Spell check, anyone?

It's always been a complete mystery how people can live their whole lives without knowing a single language.

What, you'll argue, are you talking about, CM? Everyone knows at least one language. It's not like there are people living without knowing what a tree, un arbol, un arbre, is! It's not like people go around without interacting with others, and to interact you need to have something in common with those others! That's what a language is! It can be a colour meaning, a symbol, plain words or body language.

Here's my argument: knowing a language is more than being able to blabber with other people. Knowing a language is being able to write it, speak it, and generally express yourself using that code without anything hindering the comprehension of your message (Communication and Publicity notes copy-paste, pretty much).

My question is, how can people appreciate and share their world fully when the only language they know is the spoken slang of a mix n' match language? Let's not even start with how they spell. I mean this in the strictest sense: how can anyone permit mistakes over and over and over again without once questioning the wording of their sentence?

Alright, fine. Let's concede that speech is more impulsive and direct and less thought-out than written word. That excuses the speech, but not the writing.

I am tired of reading misused homonyms. I am sick of poorly constructed phrases and terrible grammar. I am especially tired of reading spelling mistakes from grown adults whose job it is to teach us how to speak and write.

Perhaps over 18 years of my life I've grown into a cynic and an elitist? Perhaps my patience has worn thin towards those whom I used to fawn over? But where have the good spellers gone? Why am I praised amongst my peers for knowing how to write without making mistakes?

There was a time where such skill was the norm and less promised you wouldn't have a job. There was a time where not knowing the difference between 'their' and 'there' and 'they're' meant you were the school idiot.

Today, those who manage to get a passing grade in any given language are considered geniuses.

If that's so, what becomes of the others?

I'll tell you.

They consider themselves to bee merely unlucky, or victims of a system two advanced for them. They wish only too simplify a language that took centuries two build, because bending oneself too spelling is far to difficult and cumbersome.

Sou i get a 92.5% in a text analysis. On a total 210 students, i am the best. The group average fails by an single point (59%). The teacher gives me my text back. I glance down at it and consider that I've done better beefore.

The teecher, on his part, shakes my hand and tell's me he'd have gladly corrected my text for free and would happily doit again, just for the fun off it.

All a-round, people look down at they're grades and rejoice about getting a 60%. Other's wine and complain a bout unfair grading--nothing else can explain why there awesome analysis got a 32%. It doesnt make any since.

In the mail that knight, I recieve mail's from the colliege staff. They tell us about a mised rendervoux becoz they mixed up theyre schedules and have to push back the staf-student meetings. They tell us many of there upcomings classes is gonna be nice. A boy sends the hole student population a paniqued message bout his lost coat. Its black and green, he say's, with zipers and a hoode. The next message comes from the on-line technicians: the email services will be interupted temporarly becauze we have exceided our bandwidth and they half to delete some unecesary stuf.

Still online, I recieve a message from the college janitors. The water isnt good to drink, aparentally. The city is investigating the case, but fore now, we shouldnt drink from the fountians. Theyll mail us with up-dates as soun as they no more.

And round teh world, childs evreywere are taut that they half to get a good education to suceed in there lifes. They try sou hard too learn it wright, becoz they want two make plenty of money and bee powerfull and beautifull, so they can brague about beign smarter an better then other's.

Elsewere, those children of yesterdey are compleining about not nowing the difrence between too words, looking to they're parents for help, when those same parent's cant sea the mistakes either, becoz they werent taut any better.

Meenwile, a gril is praised because she knows how two spell. Shes asked where she learnt all of it. She looks around...

And frankly, she doesn't know.

Love,
CM