LL-L "Orthography" 2007.04.18 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  18 April 2007 - Volume 04

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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: LL-L "Orthography" 2007.04.17 (10) [E]

> From: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
> Subject: LL-L "Orthography" 2007.04.17 (08) [E]
>
> Heather wrote:
> >" there are 30 copies listed for sail "
> >I cannot believe I wrote that!
>
> >Has anyone on this forum noticed themselves
> >automatically typing one homonym for another?
>
> Oh yes, this happens to me all the time. Glad I'm not the only one!
> Often I have to go through what I typed and correct all the instances
> where I wrote "to" instead of "two" or "too", for example, although I
> know exactly how it should be spelled in each instance. This never
> happens when I write by hand!
>
> Gabriele Kahn

> From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
> Subject: LL-L "Orthography"
>
> Dear Heather,
>
> You wrote:
>
> > " there are 30 copies listed for sail "
> >
> > I cannot believe I wrote that!
>
> First stage: when I write something down on a piece of paper, my head
> is slightly tilted forward, same position as when I'm reading a book.
> I find this to be the best position for concentration, it allows me to
> focus well.

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Orthography
>
> What we're talking about here is a matter of concentration or the lack
> thereof.
>
> But then there are such errors that occur because the writers don't
> know any better.  And, worse yet, these become perpetuated.

Most unusually, I feel I must contradict you all   :)

I don't think the typist-homonym phenomenon is about concentration. I
think it's about the fact that when you write by hand, you can feel the
shapes of the words as you write them and to write "to" when you're
thinking "too" (fpr example) would feel quite wrong.

But in typing "too" and "to" there's much less of a tactile difference
so you're much more likely to type the wrong "nym" and also commit lots
of random non-homonymic errors, without realising.

I actually make lots of typos of all sorts when I'm typing, which I
usually spot when I read over what I wrote (eg before sending an email).
But in handwriting, once is enough.

I never use a spellchecker, as you might have guessed. I always have it
turned off.

Sandy Fleming
http:/scotstext.org/

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Orthography

Sandy,

You may be on to something there. (Or is that "onto"? I'm tired and under
the weather, too lazy to check ...)

However, and this may or may not be germaine in this context, I do feel that
I have something like "manual/tactile imaging" even while typing.  Most of
the time when I actually mistype a word I don't need to see it, my hands
"know" that something went wrong, and then I look, et voilà ...  I tend to
be especially aware of metatheses fro smoe resaon.

When I write by hand I write more slowly and am usually more aware of errors
~ mistakes happening or likely to happen. (Hi, Heather dearest!)  But I have
misspelled by hand in the manner of "two" vs "two" also.  I further noticed
that these things happen more early in the morning and late at night, or
whenever I don't feel on top of my game (like right now).  (No smart
responses to this now, folks!)  I suppose that this led me to assume that
it's a matter of degree of alertness.

Could it be a combination of the two?

Could your sense of shape in combination with language be above-average or
more integrated because signing is second nature for you, Sandy?

Sumth'n' to ponder pr'aps ...

Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: And what does our Luc do when he lies down?
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