words words words

[lirazel]

Today in Spellcheck Fails: HOW CAN GOOGLE DOCUMENTS NOT KNOW THE WORD CHIDE???? NO I DO NOT MEAN IBID. SERIOUSLY???

And because it’s freaking out on me about something else, too, let’s have a poll.

[Poll #1970690]

Comments

[azurrys.livejournal.com]

lol i'm not sure i'm a particularly good reference for any kind of spelling because i was english educated in malaysia where i'm technically supposed to use british english but sometimes lapse into american english anyway and grew up on a mix of american and british books, so it's uh. less complicated than it sounds since i mostly try to use british english and fail occasionally because i can't tell them apart at all (beyond the s/z shit) and most people around me can't either. i'm also sleepy which probably makes this comment sound less coherent than it should?

and also, chide? seriously? THEY DON'T KNOW CHIDE???

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

The lines are certainly blurred in my head now. I find myself typing flavour and favour a lot...

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I seriously had no idea that "spilt" wasn't correct in the US. Of course, spellcheck also yells at me whenever I use "amongst." I don't tend to stick the extra u's into words, but I do sometimes do an s instead of a z in words like realize.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I figured a lot of non-Anglophone countries would blur the lines between the two. Honestly most of the differences are completely arbitrary, and I never think that a British spelling or pronunciation sounds strange. Except for the way they pronounce aluminum. They're just WRONG.

THEY WERE TRYING TO TELL ME I MEANT "IBID." UM NO I DO NOT.

[ex_sparksfly744]

I'm Canadian, and we live in such a mix of American and British grammar, I don't know which is which. But it bothers me ridiculously to see favor, honor, etc. Sometimes I think defense, practise, etc. look ridiculous, sometimes I almost mix it up. Then things like grey vs. gray...ENGLISH IS SO CONFUSING.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I've wondered what it's like for Canadians/Australians/Kiwis/etc. to deal with the prevalence of two different sets of rules. So interesting.

Also, imo grey and gray have completely different connotations. I use them both for different reasons. :D

[ex_sparksfly744]

It's like we've made our own identity by stealing other people's identities and trying to mix them xD actually that applies to English in general too.

I don't know a lot about really Canadian vernacular too - sometimes people pronounce about and schedule "aboot" and "shedule" and I go completely :O

ooh what are these connotations to you?

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what English is best at!

I'm sure a lot of that is regional accents--they vary so widely down here and I know they don't as much for y'all, but I'm sure they do some.

To me, grey is a beautiful grey, like how you'd describe the sea or someone's eyes. Gray is a colder gray, like a building or concrete or a pipe. I admit that's totally my own pov and not something that I think most other people buy into, but that's how it's always been to me.

[bexisaplant.livejournal.com]

i grew up in a non-western country as well and the english we use is technically ~british but i think i'm finding that most of my grammar/word usage tends to be more american and my spelling tends to be more uk-ish. like i'll spell like favourite, colour, realise, analyse. but i've basically learned at this point to use soccer vs football and stuff like that.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That is so so interesting to me. I love hearing this stuff.

[kaiosea.livejournal.com]

This made me pause (learned US English) because I realized I would near-always use "spilled" unless for some reason I was saying "(no use crying over) spilt milk." (and there goes spellcheck!) Maybe the expression has its origins in the UK?? Maybe I just like the faster rhyme haha.

[azurrys.livejournal.com]

most of the differences are completely arbitrary

THANK YOU, this is why I can't tell them apart ever. I mean, my word choice is British-influenced (it's all dustbins and lorries and football to me), yet I spelled every 'realise' with a z until I was 16. The line's less blurry and more nonexistent, really; as long as it's correct to someone out there nobody really cares. Not even your English teachers. The unfortunate result is that I can't grasp the finer nuances of this goddamn language and all its locality differences. IT BOGGLES ME. (I can't even think of how that word is pronounced right now, but I do know I spell it aluminium and spellcheck is unhappy about that.)

Those two words could not be more different. I AM LAUGHING AT THEIR FAIL

[deird1]

While this isn't a hard and fast rule, usually I'd use spilt as an adjective and spilled as a verb. But then I sometimes use spilt as the verb as well...

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I adore using archaic language, 'cos: fun! For me, anyway. Also, spellcheck is evil and I am tired of its shirt. Also, also, I wouldn't ever correct somebody for using a word that is "old fashioned" rather than "wrong". I hardly ever correct people's speech anyway, because language is a living thing, and contains multitudes and all that. Unless you are my mother, poor dear, who bears the brunt of my vast wisdom. Or, if you say "hisself" without irony. One must draw the line somewhere. I will allow "his own self" with relish, however.

Any other questions?

[gillo]

You calling my English old-fashioned, Missy? That's fighting talk...

[gillo]

British English and English British here. Also professional tormenter of incorrect usage and users for decades. I wouldn't correct "spilled", but I might judge silently. There are some US forms I have trouble with, especially" practice " as a verb. "Practiced" just looks WRONG to me.

[laeryn.livejournal.com]

In Spain it's British English they teach you. I feel it's considered like the ~right/correct one, you know? For some reason, idk. As a teenager, because I watched a lot of American TV shows, I started talking in American English and using your pronunciation and grammar, and now that I grew older I am pretty sure I use the American pronunciation (it's a lot easier to me, tbh) but for the most part (aka many times I just have no idea which option is which and use whichever) the British when writing (for instance, I always use 'favour' etc). I know, I know, wrong. Teachers had been banging their heads against their tables because of me for years.

Funnily enough, I think at my uni they teach American English for the most part. Except that in these two years I've always had THE TWO BRITISH teachers so lol, not for me.

