Beware of spelling demons!

The Americans had brought in some reforms (e.g.) color, program etc. but somehow the whole ethos of the language is lost if we dare to dabble too much into spelling; for, the spelling does enshrine the etymology and a lot would be lost if the spellings were turned completely phonetic. Perhaps that is why most attempts at spelling reform were half hearted.

TRY DICTATING the following text to any one who happens to be near you:

``Outside a cemetery sat a harassed cobbler and an embarrassed oculist, picnicking on a desiccated apple, and gazing at the symmetry of a lady's ankle with unparalleled ecstasy''

(Courtesy: Word power: Reader's Digest Publication).

How many spelling errors did he make? I'm sure only a spelling wizard (or a computer?) could have got the whole thing correct!

It has been said that English is among the easiest languages to speak and write badly. Candidates appearing for examinations, oral or written, are nonplussed when they have to spell words like embarrass, intuition, committee, nuisance, writing, written, beginning, occurrence and so on. Whether it should be a single letter or double letter baffles them. Such braintwisters which bedevil the candidates are called spelling demons. Besides, homonyms and homophones confuse them. Words spelt alike, but pronounced in more than one way are called homonyms (lead, minute, tear). Homophones are words spelt differently, but pronounced alike (piece-peace, lose-loose, prey-pray, cite-site- sight, red-read, bred-bread). The use and spelling of such words depend on the context and meaning.

Learning to spell is part of language acquisition. Correct spelling, like correct speech, is a sign of good education. In the examination, wrong spelling attracts penalty. Even those who are proficient in spoken English may be let down by spelling. A spelling beeis a competition in spelling, in which the participating individuals or teams are eliminated for incorrect spelling.

One factor that contributes to the difficulty in spelling is the discrepancy between speech and spelling. There is no consistent, one to one correspondence between the two. We do not always speak as we spell and vice-versa. One does not provide the clue to the other. For instance `h' is not pronounced in hour, honour, honest (it is said `h' is not honoured in these words). Similarly `p' is silent in pneumonia (another spelling demon) and psychology and `b' in debt and doubt.

The letter `u' is pronounced in different ways in put, but, rude and mute. The sound `k' is represented by more than one symbol or letter in key, cow, chorus. The sound `ee' as in meet is represented in different ways - meat, mete, piece, peace, people, machine.

Language is essentially oral in character and orthography is the representation of the sounds of speech through a sequence of symbols.

The ability to spell should go with the ability to keep the ears sharp, catch the sounds of speech and understand the relation between the two. ``If children are not trained properly, they will go astray''. This sentence was taken down by some students as ``If children are not trained properly, they will go into the ashtray.''

Why not destroy the demons once and for all, you might wonder. The Americans had brought in some reforms (e.g.) color, program and so on. But somehow the whole ethos of the language is lost if we dare to dabble too much into spelling; for, the spelling does enshrine the etymology and a lot would be lost if the spellings were turned completely phonetic. Perhaps that is why most attempts at spelling reform were half hearted.

So let's learn to grin and bear it! Consider an action plan to keep the demon at bay:

(1) form a visual/mental impression of the forms of words

(2) simultaneously pronounce and spell the words in full

(3) break the words into syllables

(4) repeat the letters in the words in order

(5) pay special and close attention to the difficult parts of words

(6) write the spelling of difficult words a number of times

(7) use words with correct spelling in meaningful contexts and

(8) Don't give up!

Let us not take spelling lightly. A fabulous article in impeccable grammar and excellent vocabulary might be dismissed with contempt even if a single spelling error creeps in; spelling, after all, seems to be the dress of thought. And like the shabbily dressed wedding guest, we may be turned out of the assembly of the learned if we do not watch out.

S. JAGADISAN & V. SARASWATHI

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