Creative Spelling

I used to pride myself on being an excellent speller. I was that annoying kid in elementary school who got 100% on nearly every spelling test without studying too hard.

But bilingualism has sure shaken me up, guys. My serious study of the Spanish language began five years ago, and I love Spanish because just about everything is phonetic. My biggest struggles come when I mix up "b" and "v," and occasionally I flub up with "j" and "g," but for the most part my spelling is spot on, even when I've never seen the word written down.

But then comes English again. And phonetics gets the better of me every time.

Today I accidentally spelled "sour" as "sower" in a text. I stared at the word "yellow" for a solid thirty seconds last school year and was totally dumbfounded by that w on the end--it's totally unnecessary! And that uncomfortable moment when I've reverted to spelling "pterodactyl" without the P and an A instead of an O. And this last one isn't phonetic at all, it's just embarrassing--I've spelled "banana" with too few "an"s and too many "an"s before.

One of my mom's teachers in grade school said to her in a gentle euphemism, "You're my most creative speller." I've joined her ranks in creative spelling, and with her and with many of you, we continue to fight phonetics and "sounding it out" our entire lives.

English spelling, I love you. Because you give me words. But you confuse me.

Comments

The Problem with Chick Flicks.

I really, really, really enjoy a select few movies that I willingly watch over and over again. Pride and Prejudice is one of them. You see, Elizabeth's defense of her family, her sense of self respect, her ability to admit that she was wrong and to appreciate Darcy despite all his quirks, and quizzical brow-ness... it's marvelous. My husband doesn't share the sentiment, could you tell? ... and that's okay. There's rare a chick flick I enjoy near as much as I enjoy Pride and Prejudice or A Walk To Remember , and I wanted to explain why. You see, there's more than just a few problems with (many, not all) chick flicks: (and if you have a chick flick that escapes many of these pitfalls then please oh please leave it's title in the comment section!) The heroine (or suitor) is less than honorable. I have a hard time rooting for a girl to get a gentleman when she's spending her time being scandalously loose with other men ( #thenotebook) . An...

Where's Number Three

A neighbor in her mid-thirties. A woman in her seventies. Their single commonality? They both asked me: Where's number three? I have a son, his name Charlie And then McKay, he's not quite three In my heart, both fit perfectly Yet others ask: Where's number three? Perhaps it's that I miscarried, My spouse's infidelity, The ache of infertility, A battle raging mentally, Illness on a crippling spree, Our family is complete, maybe. The reason's one or more of these, Yet you dare ask: Where's number three? In this question, running free Are judgements, jeering icily "You're not enough, Mik, can't you see? Buck up and give us number three!" I used to flounder, squirm, agree Or curl up small, cry, and plead. With time, I've seen things differently. I won't explain for number three. The questions of maternity Are just between my spouse and me And Parents, guiding Heavenly So please don't ask: Where's number three? Artwork Credit: Be...

Have You Ever Read a Book That Made You Grieve? Rejoice? Weep?

Have you ever read a book that spoke so deeply to your soul that you wept while you read it, couldn't put it down even for the pain, and thought about it for days after you finished? I have. I've been fortunate to wander upon many books that have done such for me, but the most recent literary treasure of this variety in my life has been "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys. I don't want to give much away, but I will say this: this book brought to my awareness of the WWII era histories of many Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian people. Previous to this novel I was aware that Jews (and other persecuted groups alongside them such as gypsies, the intellectually disabled and homosexuals) were victims of holocaust crimes under Hitler. But I was not aware that Stalin held his own "cleanse" and subjected millions of people to labor, cruelty, and death. The reason why I loved this book was because of the humanity and true charity many victims chose ...

God is Good to the Johnsons

Search This Blog