Monday, December 24, 2012

Seven Swans a-Swimmin'

This past weekend, a young woman lost her winnings of $4000 on a game show.  She had the correct answer to the question, but mispronounced "swimming" by dropping the final g.  Even though the show is about solving a clue by uncovering letters on a board, the show producers disqualified the young lady because of mispronunciation. 

The importance of speaking correctly cannot be overemphasized in terms of appearing well educated, professional, and successful.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Complement vs. Compliment

Once again, we come across a situation of sound-alike words in conversation, which mean something entirely different when seen in writing, depending on their spelling.

Complement (n) means to enhance, to complete something, to match and agree with something, as in, "That scarf really complements your outfit." Or, "White chablis may be a good choice to complement a lobster dinner."

Compliment (n) means to praise, to offer adulation, to say something nice, as in "I compliment you on your promotion!"

Lose vs. Loose

The problem here is not only spelling, but pronunciation.

In the English language, an S sometimes sounds like a Z - as in the word "sometimes," where the initial S sounds like SS, yet the final S sounds like a Z.  Either because of coloquial differences or other reasons, the Z sound is being substituted regularly for an SS.  This is not only wrong-sounding, it also leads to errors in understanding, as well as errors in writing.

So it is with the two words above.

Lose (v.) is pronounced with the Z sound, as in l-o-o-z-e.  It means to miss something, to have something not available.

Loose (v.) is pronounced with the SS sound, as in l-o-o-ss-e.  It means not tight.

These two words are NOT synonyms, yet I cringe each time I read such things as "If I leave now, I will loose my place."

There is a movement afoot to allow school children to practice "creative spelling."  Such invitation to laziness would reinforce illiteracy - the inability to read properly, and understand what is being read, not to mention understanding how to pronounce the language correctly.

Oral vs. Aural

Here, the issue is spelling, because the pronunciation, for all intents and purposes, is identical.  The words mean something entirely different, based on their spelling (and of course, the spelling would be based on context).

Oral (adj) is anything that is spoken.

Aural (adj) relates to the ear.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Precedent vs. President

Paste vs. Paced

This again is an issue of spelling as defining meaning.  Both words are pronounced identically, but their meaning is quite different.  The importance in spelling them correctly is in conveying the correct intended meaning.

Paste (n) is material of a thick consistency, like glue or farina, baby food, mud or grits.

Paced (adj) means anything whose speed is measured, such as a paced gait, or jogging at regular, measured pace.

Access vs. Axis

Eminent vs. Imminent

Disbursement vs. Dispersement

Both are nouns, but both mean totally different things:

Disbursement (n) means to payment of monies, mostly.

Dispersement (n) is a derivative of disperse, to disseminate, distribute widely, scatter. 

Lesions vs. Legions

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Words, Words, Words

Yes, this is a throwback to Shakespeare, but this entry is not about the Bard.  It is about the word gay.

A member of our Toastmasters club gave a riveting speech last night, discussing how we came about to associate gay with homosexual.  Evidently, it was a missed media opportunity, because whatever the media did to try to associate the word with homosexuality did not "take," with the result that what used to mean merry, jolly, carefree has now come to mean nothing of the sort.  Indeed, those definitions show up at the end of a dictionary entry for gay.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

"He is very sedimentary" - huh?

The word should be sedentary. 

Sedimentary refers to sediment, material that settles at the bottom of liquid, as in the sediment deposited in the earth's crust over eons.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Regimen vs. Regiment

Regimen (n) is a diet, a program, a discipline.  Ex. "The regimen I routinely follow is to brush my teeth after every meal" or "The doctor prescribed a regimen of diet and exercise."

Regiment (n) is a military unit of ground forces, battle groups, and other supporting units.  Regiment (v) means to impose a set of rules on someone/something, to force discipline or order on.  Ex. "A regiment of Boy Scouts descended on the city."  And, "The parents objected strenuously to the regimented new program of the school."

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Loosening vs Lucency

No, these are not sound-alikes.  Here is the problem. 

