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Lecturer's surprise at spelling controversy
4:45pm Thursday 7th August 2008
A BUCKINGHAMSHIRE New University lecturer said he was taken aback by the scale of today's national media interest following his call for some misspelt words to be overlooked.
Dr Ken Smith said many had misunderstood his suggestion that commonly misspelt words should be accepted by lecturers.
He said it was already acceptable for some words to have more than one spelling - and this should be extended to about 20 more words.
His views were published in today's Times Higher Education Supplement and created a storm of media interest.
In the article he said: "Instead of complaining about the state of the education system as we correct the same mistakes year after year, I've got a better idea.
"University teachers should simply accept as variant spelling those words our students most commonly misspell."
Dr Smith, a senior lecturer in criminology at the High Wycombe-based university, said: "I have been inundated with calls - it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
"I was expecting to write something of interest only to lecturers in higher education."
He said: "I am sure some are disagreeing because they don't understand what I am saying.
"I am not proposing spelling reform, I am not saying that people who can spell should un-lean what they learn at school or learn to spell these words differently.
"I am just saying we should allow a few more variants."
For example judgement was an accepted variation of judgment, he said.
Dr Smith, a lecturer at the university since 2003, said: "I think all universities in Britain are experiencing similar problems. I don't know if it's got anything to do with texting or the fact that people get their information from the internet these days.
"Perhaps people don't read quite as much as they used to or because most people don't go to grammar schools any more and they don't get taught this kind of thing."
He said grammar school pupils would "go to a lot of trouble to learn how to spell these words".
He added: "I don't see why, in the 21st century, we should go on spelling a word like opportunity the way we do just because that's the way we spell it."
Your Say YourBucks
smokey, high wycombe says...
5:10pm Thu 7 Aug 08
smokey wrote:whoops - spelt credible incorrectly!
does this man take stupid tablets or something?? Of course people are going to react negatively - the twit! Anyway the average grammar school pupil is hardly likely to attend his esteemed uni anyway:) I believe a lot of them do the art foundation programme, then they go to proper university to get a credibel degree.
*blushes*
me, Marlow says...
5:11pm Thu 7 Aug 08
smokey, high wycombe says...
5:17pm Thu 7 Aug 08
me wrote:I am sure it is - I just was not impressed with it at all and I am sorry if I offended you with my remarks, but really when you compare it with other universities, it really isn't very good. Altho to be fair - if you are doing a vocational or practical degree then yes I understand it isn't bad.
So because I go to this uni, my degree doesn't count? All I know is the course I'm doing is brilliant and very challenging, and it isn't foundation art!!!
But if you are doing an academic degree, then I would say that perhaps it isn't as good as one from a red brick uni.
I am sorry to be blunt but I am afraid that employers do look at which uni you went to and can you blame them when lecturers come out with stupid remarks like this?
Plus ça change..., Dohcombe says...
5:59pm Thu 7 Aug 08
Might explain the lack of competence in spelling among students generally, particularly when parents don't have a positive input.
Forget later schools.
It should be the primary schools that are doing the basics in spelling & English!
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
7:31pm Thu 7 Aug 08
slacker, Flackwell says...
9:00pm Thu 7 Aug 08
Blueberry, S Bucks says...
9:06pm Thu 7 Aug 08
slacker, Flackwell says...
9:27pm Thu 7 Aug 08
Blueberry wrote:My apostrophe button isnt working. :-p
And "its spelled" should be "it's spelled" (or "it is spelled")!
Allan, Christchurch, New Zealand says...
4:27am Fri 8 Aug 08
Wer the decision to adopt Arabic numerals (replacing the ponderous Roman ones); Henry Ford's Model T making car ownership possible for horse and buggy owners; the invention of computers to replace typeriters; etc, all responsible for dumming down?
Or did logic and efficiency make the new superior to the old?
So let it be with spelling: let's replace a decrepit system with a sensible one.
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
8:08am Fri 8 Aug 08
Tharus Bond, Wycombe says...
