Ask Mike: The bad spelling gene
Hey Guys,
In today’s age of spell-check and suggested searches, good spelling isn’t as valuable a skill as it used to be. Even so, there’s still something to be said for the person who can spell dodecahedron and logizomechanophobia without breaking a sweat (I’m not one of them). Is this skill hereditary? Is there such thing as a “good spelling gene”?
Perhaps. According to a 2008 article from the UK’s Sunday Times, bad spelling could be in your genes. A study on the causes of dyslexia came up with some interesting conclusions. “Biology, it seems, not only influences those with dyslexia but also people without the syndrome. If you are a bad speller you can blame your grey matter.”
Tony Monaco, a scientist who works at the Wellcome Center Trust for Human Genetics at Oxford University, is quoted in the article. He states: “Around 60 percent of the variation in the ability to spell lies in our genes.” The reason has to do with a particular gene, known as KIAA0319. It “helps to guide brain calls into the cortex, the thinking part of the brain, when a child is developing in the womb.”
An article from the Cleveland Leader explains that scientists who were studying the causes of dyslexia found “a gene that might also cause some of us to be bad spellers, but not to the extent that it’s a clinical disorder such as dyslexia.”
But don’t go writing a poorly-spelled angry letter to your parents just yet. Again, according to the Cleveland Leader, “Bad spelling isn’t entirely attributable to our genetic makeup. Nutrition and proper sleep are believed to contribute, as the brain needs all of the energy it can get to carry out these complex language processes.”
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shame i cant blame it on my parents
Out of three girls, I am the only one that gives proper attention to spelling things out correctly. I may make a few mistakes here and there, but usually only when I am tired or distracted.
As for my two Sisters; Let’s just say that I am constantly scratching my head at how they managed to pass High School. It especially perplexes me since they both own phones with full QWERTY keypads (whether physical or not) and they still manage to type nonsensical messages to me.
I don’t know if I believe that. I’m an English major, but my parents couldn’t spell–or place a comma properly–if their lives depended on it. Of their seven children, I’m the only one who even cares. Am I just a genetic abberration, then? Or does it have more to do with interest?
I think this is more a case of nurture than nature. My parents never cared about spelling or grammar or even reading. They passed that apathy to my siblings, not through genes, but through attitude. We were never told to read, and if we failed every single spelling test in our formative years, my parents only cared that our grades had dropped. I “escaped” only because I had a succession of very enthusiastic English teachers who passed that enthusiasm to me. Without them, I’d probably be as bad as the rest of my family. Again, though, this isn’t about genetics.
There are learning disabilities that make spelling difficult. One of them is auditory processing disorder, which impairs the ability to distinguish letter sounds, making many of them sound alike. This prevents associating letters to sounds – which is of course important to spelling.
This appears to be inherited in some families.
There is work in brain plasticity to train the brain to distinguish between similar sounds.
That’s strange, because I’m an insomniac, eat poorly (what?!Candy is good!) and still can spell better than anybody else I’ve known. I personally think that, even if dyslexia is a real ‘disease’ or ‘afflication’ that part of it’s sheer laziness. I remember from my 8th grade class, their was a girl who got her ‘d’ and ‘b’ mixed up. And just about everything else as well. That year sucked, I was paranoid about every critical or miniscule grammar error. God, I feel sorry for those teachers. I mean seriously, it’s not that hard to spell properly. I know people that think coughing is spelled ‘caughing’, don’t know that you’re means you are, and have no idea how to spell or pronounce a word with more than two syllables. There are some people, who have auto-correct, full touchscreen QWERTY keyboards, and still manage to spell was as ‘waz’…To be quite honest, ‘Hw waz yur dai?’ (How was your day?) doesn’t make sense to most intellectual people. Yeah, spelling really is a lost art. Same for grammar.
We have a family full of bad spellers. Noe of us could spell very well until we were adults. My grandmother for example is the only person who can spell Lisa with an “E.” It is usually a varaition like “Lesia” and I have even seen it “Leesia” It’s different on anything she sends me and it use to offend me so much. Now it’s just one of those quirks that Grandmother has always had.
