Ok. I'll be the first to note I have made some
Very Bad spelling errors on this site.But I am not alone.
My excuse is Dyslexia.., as many of the great architects have had. Furthermore Architects are Right Brained Creatures
And Spelling has never been our strong point.
I think the spelling problems are because we are planners - we are always thinking ahead of ourselves, not of the here and now. So when I try to write "dyslexia", my brain knows there is an x coming up and accidentally plants it after the l, leaving off the e entirely and moving on quickly to the next word...I do this frequently.
If they would just write a spell checker into AutoCAD, this wouldnt be an issue at all. The only reason other disciplines can spell is because Word has spell check. Oh, and Outlook.
what bothers me more is the fact that many in these discussions focus on pointing out spelling mistakes, rather than responding to or actually involving themselves in different discourses. who gives a rats a-- if something is mispelled. it's probably the project architects and spec writers, whose lives revolve around perfect grammar and the inherant liability of words.
kn825 you not only need to learn how to spell but look into AutoCAD training. There IS a spell checker in the later versions of AutoCAD, unless you are still working with a DOS version.
If you don't know how to spell it you probably don't know what you are trying to talk about. Standards falling daily. Armageddon approaches. I bet DEtroit would take notice if there was a spelling error on his resume. Philistines. Bah.
i have to agree with DEtroit here. the informal nature of these online discussions pretty much negates any importance with regard to spelling and grammer if you ask me. what is most frustrating about conversing with someone online is just fitting everything into the little text window with no serious ability to proofread. also, i find the discussions a little bit difficult without the ability to read one another's body language, hear tones of voice, etc. especially when drawing the fine line between sarcasm and serious discussion. grammer is in a sense is the most shallow aspect of the conversation. interesting how our ability to easily interact with each other and share ideas from all over the world has increased, but i think at the expense of all the other facets of a conversation that really allow us to understand one another on a personal level.
Boss, you're right that online posting should be less about spelling and more about discussion topics. It's pure idea. I do find people's reluctance to use capitals difficult though - the structure of a paragraph just works better when sentences start with capital letters (because, as I said above, I'm scanning ahead of myself when I read and the upcoming cap tells me when to pause.)
Back to the original post - I don't really know why architects spell so poorly, we also (according to an article in the Times several years ago) tend to throw in, extra, and unecessary, commas, very often. I think the more important topic is why can't architects WRITE! I write constantly for work - for marketing, for construction admin, for contracts, just for basic communication with clients. And we often write about our projects after the fact - for awards submittals, for marketing again, etc. Architects obviously need to first and foremost be able to communicate graphically, but we should also know how to write well and interestingly. Especially writing passionately about buildings and why the built environment is important.
Now go ahead and bash this post for being a boring, tedious, and ungramatically example of architect's writing, ha!!
hmmm....i don't know. i've always been good at spelling, and a decent writer. a lot of my mis-spelling on archinect are more a function of lazyness rather than inability to spell. i suspect the same could be said for everyone else.
i think the personality of the architect is that of someone who is concerned with the big picture of things, so this may be an explanation into why the importance of spelling is overlooked in our profession. i don't think architects lack the intuitive ability to sound out and memorize words, however. the same could be said for mathematical skills; i know a lot of architects who were good at math in high school but now claim they don't understand math. i think our focus on the big picture tends to wash over our interest in the mundane little details sometimes, although that might not explain why we don't screw up more architectural details than we do.
Sorry, but little things do count. I would never point out a typing or spelling error as a followup to a posting. However, when push comes to shove in winning an argument or other smaller victories in the art of persuasion, a grammatically correct argument will always be more attractive - and effective. Unless of course the author is Bukowski or Muschamp and then all bets are off...
And I really hate finding spelling errors on construction documents when I'm wrapping up plan check at DSA or OSPHD (California agencies for schools or hospitals). Those people notice.
It’s very difficult for a foreigner to spell correctly unless one has intensively studies the cacophony of the English language. that's right , the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains!
