The young cn txt @ the speed of lite, fingrs flying, n still b undrstd.
So why does spelling even matter anymore?
The recently-released NAPLAN results, the first for two years, show school kids’ literacy skills have not diminished through the pandemic – but they have not improved either.
Kids’ spelling, grammar and reading skills fell in the toilet a generation ago and are still circling the drain.
The NAPLAN data shows one in every 16 students starts high school without meeting the basic reading standards and one in 10 fails to meet a basic literacy level, which is the same as more than a decade ago.
Queensland kids lag at the back of the bad bunch.
But does it even matter? Are we clinging to a golden time of literacy and a stuffy, passé communication skill?
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This is the age when kids ROFL and LOL at those sticklers for the old-school ways. We have Siri, Alexa and Google on hand to type for us anyway. Auto-correct can fix (and generate) errors. And people kinda, sorta know what we mean when we have a stab at spelling anyway, so why fuss about it?
Standards are sliding, even at the highest echelons of learning.
It was reported earlier this year that the University of Hull in the UK had adjusted its sails, believing requiring good written and spoken English could be seen as “elite”. The uni’s position was that it should remove “barriers to learning” for students of all backgrounds and it was concerned that marking students down for poor spelling, grammar and punctuation in exams could be seen as “homogenous, North European, white and male”.
Good grief.
I think people should be able to txt n take short cuts 2 there harts content. Defs tweet n abbrev on Insta n in TikTok captions. Props 4 all that.
But there are times when spelling does matter, and young people need to be skilled enough to participate in that world when required.
Spelling matters when they are applying for a job or performing a duty in a professional capacity. It matters when they are filling in official forms or answering a formal email.
It matters because having the same rules and standards means what is written can be understood across generations. Far from being elite, correct spelling and treatment of our language demonstrates equity for all.
It matters because it shows care has been taken by the writer and respect has been given to the reader.
Most people will agree that poor spelling is unprofessional and shows a lack of care.
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But spelling is rarely tested in a way that can be isolated and tracked, and what is taught is increasingly what is explicitly tested. A so-called step-child of the curriculum, when the rote-learnt spelling lists went into the bin, so did respect for the stimulation and problem-solving skills that endeavouring to spell well brings.
Science shows that spelling is a way of accessing meaning and connects the bits of brain that involve self-government and executive functions.
When the digital age dawned, no one invited along spelling (or handwriting), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a late arrival.
Correct spelling brings connection, communication, being understood. To that, we should all say YAAAS.
Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer. The views expressed are her own.
