LL-L "Semantics" 2007.04.19 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  19 April 2007 - Volume 03

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From: "heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk"
Subject: LL-L "Semantics" 2007.04.18 (02) [E]

Ron/Reinhard wrote:
A "typo," as far as I know, is by origin not a "typing mistake" (although
this would be logical) but a "typing error" -- or so I humply submit while
bracing myself for another volley from the schoolmasters' and -mistresses'
corner of the room.

Here it comes!!!!!

Mistake = slip of focus/concentration; if you were thinking about it, you
wouldn't make it

Error = a current system or belief that is thought to be correct and so
submitted as such; one man's error may be another man's delight.

Have we seen this poem before? Forgive me if it's old hat. It made me smile
when I first saw it. It says a lot about the character of the English
language
I have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques for my revue
Miss takes eye can knot sea.

Eye strike the quays and type a
Word and weight four it two say,
Weather I am rite oar wrong. It
Shows me strait aweigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid, it
Nose bee four two long
And eye can put the error rite –
It's rare lea ever wrong.

I've run this poem threw it.
Eye am shore yore please two no,
It's letter perfect in its weigh
My chequer tolled me sow.

(anon)

Whoops! Have I just defeated my own argument!!!!!!

( as a teacher :

mistake = something a pupil can/should put right:

an error = something I as the teacher have to work on to get right in a
pupil

primly yours

Heather

PS

>Language learners regularly make "mistakes" before they understand the
rules.  Should those not also qualify as "errors"? <

If they consistently get it wrong = probably an error.

If they get it wrong here but right there and different over there, then
they're probably not focussed and are making mistakes.

The fewer mistakes, the more an error is in process of being corrected.

Or.................?????
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