Archive for March 9th, 2010

This evening I was having a conversation with a friend about the importance of being able to write properly. Or in my case, something vaguely reminiscent of proper grammar and spelling, yet somehow lacking. I tend to strew commas about to add emphasis rather than using them correctly. I punctuate my writing as though I was speaking. IRREGARDLESS, it is important to know what is right even if you do not use it.

Lets take a quick look at one of my least favorite chain email/Hey Look At This website/etc little mind bender.

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 toatl
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.

Yes. Anyone can read the paragraph, yet it is slightly slower than the speed at which you read normally. It says that spelling does not matter. While this is more than likely web-drivel with no basis in fact, it is not something entirely new. With the modern era of Outcome-Based Education as well as spell-checking software there has been a loss of emphasis on spelling in schools. Kat in some instances is as good as Cat. After all, they say, you know what it means. Of course, someone must still write the spell-checking software, so possibly these children would be forever placed into the lower echelons of a “classed” society because they chose an education that was “good enough” rather than being taught what was “correct.”

The only way that you can understand the scrambled words is if you already know the proper spelling. Your mind has to unscramble the letters into an actual word for it to have meaning. If someone doesn’t already know those words then they would be at a loss. Not to mention the fact that the paragraph above is filled with relatively simple words and some words almost magically appear before you read them because of CONTEXT!

Tihs porabbly is not a Crgambdie stduy. I fnid it qutie inlunistg wehn ilittlreae taerlbekmours aemttpt to decveie steociy. Hwevoer I luagh hitsaeyllrcy wehn tehir eorftfs cmoe cnaihrsg dwon auornd tehm. Marbislee feuairls.

A little more challenging, is it not?

Comic from Wizzlefish