I’m also week in English and i doing many mistakes in English world. This is the good article for improvement bad spell
There is no “good spelling gene”, but there is certainly a stupid gene.
Anecdotal evidence does not falsify or strengthen statistical claims. So, I don’t think “I am a good/bad speller but my family members are not” type of posts are helpful.
My personal opinion is, however, that spelling is more influenced by early childhood learning and upbringing. Nurture vs, Nature, just like venus_smrf said.
I think that it is good to do that
I have no idea if the idea of a spelling gene is true or not. However, something is badly wrong with the ability of kids to spell correctly these days. There are various reasons why people find it difficult to spell correctly but I believe a major contributor is the fact that children are not being taught how to spell in school. It’s as if though it is no longer considered important enough. When I was a schoolboy correct spelling was considered a valuable life skill. So we learned how to spell.
Ah while ago I listened to my niece spelling not with A,B and C but Ah, Bah and Kah and her spelling was dreadful. She was learning not the letters but the sounds they make. Except they don’t always make those sounds. That same day I had to read the geography assignment of an under graduate at my university. The tutor commented that the spelling was dreadful and if it did not improve, the student would fail. It was true. The assignment was riddled with basic spelling errors, and this in the work of a university student.
So, spelling gene or not, I think there is no substitute for going back to basics and teaching kids at school how to spell.
Oops, I made a spelling mistake in my comment and I can’t edit it. After all my pontificating too. Oh, the shame. Hands up anyone who spots it.
Out of my Year group, im the best speller
Ever since i was young I had the genes of a good speller, and im happy! When I was in Year 4 my Spelling Age was of a 15 year olds and 8 months, which I thought was pretty COOL!
spel23oiu5qi;rwegq;o43igt;ioq iss 4 looooseeeerrrrs! Get a comput0r!
I’m a 15-year-old girl and I at least try to be grammatically correct. I’ve always been an avid reader, and I have an exceptional memory, so I think that’s why I’m a decent speller. My father is an intelligent man, but he’s never really been in my life, so he hasn’t directly influenced me in the specific subject of grammar by reading to me, reciting the alphabet, or teaching me how to spell as a child. My mother tries, but her e-mails and such are not without a large amount of grammatical errors. As far as siblings go, well, I have seven of ‘em, so I won’t go into too much detail regarding their writing kills. However, I will say that for a bunch of high school dropouts, almost all of them write and speak eloquently. I don’t know if it’s genes, but pretty much every one of my siblings can spell words properly without trying.
Given some of the completely asinine spelling mistakes I’ve seen out of supposedly-educated adults… I certainly hope it’s genetic.
Most annoyingly glaring spelling mistake I see ALL the time: Experiance.
/facepalm
Genes have nothing to do with how we spell. It’s more an issue of attention to detail. I’m anal about correct spelling. I’m a freelance writer and professional proofreader, but the mistakes I find are instinctive… I find errors on random websites, on street signs, in books… everywhere. And spell checks on computers aren’t wise enough to catch the different spellings of words that sound the same.
Overall, if I read something that has misspelled words, I feel that person isn’t well educated, or simply doesn’t care how they come across.
Obviously I initially learned to spell in grade school, but I learned so much more while reading books. I often suggest to others that they use phonics, and sound out each syllable of a word to help them spell something. But now I’m at the point where when someone asks me how to spell a word, usually I use my memory, but with tougher ones, I visually see them in my mind and then tell them the letters. Kind of weird, but it sure works!
While my father is an excellent speller, I am not. On the flip side I am artistic and creative while he is neither. Right brain or left?
Spell-check is NOT the answer, obviously, or we would all be perfect spellers, at least while on the computer. I think a keen interest, some hereditary aspects, as well as just having a knack for it. Some people excel at math, some at spelling, etc. It may be just me, but it really irks me to read a newspaper or novel and find so many spelling and grammatical errors throughout. Not to mention the closed-captioning on a TV screen or the scroll updates under the news…gaaaah, I’m in the wrong business!