8:41am Fri 8 Aug 08
the spelling allows you to differentiate between what the word means when read!
Blueberry, S Bucks says...
9:11am Fri 8 Aug 08
sepArately
And why has everyone given up on capital letters and apostrophes?
Steve, Totteridge Hill says...
9:21am Fri 8 Aug 08
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
9:29am Fri 8 Aug 08
Elmo, High Wycombe says...
10:45am Fri 8 Aug 08
Dampiera, Michigan, USA says...
4:06pm Fri 8 Aug 08
Ok, kidding aside, this is a terrible idea. We should all strive to be the best that WE can be at everything that we do. People just don't seem to do that anymore.
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
6:01pm Fri 8 Aug 08
smokey, high wycombe says...
6:08pm Fri 8 Aug 08
WinstonSmith wrote:I'm not embarrassed. Neither of my daughters went or are going to that 'university' and therefore I feel no loyalty to it at all. IMO it should not be called a university at all as the majority of degrees really are in silly subjects that would not stand up in the real world. If you have 5 mins, go on their website and wonder!
What I find interesting about all the feedback regarding this topic is the comparative lack of embarassment about the comments originating from our 'local ' university. There are very few comments from students who attend the university. I hope the Editor of the Bucks Free Press will have something to say or will he spend time moaning about how long it took him to do some trivial task that probably would involve walking/parking somewhere...yawn...
Allan, Christchurch, New Zealand says...
9:46pm Fri 8 Aug 08
WinstonSmith rote: Replace it with what Allan? Let everyone spell words the way they choose? What happens if those words are misspelt? Oh of course it wouldn't matter would it as it would be a varient.
When u think about it u wil realize that a variant, as long as it's a reesonable one, is stil efficient. The message is still sent and receeved. I am using sum heer, and u ar getting my message, as witness your reply to my preevius one.
But we dont replace our outdated spelling with a number of variants. We need to update it with spellings that follo English norms with no, or at most, extreemly few, exceptions.
Then children wil not be frustrated in their litracy lerning by the unpredictability of the spelling of words they want to rite. Regularity in our spelling wil help reduce our 20%-plus illitracy rates in ALL English-speeking countries, including yours and mine.
Do u want to cling on to old ways or make spelling the efficient tool it is ment to be? Is it a museum or a working instrument?
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
10:46pm Fri 8 Aug 08
Edgar, High Wycombe, Bucks. says...
1:20am Sat 9 Aug 08
In the 1960s "spell it how it sounds" was tried in High Wycombe, and a BFP proofreader was threatened with having his daughter taken into care, if he didn't comply. Being ex-Gorbals, you can guess his response! 5 years later she was the one child, in her class, who passed the 11+, and went to the High School.
Allan, Christchurch, New Zealand says...
3:59am Sat 9 Aug 08
WinstonSmith rote: Hello Allan, there have been attempts to change the English language in the past, an example was ITA a phonetic reading scheme that initially was hailed as being really successful in teaching children to read however later research showed that as the children became older they were virtually illiterate as they had not mastered the fundamental skills of the English language.
Spelling is not the language. It is a tool to record the language. Language evolves. spelling can also evolve, but in English it does so too slowly, and sumtimes in the rong direction, eg, adviser to advisor.
The language is natural; spelling is an artificial convention. It is not a sacred cow.
ITA was introduced for one purpose: To accelerate the lerning of reeding and riting. It did this. Unfortunatly, the children later had to change to TS (traditional spelling), and not all did it successfully. Especially, they had trouble with spelling!
ITA was not intended as a new spelling sistem for all. If it had been and had been carried thru, our present-day illitracy problem would probably hav been much smaller.
Re a need to relate words such as climb/clamber thru spelling: Do we hav a problem relating such words as I, you, he, him, she, her, they, and them?
Spelling needs to be an efficient, workable tool.
smokey, high wycombe says...
8:19am Sat 9 Aug 08
Allan wrote:do not be so silly!