P-nrc – See my post above. You are right that you don’t need brilliant spelling skills to put notes on wall sections - and Autocad has spell check, anyway – but to be an architect you need to be able to write well, because you will spend a lot of your time doing it.
Not to mention proofreading/drawing review – why wouldn’t I bring the same level of care to my written documents that I strive for in my graphic ones?
well i am happy to see there are some architects on here who can spell...in one firm i worked for they used to give me the drawings to proof before sending them off to print b/c i was the only one in the office of 10 who could spell anything...they almost sent a whole set out once with "independence" spelled "independance"....
and it was in this firm that someone told me (then a young impressionable college student) that perhaps my ability to spell meant that i wasn't destined for architecture (b/c of the stereotype...)
right at this moment I have trouble even thinking! and the reason is?
I am in school
I get little sleep
My mind and body are rebelling and refusing to work!
it is a sad tale, but one i'm sure many remember or are living in now.
So what is to be done about the spelling problem?
Correct your mistakes when you make them or just read what you're writing backwards so you don't get lost in the logics of it and just focus!
plus, i often displace v's with w's, forget h next to t, place too many l's and p's, use k instead of c, use only u instead of ou. and never check if i spelled albuquerque or phoenix right.
i learned to speak english when i was 19 years old.
I agree the ability to write is an important skill an architect must posses, but do not believe that every word must be spelled correctly for that architect to convey their thought in written form. I myself use written thoughts in a process of asking and answering questions about the design or design process of the creation of the form, but do not need the essay's to be perfectly written nor do they have to be grammatically correct. At the end of any given project i usually take the pages of thoughts and create a sunopsis of the design process for the given project and that is when spell check is used to fix the spelling mistakes that have been made. what I am trying to say is that I do not believe spelling is a critical skill to have, technology has bailed us out of yet another aspect of production, weither it concerns design or construction drawings.
Well I don\t disagrea ---- but this mean that you can be a svine in your personal life ,cheat and steal bully and hide your name; just remember to spell right.
Architecture realy is a mystery it's all about attitude don't need any core structure and is made by "the best skilled craftman" even most come right out of school and have no experience.
Well, you know, guys like Per and I do our best to spell correctly and to formulate our sentences as accuratly as possible, but it's harder for us than it is for you since English isn't the first language we learned. Of course, you could argue that it is essential for ANY architect to speak English correctly, but what if we switch to french? Or to Per's language, whatever it is? Ah ah, not so easy now, isn't it?
Hi
During a period of some 1000 years danes had to go to england atleast 3 times --- just to teach them the language.
For each time a number of words went into the english language but each time danes went back ,language suffered and soon danes had to go there again and teach them again, they even asked the frensh to assist ,untill last time where we left them with just enough words.
Danes know your language much deeper than you emagine.
That's not true! I studied french for five years. It was compulsory. French or German... it's true... And .nl has to drop by as well. My written dutch is far better than my french.
*I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be
in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I
awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt!*
i point out spelling mistakes all the time here on archinect. i'd be willing to wager that most of you people do more writing here on this site than anywhere else in your day-to-day lives, and if you don't practice your spelling and grammar here, odds are you're not going to practice them elsewhere. and in the event that you finally do decide to be concerned with grammar and spelling (for resumes or anything else important), it'll probably be too late; your lack of practice will show. why not take the time to make sure that what you're typing is proper english? i know it takes a little effort, but, jesus h. christ, i thought architects were supposed to work hard?! i cringe sometimes at the lack of effort put into posts on this site.
a lot of writing i post here are spontaneous responses and not carefully spell checked. even, i occasionally look for correct spelling, most of the time my crime is done in a few seconds.
i also write in an other language daily, and sometimes the two overlap. in my native tounge, words are written as they sound and a lot of my spelling errors stem from that.
if i am writing a business letter or an official correspondance, i use spell check tools of the computer. even then i discover later, some mistakes, specially in the use of english grammar.
i also like the humor and metaphor of purposefully 'punking' the words and bending them.
i spot a lot of people in these posts who obviously use misspelled words indicating they speak other languages. all the better.
it would be a big mistake not to check your grammar and spelling when writing your resume and description of your work.
i prefer to read the soul of somebody's thought versus stale piece of perfect english.
i felt very nervous writing this and i suspect it has many grammatic no no's.