Loosening (g.) or loosen (v)  means to loosen, to make loose, to make less tight, as in "loosen your belt after eating," or "After a hard day's work, he loosened his tie as he relaxed with his beer."

Lucency (n.) means illumination, lighting, to shine a light on.  It means clarity, transparency.  "My grandmother would roll the filo dough until it was translucent."

Here is the problem: When people do not spell correctly, there is a tendency to confuse one word for another, especially if those words are not commonly used.  Certainly, that is the case with lucency.  I am making this entry because I recently came across "he lucent his tie."  This does, indeed, sound like loosened, but the meaning is entirely different.  It is critical that our educational system concentrate its efforts on correct spelling, if for no other reason than to encourage correct communication.  The fact that schools have recently opted to allow "creative" spelling is abhorrent, and quite misguided.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Plain vs. Plane

I imagine many folks have trouble with this one.

Plain (n.) refers to a plot of land, a large, flat, almost treeless area.  For example, "The plains of Africa are becoming smaller, and the elephants roaming the savannas are becoming endangered.  In other words, plain is a land formation.  Plain also means clear (plain to see), simple (this is plain arithmetic).

Plane (n.) also means a flat, level area, but is more abstract.  For example, "Place the windows on the same plane"  and "The educational plane in the United States lags behind other developed countries."

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Plural v Pleural

Plural (adj.) means several or many; it means more than one.  It is the opposite of singular.

Pleural (adj.) refers to the lungs, as in pleural sounds (breath sounds).

Fusion v. Effusion

This is one of those sound-alikes that creates trouble.

Fusion (n.) means joined together, a synthesis, union, or combination.  When a bone is broken, sometimes both sides are fused together.

Effusion (n.) means the escape of fluid from anatomical vessels, such as in rupture.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Mendacity

Wow, what a gorgeous word.  How eloquent.  How easily misunderstood and distorted.

Mendacity (n.) means deceitfulness, dishonesty, puffery, misrepresentation, disingenuousness.  I just read a wonderful article by artist and author, Jack White (http://faso.com/fineartviews/47488/mendacity) in which he specifically discusses the downside of using mendacity to sell one's art, either by exaggerating one's talents, or otherwise misrepresenting their accomplishments or the value of their art.  This type of dishonesty is rampant in our society.  Sadly, it seems even to be encouraged, as when parents praise their children for anything they do from the time they get up in the morning; every word from these parents' mouths is "I'm proud of you, Johnny."  That does not teach the child the value of perseverance, or struggle and effort; and it certainly discourages the child from developing a backbone of honesty.

Another example: "She told her husband that she was meeting a friend for dinner.  But she did not make clear that this friend was a man, as she did not want to stir up any feelings of jealousy."

Parsimonious

A glorious word presented at our meeting last night.  I'm especially fond of it.  It is an adjective, and means frugal or stingy.  Ex: "The parsimonious tactics that Warren Buffet has practiced for a lifetime have made him one of the richest men in the world."  Another example: "Americans are not known for their parsimonious spending; they are a very consumption-oriented bunch."

In both examples, parsimonious describes behavior toward finances.  It is rarely used to describe other behaviors, although not unheard of.  For example, one might be parsimonious in one's affections, but that would be a bit unorthodox a use for the word.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Caudal versus Cottle

Admittedly, few people beside physicians would have occasion to use the word Cottle, a surgical instrument, but that notwithstanding, misspellings are rampant. 

Caudal refers to the posterior, or more precisely, a posterior approach (again, a term mostly used in surgery).

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Why knowing how to spell is important

This is an age of the shorthand, the minimalist texting abbreviations, the fast-food mentality of social trends, the age of the 140-character 'Tweet.  It has even been proposed that spelling instruction be done away with at schools, in favor of phonetic spelling.  I fail to comprehend how educators have reached the conclusion that phonetic spelling passes the test of education.  The word nation would be spelled as nashion, patient would be pashient, alphabet would be alfabet and laughter would morph into lafter.  This is laughable, if it weren't tragic.  It has been shown again and again that the United States lags other developed countries in education.  How are we to compete in the world if our children don't learn how to spell?  And if our children don't learn, they will become illiterate adults.  Yes, illiterate, in its literal sense; one who is unable to read or write; illiterate, meaning unlettered.

