[Westfield]

Hey all, I'd like to bring Spellbound to your attention.

Spellbound - Adds additional spell-checking functionality to Firefox

It's a useful tool you can add to your Firefox installation that underlines your misspelt words and, when you left click, offers some potential correct spellings.

I just thought oldbies and newbies alike who are not always 100% confident with their spelling could make use of it if they wanted to avoid any embarrassing typos.

It's about 1.2 megabytes which took about ten seconds to download with my connection and also appears to work with the latest Firefox update (it doesn't like my use of the words oldbies or Firefox for example so I can tell it works).

Anyway, I think it's kind of cool. Make use of it as you will.

[Johnny 1989]

Hey all, I'd like to bring Spellbound to your attention.

Spellbound - Adds additional spell-checking functionality to Firefox

It's a useful tool you can add to your Firefox installation that underlines your misspelt words and, when you left click, offers some potential correct spellings.

I just thought oldbies and newbies alike who are not always 100% confident with their spelling could make use of it if they wanted to avoid any embarrassing typos.

It's about 1.2 megabytes which took about ten seconds to download with my connection and also appears to work with the latest Firefox update (it doesn't like my use of the words oldbies or Firefox for example so I can tell it works).

Anyway, I think it's kind of cool. Make use of it as you will.

It's a useful little device, especially for someone like me who types things rather quickly but types the letters in the incorrect order from time to time. However sometimes it doesn't recognise words when spelt incorrectly & the suggestions are nothing like the word you meant to write in the first place

[Westfield]

I think Firefox comes with an American English dictionary as standard or one that isn't very exhaustive. Have you tried using a specifically British English dictionary add-on? I admit it's probably not going to be perfect but it might deter some of our frequent text speakers from posting in text speak if they are plagued by a deluge of red squiggly lines!

[TIAL]

Google chrome has one in-built I think.

Unless it has transported the spell-checker I installed on firefox over. Google comes up as an incorrect word!

[Johnny 1989]

I think Firefox comes with an American English dictionary as standard or one that isn't very exhaustive. Have you tried using a specifically British English dictionary add-on? I admit it's probably not going to be perfect but it might deter some of our frequent text speakers from posting in text speak if they are plagued by a deluge of red squiggly lines!

Ah yes it is the American-English one (Characterisation for examples says the correct spelling is with a Z, silly Americans )

[Zoot]

Why the * have we all gone corporate all of a sudden?

[Sunny So Cal]

it might deter some of our frequent text speakers from posting in text speak if they are plagued by a deluge of red squiggly lines!

I somehow doubt that. They tend to only stop when confronted with the forum rules.

Ah yes it is the American-English one (Characterisation for examples says the correct spelling is with a Z, silly Americans )

Go us.

Why the * have we all gone corporate all of a sudden?

It was an odd moment, I'll grant you.

[Console]

it might deter some of our frequent text speakers from posting in text speak if they are plagued by a deluge of red squiggly lines! :D

I somehow doubt that. They tend to only stop when confronted with the forum rules.

Really? What posts have you been reading?

[Ed Pummelon]

Ah yes it is the American-English one (Characterisation for examples says the correct spelling is with a Z, silly Americans )

Although If was forced to choose, I'd take American English over some of the versions of British English which get smeared on the walls of this place from time to time.

[JonnyYesno]

-ize- is actually etymologically correct in English.

The use of -ise- is derived from French but has somehow been adopted in mainstream usage.

[Ed Pummelon]

Interesting. I just had a look at a few articles on this courtesy of Google, and it's actually pretty easy to make an argument for the use of -ize- in British English - thanks JonnyYesno.

Nevertheless, it's still impossible to make an argument for some of the more, er, creative spelling / grammar / syntax that we see on here.

And before anyone mentions it, yes, I do need to get out more.

[Nicola_Red]

The problem is that I suspect that the people who write in text-speak wouldn't use something like this, because they're not making mistakes as such - they're posting in what they perceive to be a correct form of language. There are forums out there that allow text-speak after all (heaven forbid!) and they might be used to posting in those and not being corrected. So it probably wouldn't curb the text-speakers. I'm not sure what would...

[Ed Pummelon]

The problem is that I suspect that the people who write in text-speak wouldn't use something like this, because they're not making mistakes as such - they're posting in what they perceive to be a correct form of language. There are forums out there that allow text-speak after all (heaven forbid!) and they might be used to posting in those and not being corrected. So it probably wouldn't curb the text-speakers. I'm not sure what would...

