Duz Speling Mater

Another gimp from academe recommends that people should be allowed to spell as they wish. Mr Smith is a lecturer at 'Bucks New University', as the papers describe it. A lecturer in Criminology, please note.

Or rather he says that the 'common mistakes' should be accepted. It's obviously not a great leap from 'common mistakes' to 'all mistakes' or to 'there are no mistakes'. The arguments against this kind of nonsense become apparent to anyone who spends more than ten seconds applying the grey matter: the obvious argument is that standardised spelling (and grammar) provides a level playing field to everyone, irrespective of age, ability, accent, dialect, social group, original language and geographical location - allowing everyone to reproduce their own way of pronouncing anything would lead to chaos and confusion. The opposite of communication, in fact.

Mr Smith is a lecturer. Surely he has read essays by today's students? If he has, he would surely know that their level of basic literacy leaves much to be desired. How is it that my mother left school at the age of fourteen seventy years ago with a greater ability to read, write and count than many kids leaving schools today with a clutch of top-grade A-levels?

For most people I accept that correct spelling and syntax of not always a primary requirement in everyday life. It still doesn't mean they are not important. There are multitudes of people for whom correct spelling and grammar are vital.

And since when did it become too difficult for youngsters to learn correct spelling (and grammar and arithmetic)? What's the point of avoiding something in education just because it's too difficult? Or too repetitive or a bit boring? English spelling is a pain in the backside, I agree with that, but it's not bloody submolecular physics, for God's sake.