A spelling error that always leaves me baffling

Apr 21, 2008 15:04

A quick question that's been bothering me for as long as I can remember ( Read more... )

politics, spelling, writing

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Comments 3

notadoor April 21 2008, 14:20:48 UTC
I'd assume it's because they're thinking about the "oo" sound (compare noose vs. nose) instead of thinking about the sound represented by "se" in both words, which is where the real difference lies. ('s' in loose, 'z' in lose.)

I don't know of any textbooks teaching it so.

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agentfroot April 21 2008, 18:02:03 UTC
I always roll my eyes at people who write things like "your a looser." Really, now... if you can't insult in proper English, you shouldn't insult at all.

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Poor spelling is, unfortunately, the norm. agentfroot April 21 2008, 19:30:31 UTC
Much as we might laugh at others' poor spelling (or unconfident spelling) is the norm and is a serious drag to our economy. The problem is greatly due to the complexity of the spelling system.
(See the lose/nose, loose/noose comment above)

The Spanish, Italians, Finns, Swedes etc., don't have these problems - they have reformed their spelling systems. Acquiring literacy in these countries is also relatively painless and quick compared to acquiring literacy in the Anglophobe world.

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