Why Architects Can't Spell!
Ok. I'll be the first to note I have made some
Very Bad spelling errors on this site.But I am not alone.
My excuse is Dyslexia.., as many of the great architects have had. Furthermore Architects are Right Brained Creatures
And Spelling has never been our strong point.
speek for yorself
me knows me spelling and me grammar
I admit...I'm retarded when it comes to spelling.
I often have trouble spelling my own name. i second the dyslexia thing. I just had to check a previous post to figure out how to spell "dyslexia."
I think the spelling problems are because we are planners - we are always thinking ahead of ourselves, not of the here and now. So when I try to write "dyslexia", my brain knows there is an x coming up and accidentally plants it after the l, leaving off the e entirely and moving on quickly to the next word...I do this frequently.
liberty makes a good point
but, I figure..... why bother learning to spell when google and outlook automaticly correct any mistake, am i the only ony this lazy?
i have liberty's problem when i get excited and speak. sometimes it's pretty funny other times i look moron like a.
If they would just write a spell checker into AutoCAD, this wouldnt be an issue at all. The only reason other disciplines can spell is because Word has spell check. Oh, and Outlook.
what bothers me more is the fact that many in these discussions focus on pointing out spelling mistakes, rather than responding to or actually involving themselves in different discourses. who gives a rats a-- if something is mispelled. it's probably the project architects and spec writers, whose lives revolve around perfect grammar and the inherant liability of words.
kn825 you not only need to learn how to spell but look into AutoCAD training. There IS a spell checker in the later versions of AutoCAD, unless you are still working with a DOS version.
If you don't know how to spell it you probably don't know what you are trying to talk about. Standards falling daily. Armageddon approaches. I bet DEtroit would take notice if there was a spelling error on his resume. Philistines. Bah.
calatrava is a tool.
besides, its all silly anyway. We'll all be killed by nuclear war in the next few years.
geezer. In your mind if an 'i' is placed before an 'e' that word is rendered meaningless? i hate to get malevolent in these discussions but i was pointing out the irrelevance of grammar in ‘archinect discussions' not in more ‘important’ instances such as résumé’s or portfolios or in specs. You should not worry about whether or not your grammar is correct but whether or not YOU actually understand what you are reading before responding. My apologies for your ignorance. I’m also sure that my point will be reinforced by numerous responses pointing out any mistakes in my grammar. Thanks.
i have to agree with DEtroit here. the informal nature of these online discussions pretty much negates any importance with regard to spelling and grammer if you ask me. what is most frustrating about conversing with someone online is just fitting everything into the little text window with no serious ability to proofread. also, i find the discussions a little bit difficult without the ability to read one another's body language, hear tones of voice, etc. especially when drawing the fine line between sarcasm and serious discussion. grammer is in a sense is the most shallow aspect of the conversation. interesting how our ability to easily interact with each other and share ideas from all over the world has increased, but i think at the expense of all the other facets of a conversation that really allow us to understand one another on a personal level.
Boss, you're right that online posting should be less about spelling and more about discussion topics. It's pure idea. I do find people's reluctance to use capitals difficult though - the structure of a paragraph just works better when sentences start with capital letters (because, as I said above, I'm scanning ahead of myself when I read and the upcoming cap tells me when to pause.)
Back to the original post - I don't really know why architects spell so poorly, we also (according to an article in the Times several years ago) tend to throw in, extra, and unecessary, commas, very often. I think the more important topic is why can't architects WRITE! I write constantly for work - for marketing, for construction admin, for contracts, just for basic communication with clients. And we often write about our projects after the fact - for awards submittals, for marketing again, etc. Architects obviously need to first and foremost be able to communicate graphically, but we should also know how to write well and interestingly. Especially writing passionately about buildings and why the built environment is important.
