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Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!amdcad!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot
From: chabot@amber.DEC (l s chabot)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.nlang
Subject: Re: "(sp?): considered wimpy
Message-ID: <686@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Feb-85 09:48:22 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.686
Posted: Fri Feb 22 09:48:22 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Feb-85 02:47:48 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 58
Xref: utcs net.flame:8117 net.nlang:2561

How can anyone consider herself to be a good speller if she can't spell 
a title (not a name) that was in major newspapers across the country for over a
year.  Yes, I'm speaking about "ayatollah".  Get serious, folks!  And,
surprise! it's even in the Office Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary. 

I can't imagine the locations from which some of us post.  I usually do such
from work during morning coffee, and at work I have available to me the above-
mentioned paperback, provided by the stock room here.  If your company or school
is not so generous, well, it's a mighty $5.  It's pretty handy for other things
than just usenet postings: it aids me in spelling program comments that others
can read and in correcting spelling in any documents I write (sure, the latter
is something I could run through a spelling checker program, but not the former
--I don't want to be told "eludom" isn't a word, I know that).  If I can't find
a word I want, I delay posting until I can go home and check out the OED or ask
a writer if I might borrow something at work.

Surely the options of obtaining a cheap reliable reference for the workplace
for quick lookups, and delaying posting until a more extensive reference book
can be used, surely these options are available to almost all of us.  What, you
say, not worth the time?  Ah, yes, well, perhaps your posting is also not worth
the time to read, if it isn't worth an effort on your part.

But the best part is, that by not including "(sp?)" in postings, you can save
five to six characters!  Less typing!  Fewer of those tricky shifted keys!  And
Who knows, an imperceptible decrease in phone costs could result.

Ah, yes, a contradiction: here I've suggested taking time to look up a word, and
know I'm suggesting saving time by not typing six characters.  Actually, I've 
lied--the line about taking time was a trick with the end of encouraging some
of us to think before we post, to take that extra few moments and reflect on
wording and topic and facts.  I realize this is completely counter to the 
spirit of discussions taking place in many newsgroups, but then, this IS 
net.flame, yes?

About cutting down on mail pointing out spelling errors:  I've gotten four
comments on my spelling--one public posting and three letters.  I misspell words
all the time here, sometimes not even on purpose.  Besides, it always looks more
like the poster is looking for a letter correcting her (why else the question?)
(it's rhetorical?).

Okay, you still want your little "(sp?)" ?  Okay, but only if you're careful to
remind us of your other faults.  When you don't know it's really okay where to
leave the preposition at, "(gr?)" follows.  And for those other little
grammatical questions.  And how about, for those sticky issues of gender
ambiguity, "(gn?)" .  These flags could be handy for any little thing that you
really don't want to check, and don't want people telling you what's correct;
other proposals are "(bs?)" and, for those who enjoy posting articles to a
variety of inappropriate newsgroups, "(wn?)".  We can all think of other
abbreviations that would be useful. 

And, keeping in the spirit and apparent intent of including "(sp?)" in a
posting, I will say 
	"Laugh here"

L S Chabot
UUCP:	...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot
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