You scoff.  Surely, I'm exaggerating; surely, I'm on my soapbox again.  But consider: as the child matures into an adult and his or her education proceeds, how is that child to understand what it is he or she is studying? Words convey different meanings when spelled differently.  First of all, one would be considered illiterate if one were to speak in the current jargon of the young: LMAO, WSF, LOL.  But what of such words as cite/site/sight?  All three sound the same when spoken, but mean entirely different things when read.  Then, there is oral/aural - again, similar sounding, but meaning entirely different things.  And so it is with anytime/any time, or anymore/any more, hoard/horde, persecutor/prosecutor (although not sounding exactly the same).  Learning consists of diligent work in understanding what one reads, as well as in the ability to write essays that convey correct meaning.  Our children grow up to be the adults of the future; and sadly our current adults seem to lack a great deal of wisdom when it comes to educating themselves and their progeny.  Who came up with this idea of phonetic spelling?  Would anyone accept the proposition that our future doctors, bankers, judges or lawyers be unable to read, write or interpret what they have before them?

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

"How I perceive we as educated people"

Yes, you figured out correctly: the reason I have this in the title is that the pronoun used here (we) is grammatically incorrect.  In the phrase "how I perceive," I is the subject, and the object of such perceiving should therefore be in the objective form, or "us."  Clear?

Friday, July 27, 2012

"Can you please stand and tell us your name"

Can requests asks if one is able to stand.  The correct request should be "Would you please stand..."

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Question of Syntax

In the sentence, "The operative site was verified with the patient, and informed consent was found to be in the chart in the preoperative holding area," the phrase "in the preoperative holding area" is misplaced, and implies that the chart was in the preoperative holding area.  The sentence should better read as "The operative site was verified with the patient in the preoperative holding area, and informed consent was found to be in the chart."  This states that the operative site was verified with the patient while the patient was in the preoperative holding area.

"I'm knew here" and "many agency's and companies"

It has been suggested that spelling be done away with.  Children are no longer required to spell correctly in school -- if it sounds phonetic, then spell it however you like.  Between this new policy, and the ubiquitous texting, it's a wonder that anyone learns to read, much less write! 

I am a stickler for correct spelling and correct English usage, and yet I have often been maligned for pointing out errors.  At Toastmasters, if I take the role of grammarian, I am in an accepted position to critique and otherwise offer suggestions and point out errors.  However, in other situations, I am taken to task.  To wit: "I'm knew here" was written by someone as an introduction on LinkedIn in the eBook group.  She took offense at my pointing out her error, with someone else chiming in, encouraging us all to relax.  No doubt, relaxing is a great idea, but when one is promoting one's talents as a writer, one would expect that person to know how to spell.  Relaxing is not such a wonderful idea.  Our educational system in the United States is extremely poor, and our standing in the world is not much celebrated.  Moreover, LinkedIn is a venue for professionals.  Surely one's image might be diminished if one "relaxes" one's standards that much?  If it was a matter of an obscure word that was misspelled, I would have been quite relaxed about it, and not made a point of it; but the difference between new and knew is egregious.  This is kindergarten level.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Watch your pronunciation

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="185"]pronunciation pronunciation (Photo credit: Peter Forret)[/caption]

English words such as incision, present, position and measured are pronounced with a presumed "z" substituted for the middle "s."  That means that incision is pronounced INCIZION, present is pronounced PREZENT, position is pronounced POZITION and measured is pronounced MEAZURED.

I sometimes hear people say the above words -- and others of similar ilk -- as if the central s were a c, as in POCITION, INCICION, PRECENT and MEASHURED - the s in measured is pronounced as a z.  It sounds horrible pronounced as an sh, especially when spoken by a native-born American.  C'mon!  "By ussing this technique..."  This is especially inexcusable when spoken by native English speakers.

In fact, it is not English.  Just as in French one should learn to pronounce "u" and "eu," so should it be in English and other languages.