Atrocious spelling in OKC

[TheTravellers]

Wanted to start a new thread since my comment was way off on a tangent in the other thread...

Saw this on the door of the former Midtown Deli yesterday when we went to eat lunch at 1492.

Argh, SPELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can't people just run a 3-word sign by somebody else and ask "Does this look right?" I see *so* many spelling and grammar errors on menus, signs, business cards, notices, etc. here in OKC it's just really, really sad and does not reflect well on OKC. La Baguette Colcord spells soup soupe, tartare as Tar Tar, and then I just stopped noting the errors. I pointed out that City Bites had a big banner promoting "Pumkin Bread" and they just said "Wow, never noticed that before, that's hilarious". Illiteracy is funny now, how pathetic. I'm tempted to start being one of those guys that carries white-out, paintbrushes, etc. in an attempt to fix this crap...

[soonerguru]

Louie's sucks.

[earlywinegareth]

Hardly just OKC...it's a nationwide epidemic. But if it bothers you so much, I'd suggest taking Paxil to sooth your nerves and stop making mountains outta molehills?

[Architect2010]

This is dramatic honestly. Just sayin'.

[betts]

Good spellers are probably born, not made. I'm firmly convinced that spelling has nothing to do with intelligence and is an innate ability, like being a good artist. However, most poor spellers know who they are and should not volunteer to be in charge of signage.

[Kerry]

Wanted to start a new thread since my comment was way off on a tangent in the other thread...



Argh, SPELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can't people just run a 3-word sign by somebody else and ask "Does this look right?" I see *so* many spelling and grammar errors on menus, signs, business cards, notices, etc. here in OKC it's just really, really sad and does not reflect well on OKC. La Baguette Colcord spells soup soupe, tartare as Tar Tar, and then I just stopped noting the errors. I pointed out that City Bites had a big banner promoting "Pumkin Bread" and they just said "Wow, never noticed that before, that's hilarious". Illiteracy is funny now, how pathetic. I'm tempted to start being one of those guys that carries white-out, paintbrushes, etc. in an attempt to fix this crap...

This is what I find funny. Soupe is French for soup. La Baguette is a French restaurant. That being said, I know what you mean.

Also there is a difference between steak tartar and steak tartare. One is cooked and the other is not.

Recipe for steak tartare
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1827...232201,00.html

Recipe for steak tartar
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,171,...245193,00.html

[Midtowner]

I'm much more concerned with apostrophe's being misused to indicate plural's [sic].

[Matt]

Atrocious Spelling in L.A.:

[OKCTalker]

Kids today think that they can make it on spellcheck - they can't, of course, because the utility can't distinguish between to, too and two, or there, their and they're, etc. I simply consider misspellings to be a hint about competence, or lack thereof.

[OKCTalker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eats,_Shoots_%26_Leaves

[Kerry]

Kids today think that they can make it on spellcheck - they can't, of course, because the utility can't distinguish between to, too and two, or there, their and they're, etc. I simply consider misspellings to be a hint about competence, or lack thereof.

My spelling/grammar checker can to an extent. I use Microsoft Word 2010. Coming from the ranks of poor spellers I am happy to have people correct me, especially when it comes to grammar (notice I didn't write 'bad spellers' as that would be incorrect).

My favorite is when you ask someone how they are doing and they say ‘Good’. Really? What are they doing that is so good? The correct response is ‘fine’ or ‘well’. Bad and good are answers to moral questions.

[FritterGirl]

It's an epidemic that's hitting far and beyond the confines of Oklahoma City. I see it everywhere, and I think one probable reason is the way many students are taught these days.

The whole spellcheck debacle notwithstanding, in high school, there is less and less emphasis on students being taught proper grammar and spelling. I have a friend who got out of teaching high school English for this very reason. Apparently, pedagogical trends are leaning towards teaching "idea clouds" and that "ideas matter more than substance." As such, when grading papers, my friend was required to overlook the numerous spelling and grammar errors, as well as use of text speak, on the papers and essays students returned to her. She was not even allowed to circle things for students to go and look up at a later date. I guess pointing out errors is not good for one's esteem.

