Who would have thought a drug bust would teach a lesson on the importance of spelling?
In searching two condos last week as part of a drug investigation that led to the arrest of three people, Victoria police found, among other things, a fake flashlight battery that concealed drugs. The battery looked realistic, except the label said 鈥淒urasell鈥� instead of 鈥淒uracell.鈥�
In addition to whatever other penalties are handed out, the perpetrators of this vile deed should get at least a sharp reprimand, maybe even a detention period or two added to their jail time.
The police undoubtedly already had plenty of clues in their investigation, but the bogus battery alone would have been enough to trigger suspicion.
Not all spelling errors have consequences of that gravity, but spelling still matters. Some blame the truncated language of texting, and that is probably a factor, but texting itself is an evolving language. Perhaps some day, its rules will be standardized.
Meanwhile, writing skills appear to be sliding ever downward, as more people fail to see the difference between 鈥渓ose鈥� and 鈥渓oose,鈥� 鈥渢heir鈥� and 鈥渢here,鈥� 鈥渁ccept鈥� and 鈥渆xcept,鈥� 鈥渁ffect鈥� and 鈥渆ffect.鈥� It isn鈥檛 merely a matter of propriety, it鈥檚 about effective communication.
Part of the problem is the complexity of the English language and its mixed heritage. Spelling in some languages isn鈥檛 a problem, because spelling rules are consistent with pronunciation. English has its rules, but as any newcomer to the language will tell you, the rules are complex and rife with exceptions. Proponents of phonetic spelling say the rules should be changed so that words are written as pronounced.
That might make spelling easier, but it muddies communication. 鈥淩ot鈥� and 鈥渨rought鈥� sound the same, but the meanings are entirely unrelated. If you write 鈥渞ot iron鈥� when you mean 鈥渨rought iron,鈥� the railing on your deck might not have the durability you were expecting.
Spelling phonetically can have humorous consequences. One I know of occurred because a student journalist did not know she had heard a French term when she reported her interviewee鈥檚 favourite book was Lame Is Robb. Take that, Victor Hugo.
As an editor, I scratched my head for a few minutes over a phrase from a brand-new reporter who had covered a school board meeting and reported on a teacher who was given 鈥�10 year.鈥� I wondered if perhaps we were downplaying a huge story on a teacher in trouble, when I realized the teacher had been given tenure.
Misspelling can be costly. I know from personal experience. I was on my school鈥檚 team in a regional spelling competition and went into the crucial match with confidence 鈥斅營 had yet to miss a word.
The competition was televised and contestants were required to write the words on a blackboard. I stepped up to the word and was given the word 鈥渟tenographer.鈥� I wrote it boldly, getting every letter right, but because I forgot to cross the T, it was counted as an error.
Bad enough, but when my next turn came and I was given the word 鈥渓ieutenant,鈥� I repeated the error, leaving both T鈥檚 uncrossed.
My absentmindedness cost our team the match. My share of the prize money would have been $50, considerable wealth for someone of my age in that era.
Worse than the loss of the money was the humiliation I had to endure for months.
Misspelling can have career consequences. In going through resum茅s from applicants for reporting positions, I would quickly thin out the field by doing a quick scan for spelling and grammar errors. Can鈥檛 spell? Choose another occupation.
That doesn鈥檛 mean errors don鈥檛 creep in. The fingers sometimes type faster than the brain can think, which provides entertainment for sharp-eyed readers who like to point out the mistakes. Bless them 鈥� I hope they never stop. They help slow the deterioration of the language, a laudable quest I support.
Which is why I鈥檓 glad the police spotted the misspelled battery label 鈥� it鈥檚 high time someone went to jail for bad spelling.