I guess that people who write in text-speak do so because they find it easier and quicker than standard written English. If that's the case, then I can understand why they would prefer to write like that, although it's a hell of a reflection on the state of the language. It may also be that they think it's cool, in which case I hope they grow out of it as they move through puberty.

I can't think of any other reason for doing it, but would be interested to know if / what they are.

My top 3 reasons for enjoying CM.net:

- It's about CM
- Opinions are expressed vigorously, and backed up twice as hard
- It's one of the few boards on the internet where you can have a conversation without being forced to put up with with tweenie text speak.

Long may it last.

[Nicola_Red]

Very much agreed. Facebook is so rife with it (along with poor spelling, which is a slightly different but related issue) that it makes me cringe to read people's posts a lot of the time. All my Australian cousins use text speak all of the time, including one who is actually older than me, so she doesn't even have the excuse of being a teenager. I even saw my own mother - who taught me to write and spell before I reached school - use "u" instead of "you" the other day. I was mortified.

[Sunny So Cal]

it might deter some of our frequent text speakers from posting in text speak if they are plagued by a deluge of red squiggly lines!

I somehow doubt that. They tend to only stop when confronted with the forum rules.

Really? What posts have you been reading?

We haven't had one in a while (text speaker) but usually it's Tofu that points out the forum rules and they either conform or get scared away. I don't remember anybody that continued to post that way after they were told?

[Johnny 1989]

-ize- is actually etymologically correct in English.

The use of -ise- is derived from French but has somehow been adopted in mainstream usage.

Ah I've learn't something new there, never realised that -ize- was originally UK English rather than American English, probably because in English classes at school it was shoved down our throats that -ise- is the "British" way of spelling it

However I prefer the American spelling of Center, especially considering that's spelt as it's said, technically if you pronounced the UK spelling it would be Cent-tree.

Also I'm just wondering if "learnt" is an actual word now seeing as spelt with or without the apostrophe it marks it up as incorrectly spelt via the American-English dictionary.

[Ed Pummelon]

Have a look at the the fragrant Ian_k's contributions to the board Sunny. His response, amongst others, was "get a * life". Lovely chap.

[Ed Pummelon]

However I prefer the American spelling of Center, especially considering that's spelt as it's said, technically if you pronounced the UK spelling it would be Cent-tree.

Unless you were French

[/pendant]

[Boboff]

Why does cheque, as in an instrument of payment always come up as misspelt?

And I never realized that QI is a word you can use in Scrabble. (Which was annoying when I had a Q left at the end of the game, and looked in the rules to see the scoring and it specifically mentions the word!)

[MK Chris]

Isn't quite a lot of English derived from French and vice versa? Kendra is very knowledgable about it, but I think they're both derivatives of the old Germanic language or something.

[Ed Pummelon]

Depends how far you want to go back. A lot of French influence found its way into English as it was then, back in 1066. However the "Saxon" part of Anglo-Saxon speaks for itself regarding Germanic influences.

Of course all the European languages originally came from older roots. Wiki has a "family tree" of languages which is fascinating if you're into the subject. Can't remember exactly where now, but I'm sure it's easy to track down.

[Nicola_Red]

English is a real composite of lingustic influences. I did language history as part of my English Language A level, but alas that's over 15yrs ago and I don't remember a lot of the detail But from his work in family history my dad has had to learn a lot of stuff about the origins of English in order to read old parish records and the like. He did once try to persuade me to learn Latin so I could read wills and stuff for him...I declined! Also of course language is a living, changing thing and words or adaptations of words that we're criticising now could easily work their way into the dictionary within the next few years.

[Ed Pummelon]

Also of course language is a living, changing thing and words or adaptations of words that we're criticising now could easily work their way into the dictionary within the next few years.

Absolutely right - there's a fascinating Stephen Fry article & podcast about this on his website. Still no excuse for text speak though - or posts that appear to be written in crayon by a three year old.

[Ed Pummelon]

In fact the article is so good I decided to link to it. What a pain in the arse that you can't edit your posts in Ramble, or am I missing something?

Anyway, here's the link.

[MK Chris]

Nope, no editing here. It's designed to make you think before you post if I remember rightly.