I can spell pretty much anything. It’s annoying when people spell to me, assuming I can’t spell whatever it is. I know they’re just trying to help, but at my job, I get this all day, so it gets really annoying quickly. My family would ask me how to spell things, even to the point of phoning me to ask for correct spelling. Here at work, there’s another lady who is also a walking dictionary, lol. We get asked spelling questions from time to time, and it feels good. :^)
I used to be dyslexic, but I’m ko now
Good spelling is a result of reading from an early age and actively seeking to spell words correctly instead of “close enough” attempts. It is in no way any more hereditary than that.
Well, personally, i believe in Nurture over Nature. Good spelling is acquired through hard work, a lot of reading, and a good memory (and THAT is acquired through a good diet from a young age, a well exercised brain, and sometimes, very rarely, genetics.).
Anyone can improve their spelling. The question is, WILL they? A few good steps would be to 1) read and familiarize themselves with proper spelling and 2) practice by writing and spelling words properly (practice, practice, practice!). It seems as if young people today are practicing spelling things incorrectly. I realize that they probably know that it’s spelled ‘your’ rather than ‘ur’ but the longer they practice doing something incorrectly, the more it will become habit.
In regard to spell check, people that rely on spell check are just asking four trouble.
Did you catch that? Because spell check didn’t.
“It ‘helps to guide brain calls into the cortex…’” Brain calls? Did Tony Monaco say that, or write it?
It seems like it’s been failed to mention that this is LANGUAGE we’re talking about. LANGUAGE isn’t an inhereited skill, mind you–just because your parents can speak Spanish, it doesn’t mean you’ll be born with a natural affinity to speak the language. Good spelling is usually achieved through learning the language, learning to abide the rules of the word, and bothering to acutally learn how to spell.
Some people seem to have a natural gift of simply being able to MEMORIZE the word shortly after they’ve read it, but by no means does this mean that they have a natural born or inhereited gift for spelling–it simply means their sense of memory and their ability remember the sequence of the letters is better than the average persons’.
The problem began with ‘hookef on Phomics’ and decreased with yext messaging. In school they should be required to do dome assignments using longhand complete words
I may be 11, but at least I can spell, unlike others in my class that can’t spell “future” correctly…. Just because we’re the “Technology Generation” doesn’t mean we can’t be smart.
Good post. The english language is definitely one that I love the most although it isnt my primary language, and my heart always bleeds when i come across poor spelling, even in the case of simple words such as Boring. How can anyone get that wrong???
it dont make no diff how the word is spelled as long as the first and last letter are correct in a sentence thats what we look for ignoring the other ones try it
How can there be a good spelling gene? Spelling was invented way after people came into being as homo sapiens and our genetic make-up won’t contain this… yet
It depends if that person has excellent memory. There is no gene for spelling and academic skills.
I do not regard spelling as a genetic disability, for in my Psychology courses I have seen people with mental problems, e.g. autism, that can spell, and, conversely, I have known people with advanced degrees in their specialized field that have difficulty spelling.
English, if you will allow me to so state, is a bastard language, derived it is, etymologically, etc, from many of the worlds languages, to include ancient and modern Greek, Latin and other Romance based languages, Anglo-Saxon German, Scandanavian, Chinese, Hindi, and African words, to suggest a few. Language authorities can not agree on the number of words that comprise English, with some saying that there are 750,000 words whilst other say there are just over a million.
English is one of the six most difficult languages in the world to learn. I started learning English and Spanish at the Imaculado Corazon, in Lima, when I was five-years of age and I am still learning; no one ever learns it completely. I have been learning to spell, in English, all my life and genes were not involved. Hindi is a very difficult language to learn correctly, with students in India, and elsewhere, experiencing the same spelling difficultys with their own language.
By-the-by, I prefer a good, old fashioned, paper-bound, unabridged dictionary to a spell checker or on-line dictionary web-sites; I am my own spell-checker.
People who “can’t spell” are not just dyslexic or are unable to spell large words. They’re the people who can never seem to be able to grasp the difference between “there”, “their” and “they’re”, or “to” and “too”. It’s pure laziness… all it takes is 5 minutes of your life to sit down and memorize it. It’s not that hard!
