interstate highway to Cupertino?

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Jul 21, 2009, at 12:19 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>
> Would this make a case for "intestate" as a mere typo (as in "spelling
> error because of a missed key stroke"):
>
>>> Wife and I have been on the _interstate_ on our wing since we got it
> (only had it 3 months) but ride the _intestate_ only when other type
> roads aren't convienent. [sic]
> http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/showpost.php?s=14a90fc0a940c0794f579aabcdd03329&p=2406714&postcount=8

(plus similar examples).  nice.

even nicer would be cases where someone dropped the r in writing and
then noticed the omission at the time and fixed it.  but for that
you'd have to be collecting people's self-corrections, which involves
looking in real time at the process of writing.

i was indeed suggesting that "intestate" for "interstate" was a simple
typo.  omitting a letter, in handwriting as well as typing --
"skipping ahead", in effect -- is a very common typo.  so common in my
own writing, in fact, that i haven't bothered to collect examples.

arnold

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