Another thing to consider is that youth today, moreso than any other generation, use electronic devices as their primary means of communication. They tweet, text, IM and ping with a vengeance, and tend to abbreviate more in these truncated communication forms, leaving out subjects, mixing up you're and your (or just using ur), and clinging to a slew of other abbreviated terms and acronyms that don't make sense to those of us who grew up still writing things down on paper.

Universities are suffering because of it, and businesses, who rely on universities to set the students straight, are also suffering because of these poor habits, which are engrained at a very early age. It all goes back to the methodologies used in today's classrooms. I bet you can't find too many young people today who could diagram a sentence, assuming they know what that means.

[MadMonk]

Atrocious Spelling in L.A.:

Aww, why the long face?

[TheTravellers]

This is what I find funny. Soupe is French for soup. La Baguette is a French restaurant. That being said, I know what you mean.

Also there is a difference between steak tartar and steak tartare. One is cooked and the other is not.

Recipe for steak tartare
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1827...232201,00.html

Recipe for steak tartar
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,171,...245193,00.html

I really don't want to see the recipe for Steak Tar Tar, though.

And La Baguette would be fine spelling soup soupe, if they were consistent.

[Kerry]

It's an epidemic that's hitting far and beyond the confines of Oklahoma City. I see it everywhere, and I think one probable reason is the way many students are taught these days.

The whole spellcheck debacle notwithstanding, in high school, there is less and less emphasis on students being taught proper grammar and spelling. I have a friend who got out of teaching high school English for this very reason. Apparently, pedagogical trends are leaning towards teaching "idea clouds" and that "ideas matter more than substance." As such, when grading papers, my friend was required to overlook the numerous spelling and grammar errors, as well as use of text speak, on the papers and essays students returned to her. She was not even allowed to circle things for students to go and look up at a later date. I guess pointing out errors is not good for one's esteem.

Another thing to consider is that youth today, moreso than any other generation, use electronic devices as their primary means of communication. They tweet, text, IM and ping with a vengeance, and tend to abbreviate more in these truncated communication forms, leaving out subjects, mixing up you're and your (or just using ur), and clinging to a slew of other abbreviated terms and acronyms that don't make sense to those of us who grew up still writing things down on paper.

Universities are suffering because of it, and businesses, who rely on universities to set the students straight, are also suffering because of these poor habits, which are engrained at a very early age. It all goes back to the methodologies used in today's classrooms. I bet you can't find too many young people today who could diagram a sentence, assuming they know what that means.

This is why we homeschool. Besides, we need ditch diggers and if the public schools can keep pumping them out then so be it.

When my wife was teaching math in a private school she got frustrated with her students and had then practice rotating their wrists. When one boy asked why they were having to do it she responded by saying it is practice for flipping burgers. They got the point. Of course, that hurt some of their self-esteem and she would have probably been fired from a public school, but private school parents don't pay to have their kids 'feel good'. They pay to have them educated.

[Kerry]

Aww, why the long face?

Because that picture of Tori was taken right after her billionaire father said he was leaving all his money to enviro-causes and told her she was on her own. If my parents had done that to me I would have gone 'Lyle and Erik Menendez' on them. You don't want your child inheriting your money, fine, but don't raise her with it in the first place.

[ou48A]

Good spellers are probably born, not made. I'm firmly convinced that spelling has nothing to do with intelligence and is an innate ability, like being a good artist.

I believe this to be very true.
I have known plenty of people with advanced degrees and others who have been very successful in life but were poor spellers and grammatically poor writers.

[BG918]

I remember going into a grocery store in Duncan (SW of OKC) and their frozen foods section was called "Artic Foods". The aisle with Ketchup had a sign over it with "Catsup" instead.