The people who are saying it’s not genetic are absolutely right. It’s as simple as attention to detail and actually caring about how you come across. Reading a lot at a young age helps a lot, too. By the way, I’m actually not one of those “spelling nazis”. I just think it’s very unfortunate, because it’s such a simple thing that, in a business environment, can make people perceive you as completely unprofessional.
Well.. My Mum’s dyslexic, my sister’s dyslexic.. my Dad’s a complete bof.. That makes me pretty average I guess! Still in the top set though.. :S Shame about my memory.. That part’s pretty crap to be honest!
Anyway, great post! Very interesting and.. how do they put it.. You Callipygian.. <3 :L Search it on google if you want!
I think there’s something to be said for spelling class, in elementary school. Though innate spelling ability and comprehension may come from your genes, if you’re made to spell “sophomore” enough times, you’re gonna remember that there’s an “O” in the middle.
Yes, and I ain’t got it!
I was the 1st person in my family to go to college, went on a full ride scholarship to a very expensive school and went on to get an advanced degree and now teach. I also have a lot of skill /talent in the Arts and other areas, so I don’t think I am a dummy. Yet in the 4th grade after skating through school as a super star I hit spelling tests like a brick wall. It was the variations of pronunciation and odd rules and exceptions to rules that threw me, I wanted it all to make sense like Esperanto. I still struggle today with spelling. Also my brothers have dyslexia, so that nods again to a genetic component. “Bad Spellers Untie!”
In 4th grade I came 1st place in my class spelling bee. 2nd place in the school spelling bee, which sent me to the District spelling bee. At District, I came 4th place. The district spellign bee was from grades 4-10, I believe. I have never gotten below a 98 on a vocab/spelling test. If I don’t recieve a 100 it is because I put a word twice that I should not have done.
I always am looking for typos and grammatical/spelling errors. I am 13 now. Thanks for this, I was always confused as to why everyone stunk at spelling… I was like “It’s not that hard… Just sound out the word and spell each syllable.”
My parents barely passed English. My brothers have a hard time spelling (“weird” is spelled “wired” according to one of them). Yet here I am, the one who excels in English and is learning Japanese. Wonder where those genes came from :/ lol
I doubt there’s a gene. I am very good at spelling, and the only time you’ll see me spell something wrong is if it’s a typo or if it’s a new word to me. Here, I’ll spell methylchlorosothiazolinone off the top of my head. My mom, on the other hand, is REALLY BAD at spelling. Today she asked me how to spell “chosen”! Seriously!
I think it has something to do with genes and/or what people are naturally good at. I cannot do algebra to save my life. However, I can write an amazing paper in no time at all. My dad is a very good speller while my mom isn’t. I spell words for her all the time. My brother also cannot spell.
I honestly think this obession with grammar and spelling is some what stupid.. I know all these trolls are going to start saying “Your just stupid” or “What are you 5″..but honestly..we live in a country that is so diverse English is not even as popular…do not believe me see most of the west coast or Hawaii islands…
We also have technology that does all the spelling for us and devices that you talk to and they spell out your text messages..
Granted good spelling does help pass a message a long but what makes it worse bad grammar such as the word “your and you’re” or the obsession people have over the miss use of it?
Personally with most of the people i am around we have a few that stress grammar or something and we just walk away…
i understand a letter to the president should be grammar perfect but blogs online or talking with friends… Get over your selfs grammar nazi..or move to a country that only speaks one language
I see all these people bragging about how smart they are and how good they can spell…I even see some were they think people are stupid because they ask how them how to spell a word….
This is why i support immigrants because i am sick of these ignorant “Americans” that think the world goes around them, English, and their race….
If it is a gene..get ride of it..because im about sick of seeing every youtube blog have the same insult “Its your not you’re you #@$ idiot”…really is that called for?
Excellent spelling is a learned skill that is sadly disappearing from public schools across the country as this country becomes LAZY! It is the sole reason both my children received their education in public school during the day then home-schooled while in the home with the addition of spelling with vocabulary words to look up, write down, and a quiz every Friday.
