Spelling: Pronunciation: Grammar

I cannot hold back any longer. I wanted to wait, for fear of offending, but I'm going to develop a stress ulcer if I don't get this off my chest. I feel frantic!

Before I begin in earnest, let me just say I know I'm far from perfect in my spelling, pronunciation and grammar. Feel free to point it out, I want to be corrected, bring me to task. (Is that the correct idiom? I do have a problem with choosing the correct sayings, "That's not my piece of cake.")

I think we probably all agree that misspelling, mispronunciation and incorrect grammar are initially funny, subsequently distracting and ultimately annoying. For some, it's always acceptable--someone for whom English is a second language or children, for example. For the rest of us, I believe the expectation rises with age and education. In other words, our ability to write and speak English correctly should increase if we're adults and have graduated from high school. If you have your PhD, you should be pretty darn close to perfect.

If we read books, read the newspaper, have exposure to people speaking proper English, how can we help but absorb?

Although this has always been a pet peeve of mine, it's become an especially sore point since I've been back in school. My professors consistently mispronounce and misspell words in their slides and lectures. What kind of confidence does that inspire?? Uh, none. In fact, I begin to doubt their competence. Granted, medical terminology is Greek and Latin based, but surely there's a responsiblity inherent in being a teacher to know what one is saying and how to say it!

Also, as long as I'm railing, shouldn't one's boss also be able to spell? (Guess I won't be inviting my boss to read this...actually, unable to hold my tongue at work, I regularly point out errors. Surprisingly, I still have a job.)

Can I just give some examples? Spicket. What does that mean? Nothing! It was meant to be Spigot--the thing that water comes out of on the side of your house. Or, how about this: Dido. That was supposed to be Ditto, meaning, "I second that" but it unfortunately looks like something that might be purchased in an adults-only store. Speaking of which, my 9th grade math teacher used to call us that particular little name when we didn't understand a concept-- until someone looked up the word. She stopped after that.


Especially maddening mispronunciations:

Pneumonic instead of Mnemonic. Sonometer instead of Centimeter. People, what is wrong with you??

I'm done, please don't be offended unless you've had post-baccalaureate education. In which case, please buy a dictionary and review freshman English.