anything other than arsey, even if it's directed at people you know well.

OTT textspeak hurts my eyes though - it looks like it takes far more trouble than English... so it's not as if it's something a person can't help, like e.g. not having a strong grasp of punctuation.

stovelid

stovelid wrote: »

If the only motive behind the correction is pedagogical - which I severely doubt, given the context and phrasing of nearly every such correction that I've ever witnessed - why not PM the user instead of correcting them on-thread?

Well to be honest I can't remember the last time I corrected anyone on boards. But there are a lot of common errors floating around, so I'd be tempted to have it up there in public. As I said though I can't really remember the last time I've done it, I've had my nose bitten off for it enough times that it's not worth the hassle. I rant about it privately instead
Maybe people just have too many bad experiences with know-it-alls picking on their spelling.

Sitec wrote: »

It seems to be on Boards people only have a problem with it. If someone mis spelt words in an email i bet the high and mighty here wouldnt be so quick to correct them.

I'd be quicker to, since I know friends won't take offence. Not if it's clearly just laziness or typos though, that'd just be silly

edit: I'm also happy to admit it's me with the problem, I've been correcting people since I was about 7... maybe it's some kind of spelling OCD

Magenta

TheZohan wrote: »

Because some people are dyslexic and it's not their fault?

It is estimated that only 6-8% of Irish people are dyslexic so that does not account for the ridiculous amount of poor spelling on Boards.
Some people are just lazy or did not learn very much considering that if they did their Leaving Cert, they have 13 years of compulsory English classes behind them.

Snowie

melekalikimaka wrote: »

well from what i from my reading and i know one person for fact(well claims, maybe he doesnt want to admit it) but claims he faked it, seems like its pretty easy to diagnose it, not being an ass, but if your struggling with spelling and think you might be, will they turn around if you fail and tell you ' sorry mam, your child just isnt very intelligent'


also on that point.

if it is a real conditions, how does the treatment differ from a child with regular 'reading difficulties'?

You know for a fact? seen a 15 to 20 page Educational Pshycoligest report ?
ever been to a dyslexic testing ?
I mean for some one to say oh yes im intelgent I could do that serously ? have any idea how patronising your coming accross?

Pherekydes

Magenta wrote: »

It is estimated that only 6-8% of Irish people are dyslexic so that does not account for the ridiculous amount of poor spelling on Boards.
Some people are just lazy or did not learn very much in 13 years of compulsory English classes.

13?

Owenw

grindelwald wrote: »

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the
frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses
and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid
deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.



so esay

Shouldn't the highlighted section be either (a) 'a researcher' (extra 'er'), or (b) 'research' (omit the preceeding 'a') ?

Does being in the top 0.000000000000001% to notice this error make me intelligent, or just well-practiced at finding typographical errors?

I'll have a 'p' please Bob.

Earthhorse

Dudess wrote: »

Even if people mean well when they correct people here, would you correct someone's grammar in the middle of a real-life conversation in front of others? I doubt many would - I can't think of it coming across as anything other than arsey, even if it's directed at people you know well.

I might do. But not as a matter of course. Whether it's arsey depends on the manner you do it in. More likely I would correct a mispronunciation or a word misused. I don't see what the big fuss is. We're none of us perfect.

Magenta

Pherekydes wrote: »

13?

Yes. How many did you think it was? Provided the person finished school.

Pherekydes

Magenta wrote: »

Yes. How many did you think it was?

So you start compulsory English at age 3? Because compulsory schooling ends at 16.

I did 6 years in primary and 4 in secondary, of which only 2 were compulsory. My children will have completed either 11 or 12 years compulsory schooling when they finish.

But your point is well taken. What do children learn in school these days?

IMO, there is one overriding principle at play: they don't CARE.

Magenta

Pherekydes wrote: »

So you start compulsory English at age 3? Because compulsory schooling ends at 16.

I did 6 years in primary and 4 in secondary, of which only 2 were compulsory. My children will have completed either 11 or 12 years compulsory schooling when they finish.

Junior Infants of primary until the Leaving Cert is 13 years.
English is compulsory up to Leaving Cert.

Agricola

Generally speaking I think there is a correlation between spelling abilty and intelligence. But theres lots of people who are extremely intelligent who cant spell for shít. A friend of mine in school was in Higher level maths and Ordinary Lvl English. He was a maths whizz but hated everything to do with language classes, poetry, plays etc. He thought it was all fluffy pap. I remember seeing this homework and notes afew times. "schoolboy" spelling errors if you will. :pac:

Magenta

Agricola wrote: »

Generally speaking I think there is a correlation between spelling abilty and intelligence.