Perhaps I am a bit anal with regards to spelling and proper grammar because I had excellent teachers when I was in grade school then college but also it is a requirement, as is the ability to properly research data using whatever method is necessary to find the information needed. Since I am unable to work outside the home or with the medical transcription company I spent 10+ years working with before Lupus (SLE) and Sjogren’s bullied through my doors just as blindness had 10 years prior, I work for myself now as a freelance writer, novelist, and beta-tester/reviewer to name a few. I pick up work when I am not in a flare or having a lot of pain. The pain from joint disease, nerve damage, brain fog, etc… make it difficult for me to churn out solid work. An editor held in high regard among the literary world who also suffers from chronic pain gave me the best advice I ever received regarding my writing. That advice was to never write when I was in pain or in a flare because after I came out of the flare or the pain subsided, my writings during that space of time will read as ramblings of someone unable to form a coherent sentence let alone capture the necessary information to hold the attention of readers.I hold true and fast to that ideology. I may write notes or ideas but never do I attempt to complete a chapter or write an article that will require publishing before the flare and/or pain subsides. It is not worth losing the editors who trust my work, not to mention call on me personally for specific pieces.
The best thing we can do for our children today is to teach them spelling skills as well as reading and writing skills as early as possible. My youngest child was reading, writing, and computing simple math before she turned 2 years old. She has been a straight A student from first grade through eighth grade, a recipient of the Student of Excellence Award from the state governor, and last school year she was inducted into the Junior Honor Society. The last three school years she has been the editor for the school newspaper, asst director of the drama club, and her grades allowed her the opportunity to take advanced math classes that will continue when she enters high school where every class is an honors class. It will help expand her college options as well as open doors to scholarships that may very well pay her way through college. It is important to start as young as in vitro then keep the pressure going by exposing the child to more words, vocabulary, and the arts. Music and art are proven to increase intelligence considerably when children are exposed to both at and before birth.
Bahoonies: Spelling was a class in and of itself when I was in school as well along with the addition of writing skills such as learning to write letters in print properly then learn to write them properly in cursive. We live in the top school district in our county with a high 90s percentage of high school graduates, college attendance, and college graduates; however, there are no writing classes beyond the basics of print.
This was yet another reason my husband and I chose to teach our children at home. We added to our program the ability to properly print and to properly write in cursive along with spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and research.
My birth father quite school in the 5th grade, if memory serves me correctly. My brother and I cut all ties with him years ago due to his abusive nature combined with his alcoholism, which made the abusive nature even worse; however, I am fairly sure it was the 5th grade. Our mother dropped out of high school then returned about 10 years or so ago to obtain her high school diploma at the local college. She lacks spelling and grammar skills along with problems with comprehension. After bringing my brother to live with me, the local Lions Club covered the bills to have him tested for dyslexia, which he has although our parents are still in denial over it. I often wonder if our father has dyslexia too. He often sat with the newspaper but he never could read well. He was exceptional considering his lack of reading skills, when it came to math but comprehension of English along with spelling abilities were always severely lacking; however, his twin sister does not have dyslexia as far as I know nor do any of his siblings, including the set of twin brothers born a little over a year before he and his twin sister.
My brother had tutors (another kudos and thanks to the Lions) to help him get beyond the problems with his dyslexia. He never attended college but he did graduate high school with passing marks (B avg). He may not like reading but he does so with and to his children, which helps him too. His wife even says as much. I am extremely proud of him. It was the only thing required of him when I took him from our dysfunctional home after getting out myself.
