So What Does an Art Teacher Know About English
Anyway!
Excuses, Excuses! Blame It On
the Style Guides
A few weeks ago I was inspired by June
Casagrande's column, A Word Please. It appears in the
Glendale News-Press, an affiliate of the LA Times.
I often clip her columns to read later or to follow up on her inspiration—later,
of course.
This particular column was on spelling. You know, stuff like spelling
bees and how brilliant kids can humiliate adults in certain arenas.
On how Brits spell differently from Americans. That reminded me
of how us Americans nurtured on British literature have so many
problems with spelling. (I still can't get "grey" right.)
And that reminded me of something else. You’re going to have to
follow me on the way my mind works, one step at a time. You’re going
to have to do it because it’s going to make you feel a lot better
about how your mind works!
Oh! Where were we? Yes. Spelling! And let’s not even talk about
syntax or how we use prepositions differently from our English friends.
But June’s column also reminded me of what a great speller I am.
Or thought I was. As a child I was pretty darn good at those spelling
bees myself. I got straight As in English and on and on. Then, one
day I spelled a word wrong—in an art class of all places!
My teacher asked me to look at the word. Nothing came to me but
"Duhhh."
Then he asked some of my classmates to look at the word. I can't
even tell you what the word was. Maybe something like "definitely"
because it had something to do with an "i" and "a." None of my classmates
had a clue either. So the teacher says—or rather rants, "See,
see? That's why we have dictionaries!"
So he had a point worth taking. But what does an art teacher know
about English. That’s a rhetorical question. I’m sure he had no
idea how English would change over the decades. For example, computers
didn’t exist, so how could he have known about the choices we have
with words like “Web site” (the New York Times’s version)
and “website” a la the LA Times.
Nevertheless, in that moment my confidence went down the proverbial
drain. In this case the drain of spelling awareness. Now, even when
I know I'm right, I fear I'm not. Do I remember the spelling the
way I did it "before" when I spelled it wrong, or am I remembering
the "after" when I had checked to see if I had it right. I can’t
remember. I go back to the dictionary, maybe for the fifteen time
on the same word. Or use my Word Spell Checker. And half the time
even it doesn’t know!
Geesht. Such a waste of time and brain power.
One of those before and after words for me is "recommendation."
Two "c's" and two "m's" or only one "c" and... Well, you get the
idea. There are times that Word's spell checker is a Godsend. I
have it on autopilot. It doesn't even tell me when I spell "recommendation"
wrong. It just corrects it. That I get no practice is probably one
of the reasons that I can't remember how to spell it. Someone or
something is doing my work for me.
So when people start thinking that because I wrote a book on editing
or because I am The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor on
my blog,
that I know everything about English, I must own up. I have to check
spelling and grammar stuff. I have to do it a lot. It’s
partially the fault of a brain full of trivia (yes, some grammar
is trivia!), but it’s also because English has changed over time.
Some rules that we think of as hard and fast rules aren’t rules
at all. The well-loved Strunk
and White was originally a guide written for the author’s students
that included his preferences for writing and people started
taking his (strong) suggestions for what he wanted in the papers
submitted to him as commandments of Biblical proportions.
There’s another reason, too. English isn’t nearly as rule-oriented
as people think it is (or would like it to be!). We get to make
style choices. The style designated by the publishers of books is
often more stringent that the styles espoused by newspapers. I do
both kinds of writing and you expect me keep all those choices straight?
Forget it!
I don’t and you don’t. We don’t have to.
We can use something editors call style guides. Chicago
Manual of Style is the one I use when I’m writing a book
and AP is the one I use when I’m freelancing for newspapers. You
can get AP online at http://www.apstylebook.com.
And sometimes I plain don’t care. I’ll push two words into one
that should be kept separate when I’m writing poetry (and sometimes
in my other writing, too); occasionally I use the wrong homonym
to add a layer of meaning. The thing is, languages develop. There
is a creative aspect to them.
Sometimes I get to choose whatever I darn well prefer because the
guides—even the dictionaries!—don’t agree. So, I’m sticking
with “e-mail” over “email.” Both are correct. The former makes more
sense to me.
The thing is, I’m not trying to convince anyone it’s right! That
would be a losing battle, anyway.
Tips and Tidbits
(Each month in this box, Carolyn lists a Tidbit that will
help authors write or promote better. She will also include
a Tip to help readers find a treasure among long-neglected
books or a sapphire among the newly-published.)
Writers'
Tidbit:
Writers interested in their craft know that last-minute edits
can mean the difference between success and failure. My new
booklet, Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers,
will help all writers, from those who write business letters
to those who pen poetry. Find it on Amazon.
Readers'
Tip:
Irene Watson edits a site where you can find book reviews
of all kinds. It is Reader
Views. |
©
MyShelf.Com. All Rights Reserved. |