Why has spelling become so deplorable?

Question

I actually saw someone describe Sheet Music as "sheat music" on this very site. What kind of education are people receiving? Does anyone read a good book anymore? These people attend college & THEY CANNOT SPELL!!

I could get onto the subjects of punctuation & grammar, but maybe another time.

Answer 1

The schooling system (in Australia anyway) decided, about 20yrs ago, that by hammering children about spelling and grammar, that it was stifling their creativity.

I will admit that I am a bad speller, I always have been. But it has nothing to do with reading. I have always been an avid reader, my favourite book is war and peace, I have a bachelors degree, but many of the words in my vocab, I am unable to spell. It is just how my mind works

Answer 2

It is tempting to point the finger at texting, education which, for at least 30 years has been more interested in social engineering than academics, and the plummeting of reading as a pastime.

I choose to point the finger at a technologically-driven cultural change whereby ANYTHING that requires any effort is considered old-fashioned and irrelevant.

Answer 3

Oh, DO NOT get me started. Honestly, I correct my kids' graffiti. It really gets me burned up.

I do think a lot of it has to do with this image that kids want to be "cool" and obviously in order to be cool you can't be seen to actually take any notice of what a school teacher might be trying to impart during lessons. Truly, I reckon they all just go to college for the social life.

Answer 4

Ah  Now  Luv...............just kidding, and the punctuation and

grammar thing :

Please forgive me, they don't know what they do ! you know the song...............yes well the spelling drives me crazy

and worse when people start writing like their abbreviations

or made up text they use for sms on mobiles.

Perhaps the teachers are not asked to look for these

things , once upon a time if you failed in your class, you

repeated the year till you got it right!

Let's console ourselves then , that these people would

not have made it past Year 7, or 5 or 4 for that matter!

Answer 5

simply put you live in the united states of America and when it comes to speech and grammar most people do not care

Answer 6

idk. i blam enstat messageing 4 createing horibble spelers. Allso its not stresed @ skool. The onli tyme i rememmber speling b-ing immportant was durring the weekli vocab tests (witch onli consissted of 5 wordz). Wow, it is really hard to spell incorrectly on purpose.

Answer 7

When I went to grade school, spelling was taught along with phonetics. That's why. Educators expect children to soak it up like osmosis.

That's why the push for EBONICS didn't work

Answer 8

Because the teachers have to teach Junior and Senior high students how to pass tests now. The President's No Child Left Behind Act has shackled the teacher's responsibility for students to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. They must pass tests, multiple choice tests. There are several state and federal tests every year that students have to pass before the school can get money to pay the teachers. It is deplorable.

I am a teacher's aide at a high school program and I grade tests that are taken by the students. Sometimes we have to be psychic just to try to figure out what the students are trying to say in answer to the essay questions. Most teachers that really care are frustrated beyond belief by this type of teaching. It is not helping the students any either.

Another problem is text messaging. Too many students think this is the correct way to spell words because others text them to them.

Answer 9

I feel it is a combination of many devices. Adds on tv have incorrect spelling, kids have so much to cram into their school day, it gets put aside especially since the computer has a spell check to do it for you also text messages are easier if words are shortened. Basically though, I put it down to a don't care, why do we need it, attitude

Answer 10

when typing on sites like these they spell words incorrectly because it takes less energy to write abbreviations like:

because - bc

you - u

are - r

etc.

Answer 11

Nobody cares anymore.

Answer 12

personally i think it is the text messaging craze and the advent of the computer instant message service  so many shortcuts taken that they become habit and spill over into the rest of life

Answer 13

Bekause spelin is'nt taut as spelin enymore. Beesides, meny do'nt shiv a git.

Answer 14

If they're not native speakers of english, thats one possibility.  I prefer to think of it as the scourge of instant messaging and texting.