Our family used to make jokes regarding two of our mother’s daughters and Mother’s children (ie. my brother and myself) regarding our abilities to learn. They would say that the aunt in question’s oldest daughter and I could lay on a book and were able to wake the next morning with the entire book in our brains yet the aunt’s youngest daughter and my younger brother could “eat” the book and still have trouble learning the material. I was the first of Mothers line to attend college straight out of high school without going by way of the military as the oldest sister did while in service. Others followed suit but not all completed their educations. Mother tried 2-3 times but has yet to complete a program; however, my oldest daughter who lives with ADD but also the behavioral modifications without the medication for the disorder, is currently completing her 3rd degree program. She completed her first program while in high school and even received her state board license two weeks prior to the graduation ceremony for high school. She plans to return to college in the fall in a similar field as the previous ones yet another rung up the ladder. Grants and tuition assistance is difficult for her to come by after she moved away from home even with my blindness. They counted her dad’s income as her income even though we were not supporting her. This child, correction, this young woman supported herself by working 40 to 60 hours a week while still attending college as a full-time student earning excellent marks. The long hours at work were necessary if she planned to remain in college. I’m thankful and so proud of her for sticking it out and especially for returning to college again in the fall even though she enjoys her work, has seniority, and married this past year. Her husband is her greatest cheerleader second only to her dad, her granny, little sister, and me.
In the case of my oldest daughter, while she does not possess the near-photographic-like information her younger sister seems to possess, determination after years of boring into her brain that college was not an option has to count for something. She made it this far and continues to strive to go farther on sheer will-power and determination alone. Like her younger sister, she has had exposure to the arts and music her entire life, including during gestation by way of the Heart-sounds monitor that allows the playing of music and even reading stories with dual output speakers with one set for the mother to listen in and another that sits on the abdomen allowing the baby to hear while in the uterus. It was the same brand but newer unit I used when pregnant with her younger sister as there are 10 years between them and we did not expect to have another child but did. We raised three children in total with the last one heading for high school in the fall. The first two are doing wonderful in their lives. My brother, who is more like a son, is a supervisor over several crews even with dyslexia and he helps his children with reading homework even though it is not his best subject albeit it started out as reading them bedtime stories then grew into homework help or just reading to calm the kids when they were tired and irritable. His voice lulled them to sleep – that lucky ducky…
Spell checkers do not differentiate between two, to, and too. Several words are not in the spell checker dictionary. On several occasions the grammar checker incorrectly tried to correct my grammar. So, trusting a machine is not always the best idea. Getting a good proof reader who know grammar and spelling is better than any computer program.
A neurological condition called “synesthesia” helps me and other synesthetes to spell, because we see letters in color! It’s a condition wherein a stimulus of one sense creates a response of both that sense and a secondary one. (Basically meaning “union of sensation.”) So for instance, my “A” is a watery light aqua, and my “B” is brown, and my “C” is a muted, soft rosy red. When I see a misspelled word, it doesn’t look right to me color-wise. We have an extra mnemonic aid, and it’s wonderful! (I wonder if all spelling bee champs have synesthesia?)
I don’t see any evidence that the ability to spell is genetic. Poor spelling, however, appears to be more-strongly correlated with being male.
I disagree that spelling is less important now. The inability to spell properly, to use punctuation properly, and to lay out your thoughts in a coherent form all suggest that the writer either does not care or cannot learn well. Either way, this is not a person I would care to interview for a position within my company.
Genes can influence spelling much like genes can influence Alzheimer, some genes more than others – but ultimately the cortical plasticity is such that any of those can be overcome with time, sufficient practice and a healthy life style.
With the growing understanding of the human brain, everything supports that the brain isn’t in a fixed state once it reach adult age but it can still change – albeit less easily – to adapt to the external environement.
Some people have tried wearing inverting spectacles for a whole week – their whole field of vision was completely inverted, left became right, up became down – the first day they could barely walk and trying to dress or even grab a fork was a nightmare. Yet, at the end of the clinical study, they brain adapted to this inverted so well that the test subjects were barely aware of their vision being inverted. Cortical changes in different parts of the brain were observed in various imagery devices (MRI, pet scans).
Why are there people whose lifespan exceed 100 years on average, nearly free of cancers and other disorders in Japan? Look a bit on the various documentaries and you’ll see that they the biggest difference is their lifestyle.
Spelling is part of a lateralised function in the brain – as such, people with a hemispheric dominance will exhibit stronger or lesser traits to spot a mistake in the sentences – I can’t tell the exact details but look around in diverse academic papers and search for “TMS” (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) as I believe there was a paper published on the effects of stimulating or inhibiting one region which literally made a patient able to spot mistakes unexpectedly well.