I have to say, when I hear college students talking about how they are in "4th year of collage", I do think to myself, "You've been there 4 ****ing years and you STILL haven't noticed how the word is spelt?".

Dravokivich

Magenta wrote: »

Junior Infants of primary until the Leaving Cert is 13 years.
English is compulsory up to Leaving Cert.

I think part of the point Pherekydes was making is that the Leaving Cert isn't compulsory.

Magenta

Dravokivich wrote: »

I think part of the point Pherekydes was making is that the Leaving Cert isn't compulsory.

No, but if you do your Leaving Cert then you will have studied English for 13 years and it was compulsory all that time.
That is what I meant.

Pherekydes

Magenta wrote: »

Junior Infants of primary until the Leaving Cert is 13 years.
English is compulsory up to Leaving Cert.

But the LC is not compulsory.

Agricola wrote: »

Generally speaking I think there is a correlation between spelling abilty and intelligence. But theres lots of people who are extremely intelligent who cant spell for shít.

Those two sentences contradict each other.

Spelling ability = accumulated and stored knowledge. Plus the ability to recall.

Intelligence = logic and problem solving ability (assumes no accumulated and stored knowledge or recall ability)

Magenta

Pherekydes wrote: »

But the LC is not compulsory.

But if you do your Leaving Cert then you will have had English as a compulsory subject for 13 years. That is what I meant.

**Timbuk2**

I wish I was as cool as the people who correct each other's spelling

Nevyn

OutlawPete wrote: »

I'm dyslexic and you are spot on.

Also, the Spell Check with Mozilla is junk.

I have got one letter wrong on many many words and it will not be able to give me the word I need.

I end up just Google'ing the word in frustration and they has never let me down, always finding the word were Spell Check couldn't.

Google has been a lifesaver for me, when it comes to spelling.

Ditto, but there are some words that even google will go WFT! and not give an option.

Nevyn

Magenta wrote: »

Junior Infants of primary until the Leaving Cert is 13 years.
English is compulsory up to Leaving Cert.

In secondary school you do not cover english as a language but english literature, world of difference. I never had someone cover grammar and punctuation with me in second level it was assumed you had picked up in primary.

nlgbbbblth

People who correct the grammar / spelling nazis always come across as the most smug of the lot.

Kasabian

orourkeda wrote: »

There is no absolutely excuse for poor spelling, grammar or syntax.

thats funny

melekalikimaka

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

You know for a fact?

he told me he put it on... so i know from what he 'told' me, kinda the same way dyslexia is diagnosed, nothing concrete or scientific, but an assumption based on trust that one party isn't a liar. I just find it surprising that diagnoses is done in such a way, when apparently theres a scientific way to diagnose the condition

MJ23

iz it coz i iz blak

Dionysus

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

People who correct the grammar / spelling nazis always come across as the most smug of the lot.

PC hat off...


Why bother spelling it wrong when it's easy to spell it right?

Leaving aside the up to 8% of the Irish population who have some form of dyslexia, the remaining 92% of people who refuse to spell correctly, even with a spellchecker built into every post they make on Boards.ie, are just lazy. There's no point in dressing it up.
Their bad spelling gives the distinct impression that if they are too lazy to spell basic language then they are highly unlikely to put much thought into what they are writing about on Boards.ie. A sloppy writer = a sloppy mind?

PC hat on again...

melekalikimaka

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

I mean for some one to say oh yes im intelgent I could do that serously ? have any idea how patronising your coming accross?

at what point did i even suggest that

Magenta

Thaedydal wrote: »

In secondary school you do not cover english as a language but english literature, world of difference. I never had someone cover grammar and punctuation with me in second level it was assumed you had picked up in primary.

We did grammar in secondary school.

CATLAUGHS

i dont tink cos people take shortcuts in spellin means dere stupid just think we dont have time to write full words anymore. but i understand how it makes sum people mad. 4 example at work i'm always sendin emails wit txt lingo and always get calls r replys askin wat i meant. i think maybe d people dat cant understand txt lingo seems more stupid dan othe way round

Mars Bar

CATLAUGHS wrote: »

i dont tink cos people take shortcuts in spellin means dere stupid just think we dont have time to write full words anymore. but i understand how it makes sum people mad. 4 example at work i'm always sendin emails wit txt lingo and always get calls r replys askin wat i meant. i think maybe d people dat cant understand txt lingo seems more stupid dan othe way round

*Resists urge to back seat mod*