Phonetics. a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, asheir and air
you hear the dangdest things in public. conversation i heard the other day...
Kid 1 - OMG 'don you dare get that shirt or you'da look gay.
Kid 2 - well hells no. and you know i'm not!!
K1 - why not?
K2 - cause then you woun'nt be my friend
K1 - man i aint no homophone!!!
really? really??? wtf is that?
the 'proper english' in me wanted to turn around and ask if they knew they did not use the right word. but the 'people have guns now-a-days' in me said to mind my business.
besides, it would have been like trying to explain it to a first grader.
speaking of...have you ever heard the 'who's on first?' skit? if not you should totally google it and listen. it's an oldy but a goody. hilarious actually.
the other day Mid'K had said 'what is T-O-O' to which BFF and i responded in stereo 'too'. and the conversation below followed:
MK - no!! T-O-O. wut does that spell?
BFF - 'too'
MK - not de numbah. T-O-O. the werd. wut does that spell?
me - 'too' like 'too' like also.
MK - no. i not spelling also. the letters are T-O-O.
BFF - 'too' dude. like 'too' like in addition to.
MK - (agitated. and spelling it again.)
me - no dude. like 'too' like in addition to. like also. as in if me and your mom were going somewhere and you asked could you go 'too' not to, like 'to' the store. not 'two' like the number. but 'too'...like also, in addition to, with...get it?
needless to say BFF and i were rolling. and the conversation seemed to take forever to explain. eventually he got it. but how do you explain that to a seven year old? nonetheless a teenager? do they not teach that in school? i mean really.
to two too. heir air. they're their there. where wear. bear bare. hair hare.
there are tons of homophones. (and i am sure homophobe-s too!)
i remember being in school and people would struggle with that. even now when i see 'too' instead of 'to' it irritates me. like something snaps in my brain. and it's there as in over there. and their as in belonging to someone/everyone. that one really gets me. and no matter how great they make spellcheck it will NEVER catch those types of slipups. because they are spelled correctly. just not used correctly.
what really is shocking is that a ton of younger professionals do not know now to use words correctly. i hate being at work (for a large hospital group) and get a letter from the higher ups and have those types of mess ups in the letter. i mean, who the heck spell checks it?!? where did english go? or grammer? or whatever that class was that taught me that?
i think it is because they are under so much pressure to get the latest and greatest national test answers taught to the kiddos that they forget to teach them the important things. why is school not about learning things? why is it about passing tests to get more money? ahhhh. that is it. the green monster. they have to score well to get the money. they need the money to make the school better. but we are still putting out generations of non-english speaking young adults. fresh out of high school and no knowledge of vocabulary words. to be honest, as a parent, i could really care less where in the national average my child falls. but i do care about them graduating high school and being able to communicate. the way you speak and read sets the ground work for later achievements. i at times may not speak correctly. my ghettoredneckcoonass comes out and i know i sound very uneducated. it does not help i am from the south. and no matter how educated you are, the drawl just makes you sound backwoods. but when in a situation i can use five dollar words with the best of them. i can communicate not only verbally, but in a written manner, to the highest of the high people in any organization and still sound educated. and i goofed off in school for the love of Big G!
i know that things are not how they were. i know that kids are lacking manners, and respect. i get it that our technology dependent world has spoiled our kids. i too, after no longer having my jeeves (GPS), had no idea how to get anywhere for about a month. but really? is it so hard to make sure that our children learn how to speak and write well?
come on public school system!! let us get back down to the basics.
four the love of peat!! learn you're words and no there meaning and what you or saying**
**and yes. i know i messed that one up.
I know what you mean. I know I slip up from time to time but my youngest child just plain can't spell. My grammar isn't always right but hers is from another planet. They really don't emphasize these skills in school anymore.
My daughter (who is only 5) started saying things in slang-lish the other day. I was quite shocked...and not happy! (new follower from MKid) :)