Now go ahead and bash this post for being a boring, tedious, and ungramatically example of architect's writing, ha!!
hmmm....i don't know. i've always been good at spelling, and a decent writer. a lot of my mis-spelling on archinect are more a function of lazyness rather than inability to spell. i suspect the same could be said for everyone else.
i think the personality of the architect is that of someone who is concerned with the big picture of things, so this may be an explanation into why the importance of spelling is overlooked in our profession. i don't think architects lack the intuitive ability to sound out and memorize words, however. the same could be said for mathematical skills; i know a lot of architects who were good at math in high school but now claim they don't understand math. i think our focus on the big picture tends to wash over our interest in the mundane little details sometimes, although that might not explain why we don't screw up more architectural details than we do.
After you flip a plan fifty times - was and saw look the same! Spelling errors alleviate vertigo.
Sorry, but little things do count. I would never point out a typing or spelling error as a followup to a posting. However, when push comes to shove in winning an argument or other smaller victories in the art of persuasion, a grammatically correct argument will always be more attractive - and effective. Unless of course the author is Bukowski or Muschamp and then all bets are off...
And I really hate finding spelling errors on construction documents when I'm wrapping up plan check at DSA or OSPHD (California agencies for schools or hospitals). Those people notice.
Peace out
yesp, pasty spilling and grummur is abot learnig the vlaue of plowable deniabilty
there are no excuses, people should just take the time to review what they have written......... technology has made us too comfortable.....
bad spelling is bad manners.
UK inglish rules. You knows it!
there are plenty of excuses, like lazyness
duh
i was never a bad speller
in fact i won every spelling bee when i was in school
=P
i agree about the laziness
STARK3D ... I AM A BAD SELPELR INDEED BUT I'M LEFT HENDAD AM I SLTIL RGHIT BAINRED???
school
scholl
skool
eskule
It’s very difficult for a foreigner to spell correctly unless one has intensively studies the cacophony of the English language. that's right , the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains!
thank god for spell check
Spelling and grammar are all very good but let’s not forget punctuation.
This is the best guide out there at the moment
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1592400876.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
i spell well, and i am a good speller.
actually i dont think i could spell my way out of a paper bag if it were not for spell check. if only archinect had spell check.
the way i look at it you dont need an expansive spelling vocabulary to note wall sections and details
P-nrc – See my post above. You are right that you don’t need brilliant spelling skills to put notes on wall sections - and Autocad has spell check, anyway – but to be an architect you need to be able to write well, because you will spend a lot of your time doing it.
Not to mention proofreading/drawing review – why wouldn’t I bring the same level of care to my written documents that I strive for in my graphic ones?
well i am happy to see there are some architects on here who can spell...in one firm i worked for they used to give me the drawings to proof before sending them off to print b/c i was the only one in the office of 10 who could spell anything...they almost sent a whole set out once with "independence" spelled "independance"....
and it was in this firm that someone told me (then a young impressionable college student) that perhaps my ability to spell meant that i wasn't destined for architecture (b/c of the stereotype...)
good to know otherwise....:)
right at this moment I have trouble even thinking! and the reason is?
I am in school
I get little sleep
My mind and body are rebelling and refusing to work!
it is a sad tale, but one i'm sure many remember or are living in now.
So what is to be done about the spelling problem?
Correct your mistakes when you make them or just read what you're writing backwards so you don't get lost in the logics of it and just focus!
i find some words hard to spell so i don't use them here;
apocrypha, catechetic, denouement, higgledy-piggledy, lackadaisical, metempsychosis, namby-pamby, concatenation, onomatopoeia, massachusetts, panegyric, conspicuous, regurgitate, sesquipedalian, epanorthosis.
plus, i often displace v's with w's, forget h next to t, place too many l's and p's, use k instead of c, use only u instead of ou. and never check if i spelled albuquerque or phoenix right.
i learned to speak english when i was 19 years old.
Hi
Listen an architect don't draw words ,why don't anyone ask why writers can't draw . Or why fiddlers can't dance.
again per stick with what you know. language, writing and spelling are quite important to architecture.