Mpfffff…. There may be a genetic component in some cases, but in my direct experience poor grammar, spelling, punctuation and syntax, poor sentence structure and agreement-of-tenses is pretty much due to pure laziness.
And the excuse most often given is, “Well, you know what I mean.”
My general answer is, “I know what you wrote, but I am unsure of what you may mean.”
why not?
Haha I won my school spelling bee when we had it this year. I beat out people older than me and in higher grades than me. Haha, maybe I have a good spelling gene! (:
Baloney. Spelling is entirely a matter of training, and the most relevant training is to READ what you wrote. It is normal, sometimes, to write so fast that you interchange letters or whole words; it is necessary, always, to read what you have written specifically to be sure it says what you meant to say and is properly constructed.
Words and grammar are clothing for your thoughts. If you clothe your thoughts like bums, don’t be surprised when people assume you have bum thoughts.
I personally, am a good speller. I think all the typing on those cellular phones is where the damage is really done, an LOL or I g2 barom brb (I need to go to the bathroom, be right back) may seem like one quick message to an accomplice, but it really is slowly eating away at a person’s proper grammar. I also partially disregard the comment that grammar and spelling have coincide with “good genes”. The entire idea that one person has better traits than another is why the Nazi’s did what they did. I beleive any person can become as great, or even greater than any other human being. All they must do is aspire to be so, and act on that aspiration.
What the heck is logizomechanophobia? The fear of getting into a battle of logic or logistics with a computer? The fear of animes about giant Mecha robots and their pilots? No, it is the fear of computers. Is there such a thing as a fear of creating giant oversized words when a simple on (like computerphobia maybe) will do?
I’ve had a predisposition 4 accurate spelling since I was a child. I suspect there is much genetics behind this as every member of my family I’ve met are quite literate and spell well(@ least they all’ve spoken well).
I could already read when I entered kindergarten much credit directed 2 my paternal grandmother Esther and also directed 2 Morgan Freeman’s first role on TV. That being Easy Reader on The Electric Company
Timotheee
I’m not sure I believe spelling is passed down through genes. My father can’t spell to save his life (no offense to him lol) my mother isn’t half bad but spelling was one of my top skills growing up. I was one of the top 4 spellers at my school and even made it to the district spelling bee ^_^ I have felt a little dampened as far as spelling goes since I’ve started high school and everything I write for the most part is online. Sure, if I have time I’ll go through my paper myself to spell check but sometimes it’s just more convenient to have the computer do it for you and sometimes I feel like it makes me dumber XD
I don’t think spelling ITSELF is a gene; intelligence, from which spelling is controlled, is though.
I’m not going for this idea. Spelling, in my opinion, is the effort you put into it from when you’re younger.
Oh, and to some of the posters.. Grammar does not mean spelling. Grammar is knowing where to put your words and how to use commas. Spelling is, well, spelling!
It doesn’t really matter if it is hereditary or not. And yes, spelling is very important, especially with spell checker. English is filled with homonyms. Much more important than “dodecahedron” is the spelling and use of your/ you’re…..their/there/they’re……our/are…….to/two/too…..clothes/cloths……where/wear…….new/knew……ect/etc………etc.
I don’t know….
My step daughter has been living with us for the past 2 school years and in this time, we have seen amazing improvement in her spelling comprehension and reading. Both her mother and father are dyslexic and have issues spelling.
I on the other hand and been completely anal about spelling and grammar my whole life and I am an avid reader.
She sometimes still shows signs of getting b’s and d’s mixed up. As long as I remind her to slow down and pay attention, she really gets a great handle on it all.
So in short, I do believe it is partially genetics. But, definitely does not need to be of the many things society will blame on the genetics and in the end nothing is done about it. Its not an excuse!
With the proper reinforcement and support anyone can accomplish anything!
I disagree with this article. My parents are atrocious at spelling and grammar, yet I am the opposite.
Nowadays there is little to no emphasis on proper spelling and grammar (text speak doesn’t help either), and young people think they can get away with it. I have a feeling that one day using proper grammar will be antiquated, and eventually will become a dead language.