I am really confused about all this, though, because in my honest opinion, unless you're writing official stuff for the government or on magazines/newspaper and things like that, I don't think it should be 'corrected' in any case? Like, I believe language is language and it'll grow in different ways in each side of the word, and it doesn't make one better than the other, so as long as you can communicate, what does it really matter if you write realise or realize? But idk, maybe it's not really that big of a deal anywhere but in my teachers' minds lol.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Same here.

The milk spilled across the floor, and the cat licked up the spilt milk.

Chrome's UK English spellchecker isn't flagging either of those spellings as wrong. Ironically, however, it is putting a red squiggle under the word 'spellchecker' itself.

[lynnenne]

I always think of "spilt" as an adjective and "spilled" as the past tense of the verb "to spill." For example, I would use the phrase "Don't cry over spilt milk," but I wouldn't say, "I spilt the milk." I would say I spilled it. I have no idea whether that's correct or not, it's just what I'm used to.

[ruuger]

Have you ever tried doing the Which English quiz? That could tell you how much you've been influenced by British English ;)

(that quiz has been doing rounds on Facebook in Finland, and is surprisigly accurate for a FB quiz)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I really do think it's one of those things that, in this age of everyone exporting their culture to everyone else, you'll only be able to know if it's your native language. Like, I can't imagine sorting it all out if it isn't. And as this post proves, sometimes even native speakers like me can't tell what's British and what's American!

ALUMINIUM IS SO WRONG. Your spellcheck must not be British!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

It's an old enough phrase that, yeah, it probably did start off in the UK. Interesting!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That makes sense to me. I realized earlier that I would use "spilt" in the context of blood but not if someone spilled their dinner all over the floor. Like it definitely sounds more formal to me and works better as an adjective to my ear than "spilled" does. But blood is spilt. I wonder how much of that has to do with how spilling blood isn't an everyday kind of subject to talk about--when I'm hearing it, it's usually in the context of religion or literature, both of which are more formal.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

You're tired of its shirt? What shirt is that? ;p

Haha, I agree with everything you say!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Interesting! If you knew the person who was writing was from the US, would you still judge silently or would you go, "Oh, that's just how they do things there"?

What would you say in place of practice as a verb? Like instead of "I practiced the piano/I practice the art of calligraphy/We were practicing free-throws yesterdays/I need to practice my Spanish more"? I'm blanking!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

A few other people seem to use it the same way, so you aren't the only one!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Just took it, and it did pin me as an American speaker (though it probably could have done that just with the "in hospital"/"in the hospital" question) with a bit of AAVE and Canadian influence, interestingly enough. The AAVE makes sense to me, as AAVE is very similar to white southern dialect, but it must be things like "spilt" that peg me as Canadian!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's kind of how we were taught Spanish from Spain in school until recently--it was traditionally considered more correct, but now that we have so many Latin American Spanish speakers, it's becoming much more common to teach Latin American Spanish.

I am kind of delighted that you've made it your own and gone with what's easiest.

I am really confused about all this, though, because in my honest opinion, unless you're writing official stuff for the government or on magazines/newspaper and things like that, I don't think it should be 'corrected' in any case? Like, I believe language is language and it'll grow in different ways in each side of the word, and it doesn't make one better than the other, so as long as you can communicate, what does it really matter if you write realise or realize?

I completely agree with you. Language is about communicating as clearly as you can, so if your listeners understand you, you're fine. But there are a lot of pedants in the world and honestly I used to be one of them!

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I saw a FB/Tumblr a few months back: Dear Spell Check, I am tired of your shirt. I haven't stopped laughing.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oh, so that was intentional on your part! I was laughing about it, but that makes it better!

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Wagwan? ;-)

English is just as dynamic as American, of course. In either, certain words and usages go in and out of fashion. Perhaps the less-currently-favored uses could be call "classic" rather than "old-fashioned". Am I being persnickety? Hee.

[gillo]

I'd be less judgemental, I hope. Possibly slightly pitying. ;-)

"Practise" is the verb, "practice" the noun. It works exactly like "advise" and "advice". Thus "You should not neglect to practise on the piano. The practice is important for developing your skills."

I spent many years doing this sort of thing with teenagers. *g*

[gillo]

"Aluminium" is what it is. Deal with it. (Also, sulphur...)

[gillo]

Amongst friends or enemies, good (British) English matters. ;-)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

OH! Well, that makes sense then. I thought you meant you didn't use it as a verb at all and I was so confused!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

It was called aluminum first!

[gillo]

No, we just don't use that spelling for the verb.

[gillo]

Irrationally so. It needs to fit the pattern of all the other elements with that ending.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

There are other elements with the -um ending, though! And then all the ones like gold and oxygen and carbon...

[gillo]

Mostly with the 'ium' ending. The older elements were named before there was anything systematic. Unlike, say, potassium and aluminium...

;-)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Meh, I just don't care. The British way of pronouncing it sounds wrong to me because I'm used to the American one. Language is always arbitrary anyway.

[gillo]

Exactly. Vice versa for me. And of course we 'hear' each other's voice in our own language when we read...

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

True, true.

[w123j2.livejournal.com]

I know im late but this was actually a very interesting post with all the comments. I learned British English in school but my grammer is (was, always will be) crap. I think i use rather US English and a mix of everything, because i dont really use it officially like in school or workplace (i dont go to either). I just communicate on the internet and as long as i think ppl understand me i dont care if im correct. Reading is a whole other story because i cring every time if there is a mistake.
Your post made me want to pay a bit more attention to my grammer, i think that is a good thing. ;)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Communicating is the most important thing! I agree--if everyone understands you, you don't really need to worry. I'm glad the post made you think!