Re: Wot not How.
 

I do think proper spelling does matter. I do appreciate that it is far more difficult for some people - are you left handed by the way, Doug? (Tell you why sometime.) However, what does really irritate me is when it is purely slapdash - people who have no problems in that direction but just can't be bothered to express themselves properly. As for people using textspeak in any other context, I foam at the mouth!

There is also the point that slapdash mis-spelling makes it more difficult for those who have perceptual problems such as dyslexia to understand what is written.

Re: Wot not How.
 

If the text is from something official or proffesional then it should be gramatically correct, but if its just on a message board or something similar then it doesn't really bother me.

Re: Wot not How.
 

Re: Wot not How.
 

If I don't know how to spell a word that I want to use, I look it up in my dictionary. It's not hard and even my five year old is starting to do that too. I'll bet some homes don't even have one. More kids should be taught how to use them at school.

Signs that are spelt incorrectly or are grammatically incorrect really annoy me. I've walked into shops in the past and told them where they've gone wrong - mostly I've been given an 'ug' from the assistant and the sign has never changed.

I don't mind incorrect spelling on forums as I see it as conversation and we don't spell whilst we're talking to someone. I don't mind grammar being wrong in this context either although I do find it harder to read.

Finally, I understand that some people are dyslexic and when it is a genuine afflication I realise that it can be a very frustrating handicap but I do think there has been an increase in 'dyslexia' since teaching standards became sloppier and I suspect there is a correlation. Whilst I'm quite sure there are some genuine cases of dyslexia I do think that there are equally a few cases where it's been an easy option for the teacher - say the kid's got dyslexia then they haven't failed as teachers.

Re: Wot not How.
 

Re: Wot not How.
 

sum sae disslexheha is joost an exquse

Re: Wot not How.
 

Dyslexia is far more common among left-handed people. It is thought that one of the reasons for this is that the speech control centres, which allow us to formulate and understand speech, are on the left side of the brain - Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area. Right handed people are left brain dominant, left handed people are right brain dominant (there are two hemispheres in the brain, separated by the central sulcus). Thus for right-handed people the speech areas are in the dominant hemisphere of the brain, whereas for left-handed people they are in a sense less accessible. Reading and writing are very closely linked to the speech facility - hence the classic cases of left handed children being made to write with the right hand and stammering/stuttering as a result.

My son is left handed. I did notice when he started to write that he held his hand in what seemed to me an awkward position. However, when I thought about it, I realised that for right handed people, our hand follows the writing so we can see what we have written. For left handed people, what they have just written is covered by their hand writing the next bit!

Hope the explanation helps!

Re: Wot not How.
 

Dyslexia is a medically recognised condition. The fact that there seems to be more of it about these days is probably due to the fact that it is recognised and the children are helped more often rather than simply being sidelined and regarded as "thick". My daughter was prescribed coloured lenses which actually help her to be able to see the words properly.

Re: Wot not How.
 

I've got a 'G.C.O.' E Level in dyslexia

Re: Wot not How.
 

I realise that and I'm sure there are many cases where it is properly recognised and that person can be helped. What I also believe, though, is that there are instances where they have used it as an excuse - possibly borderline cases where simple encouragement or hard work could work better. There is a vast difference between dyslexia and being unable to spell and I think some people hide behind dyslexia when in fact, they simply can't spell.

Re: Wot not How.
 

That's interesting Pendy, from more than one point of view. My mother had a stammer but I don't know whether it was related to being made to write with her right hand rather than her left. I only ever knew her as right-handed, but perhaps she started out using her left.

I was made to write with my right hand and my handwriting has always been awful but I can do lots of things with both hands which is quite useful.

Both my daughters are left handed. Mimi holds her paper and pen at right angles to herself and writes downwards rather than horizontally. Her younger sister simply writes along the page and covers up what she previously wrote which accounts for the ink stains on her hand and the messiness of anything she writes in pencil. She's also rather clumsy and apparently that is also common in left handed people.

Re: Wot not How.
 

It's probably due to all the junk food that kids and their parents eat. There is enough evidence now that a processed food, junk diet is one is one of the major contributory factors to beheavioural problems in children. I do not think it is beyond a reasonable hypothesis to link the growth of bad diet to the increase in the relative numbers of children with various conditions, albeit there are various other factors, such as lack of exercise, air quality, use of chemical agents, etc.

Re: Wot not How.
 

I've realised that my spelling has got worse since I've used a computer to type all my correspondence. I rely on spell check quite often. It's actually been quite good for me to come on this forum as I've had to concentrate more on each word as I've been typing.

Re: Wot not How.
 

Re: Wot not How.
 

Oooh - the taste of my own medicine is bitter!:p

I never said grammar was my strong point Mr Pedantic!:D