Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
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- Posts: 10339
- Joined: June 15th, 2011, 5:53 pm
Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
The result is that I get red lines under those words which I know I can ignore. This seems to me a bit like a copying error in a piece of genome that persists because there is no selective pressure for it to be removed. If I make (what I regard as) a genuine spelling mistake in one of those words I'm less likely to spot it. So if I copy and paste (to save time) the error is propagated because there's no selective pressure to remove it. It spreads like a virus. This is more likely to happen with longer words because I'm more likely to copy and paste them to save typing them again.
Funny eh.
(P.S. I've just noticed that the spellchecker accepts my spelling of the 'u' words, but not the 'a' word. The principle still applies though.)
- ThomasHobbes
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- Joined: May 5th, 2018, 5:53 pm
Re: Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
It should be the unfailing duty of every red-blooded Englishman to teach those pesky spell checkers to get it right.Steve3007 wrote: ↑February 5th, 2018, 7:43 am As a general rule, I tend not to abide by the modifications to English spelling that were introduced by Noah Webster, possibly due to some kind of irrational linguistic patriotism (a bit like the French people who refuse to accept terms like "le Weekend" in their precious language). For example, I spell words like colour, flavour and humour with too many 'u's for the taste of the American-English spellchecker. And too many 'a's in paeodophile.
The result is that I get red lines under those words which I know I can ignore. This seems to me a bit like a copying error in a piece of genome that persists because there is no selective pressure for it to be removed. If I make (what I regard as) a genuine spelling mistake in one of those words I'm less likely to spot it. So if I copy and paste (to save time) the error is propagated because there's no selective pressure to remove it. It spreads like a virus. This is more likely to happen with longer words because I'm more likely to copy and paste them to save typing them again.
Funny eh.
(P.S. I've just noticed that the spellchecker accepts my spelling of the 'u' words, but not the 'a' word. The principle still applies though.)
- Sy Borg
- Site Admin
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Re: Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
http://ww17.justcameron.com/incoming/en-au-dictionary/English (Australian) Dictionary. I'm sick of all my favoUrite coloUrful language being marked incorrect. Are you sick of all your favo-U-rite colo-U-rful language being marked as incorrect? Me too. Live no more in the world of crazy American spelling - get the Australian English Dictionary :)
Mind, if you have worked with HTML there is no way around the COLOR tag. We are fighting a losing battle because almost all using English as a second language use the American version rather than actual English with its more elegant constructions.
Elegance is out. Lean and mean is in.
- -1-
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Re: Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
* There is the Angolan English Dictionary, the Anglican, the Bangla Deshi, the Bermudan, the Barbados, the Bengali, the Biafran, the Burundi, the Bahranian, the Belizi, the Botswanian, etc. etc. English language spell-checkers.
- LuckyR
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Re: Thought for the day - genetics and spellcheckers
The French accent is even better but I might get lost.
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