I agree the ability to write is an important skill an architect must posses, but do not believe that every word must be spelled correctly for that architect to convey their thought in written form. I myself use written thoughts in a process of asking and answering questions about the design or design process of the creation of the form, but do not need the essay's to be perfectly written nor do they have to be grammatically correct. At the end of any given project i usually take the pages of thoughts and create a sunopsis of the design process for the given project and that is when spell check is used to fix the spelling mistakes that have been made. what I am trying to say is that I do not believe spelling is a critical skill to have, technology has bailed us out of yet another aspect of production, weither it concerns design or construction drawings.
Totally agree with you, post-neo, and it's great to be able to rely on technology for the little things.
Interestingly, the one word I consistently rely on spellcheck to catch for me is "construction". Just can't seem to type that damn word properly!
my most mistyped words are building, architecture, and my last name. because I type them all the time and rush thru them.
Hi
Well I don\t disagrea ---- but this mean that you can be a svine in your personal life ,cheat and steal bully and hide your name; just remember to spell right.
Architecture realy is a mystery it's all about attitude don't need any core structure and is made by "the best skilled craftman" even most come right out of school and have no experience.
Well, you know, guys like Per and I do our best to spell correctly and to formulate our sentences as accuratly as possible, but it's harder for us than it is for you since English isn't the first language we learned. Of course, you could argue that it is essential for ANY architect to speak English correctly, but what if we switch to french? Or to Per's language, whatever it is? Ah ah, not so easy now, isn't it?
Hi
During a period of some 1000 years danes had to go to england atleast 3 times --- just to teach them the language.
For each time a number of words went into the english language but each time danes went back ,language suffered and soon danes had to go there again and teach them again, they even asked the frensh to assist ,untill last time where we left them with just enough words.
Danes know your language much deeper than you emagine.
Mais, je pense que c'est plus pratique de parler francais, danois ET anglais.
Men, jeg syns det er mer praktisk at snakke fransk, dansk OG engelsk.
But, I think it's more practical to speak french, danish AND english.
Oh, I think I spelled my danish wrong...
Cmon a-f, you're cheating, it's too easy to get help from your foreigner friends...
Non, ce n'est pas vrai! J'ai étudié francais pour cinq ans. C'etait obligatoire. Francais ou allemagne... c'est la vérité... En .nl moet ook even komen kijken. Ik schrijf veel beter nederlands dan frans.
That's not true! I studied french for five years. It was compulsory. French or German... it's true... And .nl has to drop by as well. My written dutch is far better than my french.
*I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be
in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I
awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt!*
abra... i ausmse that wrkos only if the whole psgaase is wtiretn as such right? or does it work for slcevetie wdors too?
tahobo your' rghit. kenw smeohtnig msut be wonrg wtih tihs. bcak to sutydnig the porper slpeling for me.
i point out spelling mistakes all the time here on archinect. i'd be willing to wager that most of you people do more writing here on this site than anywhere else in your day-to-day lives, and if you don't practice your spelling and grammar here, odds are you're not going to practice them elsewhere. and in the event that you finally do decide to be concerned with grammar and spelling (for resumes or anything else important), it'll probably be too late; your lack of practice will show. why not take the time to make sure that what you're typing is proper english? i know it takes a little effort, but, jesus h. christ, i thought architects were supposed to work hard?! i cringe sometimes at the lack of effort put into posts on this site.
a lot of writing i post here are spontaneous responses and not carefully spell checked. even, i occasionally look for correct spelling, most of the time my crime is done in a few seconds.
i also write in an other language daily, and sometimes the two overlap. in my native tounge, words are written as they sound and a lot of my spelling errors stem from that.
if i am writing a business letter or an official correspondance, i use spell check tools of the computer. even then i discover later, some mistakes, specially in the use of english grammar.
i also like the humor and metaphor of purposefully 'punking' the words and bending them.
i spot a lot of people in these posts who obviously use misspelled words indicating they speak other languages. all the better.
it would be a big mistake not to check your grammar and spelling when writing your resume and description of your work.
i prefer to read the soul of somebody's thought versus stale piece of perfect english.
i felt very nervous writing this and i suspect it has many grammatic no no's.
Abra - I is always capitalized.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.