WinstonSmith rote: Replace it with what Allan? Let everyone spell words the way they choose? What happens if those words are misspelt? Oh of course it wouldn't matter would it as it would be a varient.When u think about it u wil realize that a variant, as long as it's a reesonable one, is stil efficient. The message is still sent and receeved. I am using sum heer, and u ar getting my message, as witness your reply to my preevius one. But we dont replace our outdated spelling with a number of variants. We need to update it with spellings that follo English norms with no, or at most, extreemly few, exceptions. Then children wil not be frustrated in their litracy lerning by the unpredictability of the spelling of words they want to rite. Regularity in our spelling wil help reduce our 20%-plus illitracy rates in ALL English-speeking countries, including yours and mine. Do u want to cling on to old ways or make spelling the efficient tool it is ment to be? Is it a museum or a working instrument?
How you are writing is lazy - just to btake a short cut. Perhaps you are trying to be clever to make a point.
What next in the dumbing down of language? Ohh I know - lets start talking in text speak too - better still it might evolve into grunts!
Hang on tho, won't we be going back to cave man talk if we do that??
Not all traditional things are bad. Language is beautiful and deserves to be used properly. It is called being civilised and we need more of that, not less.
Allan, Christchurch, New Zealand says...
9:18am Sat 9 Aug 08
Smokey rote: do not be so silly!
How you are writing is lazy - just to btake a short cut. Perhaps you are trying to be clever to make a point.
How do u know my motivs? To clarify, i am not being lazy; i hav to think mor about thees spellings than with TS, because they ar not the ones i was taut.
The point i am trying to make is that spelling is not sacrosanct. I agree with u that our language is beautiful, but i am not trying to hav language changed; just its spellings so that the language will be a joy and of use to mor peeple.
Our spelling not being sacrosanct and being merely a convention, i think it mor important that it be changed to be an efficient tool rather than a mausoleum of Latin, Greek, Anglo-Saxon and other borrowings. Peeple who enjoy that side of the language wil not be disadvantaged by spelling change; peeple who ar only concerned with using language for communication, wil be advantaged.
A win/win situation!
Steve, Totteridge Hill says...
10:21am Sat 9 Aug 08
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
10:59am Sat 9 Aug 08
Steve wrote:Do you think this is a good thing then Steve? Do you think English should change from traditional spelling to Americanisms and textspeak? Allan has given us a good example of how the future of English for communication could look.
Text speak and smelling pistakes abound now!
monkey_boy, Wycombe says...
8:12pm Sun 10 Aug 08
WinstonSmith, Marlow says...
10:55pm Sun 10 Aug 08
monkey_boy wrote:If you are a student monkey boy I think it is admirable that you, and an earlier contributor are attempting to defend the Bucks new uni. Perhaps the students should make some kind of representation to the top brass to point out that the lecturer has made a fool of himself, the university and therefore the students. If you doubt that just look at the message boards for the BBC national newspapers, tabloids, quality press and international press the majority of readers comments seem to think Ken Smith is a moron.
May I point out that the Bucks New Uni is a good Uni to study at. Yes some of the courses are possibly not completely academic but then again a lot of courses offered are excellent courses and lead in the industry. A lot of people may be aware that not every Uni offer the same courses and I think that people should embrace the University since it does bring a lot of students and employs a lot of people in the area!
Allan, Christchurch, New Zealand says...
5:29am Mon 11 Aug 08
If you doubt that just look at the message boards for the BBC national newspapers, tabloids, quality press and international press the majority of readers comments seem to think Ken Smith is a moron.
Does it? Or does it meen that all those peeple just haven't thaut thru the issue?
mary, Penn says...
10:36am Tue 12 Aug 08
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smokey, high wycombe says...
5:09pm Thu 7 Aug 08
Anyway the average grammar school pupil is hardly likely to attend his esteemed uni anyway:)
I believe a lot of them do the art foundation programme, then they go to proper university to get a credibel degree.