I like how just about everyone wrote in an over classy way to prove that this article had nothing to do with them. HAHAH. This article is interesting. NUFF SAID!
This is all bs. There is no such thing as a spelling gene. I won a few spelling bees in my youth, and it had more to do with paying attention in classes where I was taught Phonetics than any glial cells I possess. I know dyslexics who are phenomenal writers. So, that isn’t the cause. This is just a ploy to justify America’s sharply declining education system. I mean, seriously. How difficult is it to open a dictionary to check if you’ve spelled every word correctly? Impatience, I tell you!
I’m such a grammar nazi, it annoys everybody around me because i can’t keep my mouth shut whenever somebody spells something wrong. I think it’s like everything though, there’s people good at certain things, and i think spelling is one of them.
I’ve always spelled fairly well. I think it could be a photographic memory gene or some kind of rhythm memory gene. But I still enjoy making an art out of various writingz. Maybe itz a rebel gene. Or a boredom gene. What I really want to know though, is whether genes come before the behaviour only or can they be sculpted or created by a behaviour?
Mr. mike what you say is not correct ,there is no language in the world to depend on memory, no educated man will ask this Q, who you spell this name or this word ,
There is no individual to remember all the words. So we all must be heady gaps, that is nooses, stupid, spelling and language is not a heady gap, farness tend to be fare moor educated than Americans and use their mother language to thick and talk
I only started reading when i was about 8 or 7 years old, yet my command of English is much higher than that of my classmates.
One spelling is not a science, it’s man made, so genes as nothing to do with it. We create and recreat word in the last twenty years, with a system that is not at all perfect in it conditioning, You take word that rymes that do not spell close to each other, is major proof of this. Those that get upset with misspelled words is their problem and their personal trip over others that do not cause any harmony. To blame the genes is just a current fad.
Nuff said.
Spelling is very important for me… if someone doesn’t spell common things right (i.e. ‘this’, ‘the’, ‘whatever’ etc.) then I don’t talk to them.
I don’t believe that there is a “good spelling gene” at all. The thought of that just made me think of another theory though. Think about this: As time went on, there was a HUGE development in technology meaning less of a need to know how to spell. I am lucky that I can spell hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia without even thinking. I never used spell check or anything fancy whem I was younger. I actually sounded things out because that’s how i was taught at school and home. Based on the environment in which the speller has been accustomed to, that’s the way they are going to do things. For instance, younger parents these days all know how to text and use a computer whereas older parents are…old-fashioned.
My point is, the more recent the era, the less they will more than likely be grammatically inclined[minus learning disabilities].
Its funny that people who are better at spelling can’t make heads or tales out of something if it has a spelling error in it. But these tend to be the same people that are not well liked or have eating disorders and have tons of falts .
We have a lot of inflated egos here…
…That’s a shame.
You might take a look at how the education system in the United States has fallen from top of the list to a sad 13th place in the world. Proper spelling and punctuation helps to land jobs. The illiteracy in this country is on the uprise with no signs of ever reversing its direction. Reading and comprehension in this country is pathetic. You can blame this on lazy parents who smother their children with IPODS and gaming consoles rather than demand they do their homework. Ignorant parents breed ignorant children. It’s pretty sad when a kid at 18 can’t make change in a MacDonalds drive through window. Our children are taught to be lazy and ignorant. No one teaches their child the importance of taking pride in their jobs. Even the adults want to go to work and play on Facebook. And we wonder why our country is falling on its face?
In today’s age of spell checks and electronic writing, good spelling skills are just as important-even more so. Why? Because when it’s so easy to correct your spelling and grammar, having them says a lot about you as a person. Are you that lazy and rude to readers? You do not have to scribble out a misspelled word or redo a whole document any more. So what is your excuse now?
Poor spelling is proof of either laziness or ignorance. Stop blaming your genes and your childhood. If you really wanted to spell correctly, you would learn how. Proper spelling is nothing more than simple memorization. As few words in the English language are spelled phonetically, one must memorize the proper spelling of each and every individual word in order to be a successful speller.
i think your telling the truth i myself am a very bad speller wish i work more harder on it but the and life goes on
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