[FritterGirl]

I remember going into a grocery store in Duncan (SW of OKC) and their frozen foods section was called "Artic Foods". The aisle with Ketchup had a sign over it with "Catsup" instead.

Artic is an obvious misspelling. The Ketchup/Catsup debate has been longstanding for, well, centuries. While the default variant in the US is "ketchup," I've seen "catsup" in other places I've visited, as well as in some books. It's not "wrong," just not common in Standard American English.

[BG918]

Artic is an obvious misspelling. The Ketchup/Catsup debate has been longstanding for, well, centuries. While the default variant in the US is "ketchup," I've seen "catsup" in other places I've visited, as well as in some books. It's not "wrong," just not common in Standard American English.

Maybe in rural Oklahoma it is pronounced/spelled Catsup then? I've just always heard/said Ketchup, and that is what is on the Heinz bottles I buy. I know in rural Oklahoma some people say "Toboggan" instead of "Ski Cap" or "Beanie", and "Buggy" instead of "Shopping Cart".

[MadMonk]

I've seen is listed as catsup more on the southern east coast. I think this is along the same line as the regional variances for what people call soft drinks (soda/pop/Coke).

[MadMonk]

Because that picture of Tori was taken right after her billionaire father said he was leaving all his money to enviro-causes and told her she was on her own. If my parents had done that to me I would have gone 'Lyle and Erik Menendez' on them. You don't want your child inheriting your money, fine, but don't raise her with it in the first place.

Never mind.

[FritterGirl]

Maybe in rural Oklahoma it is pronounced/spelled Catsup then? I've just always heard/said Ketchup, and that is what is on the Heinz bottles I buy. I know in rural Oklahoma some people say "Toboggan" instead of "Ski Cap" or "Beanie", and "Buggy" instead of "Shopping Cart".

Regional linguistic variants are as common as ugly sweaters during the holidays. You just can't stop em.

What's the elongated sandwich you get at Subway, Jimmie Johns or Quiznos? Depending on where you live, it could be a hoagie, submarine sandwich, hero, grinder, zeppelin, and the list goes on.

Those shoes you wear to pursue athletic endeavors? Tennis shoes, trainers, runners, running shoes, sneakers, etc.

The flavored non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage you may drink from time to time? Soda, pop, soda pop, and - in a micro-region among various southern states - Coke (even when not referring to the brand Coca-Cola.)

Much of language use is part of micro-culture as it is family influence, etc. It's not necessarily what I would call "rural" vs. "urban," (although some of it can be), so much as regional variants. Much has to do with how much people are exposed to outside influences and where linguistic pockets are established.

In the examples you've given above, I've heard of "tobaggan" as an alternative for "sled," but not for "ski cap" or "beanie." In fact, in my mind, ski cap and beanie are very different things. A ski cap is a knit cap, somewhat conical in shape, that is tight fitting around the head and is worn usually during skiing or outdoor winter activities. A beanie is rounder in shape, and while the band of the cap may fit close to the head, the bulk of the hat shape is more loose, and may even hang off the back of the head some.

Variants like this exist all over, especially in a coutry such as the U.S., with so many emergent language influences (dating back to our founding) and so many pockets of ethnic activity that established themselves in various regions of the country.

I'm a bit of a nerdy linguaphile on the side, so this stuff fascinates me.

[Kerry]

People that spell well are made. I have never seen an illiterate that can spell well. We have a family friend that just finished 6th in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and if you think she was able to do that by natural talent you're crazy. She had to work at it.

[TheTravellers]

This is dramatic honestly. Just sayin'.

So y'all (*that's* the proper spelling, not ya'll, since it's a contraction of you and all ) just blithely ignore or don't care that the menus of a fancy restaurant in the middle of downtown that hosts business travellers from all over misspells tons of stuff on its menu, therefore possibly giving the impression that we're semi-literate? I believe that the little things like that add up eventually... I could be completely wrong and that most people don't give a rat's a** how things are spelled and just echo some of the sentiments on here of "Whatever, happens all over, BFD", though.