Oct 07, 2005 05:32 PM
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(Updated Oct 07, 2005 05:34 PM)
DISCLAIMER
BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO JUDGE MY HORRENDOUS SPELLING ERROR....FIRST AND FOREMOST THE NAME OF THE BOOK IS AS IT APPEARS IN THE TITLE OF THE REVIEW AND NOT HOW IT HAS BEEN LISTED BY MOUTHSHUT !
ACCOMODATING BROCOLLI IN THE CEMETARY
The 7th US president Andrew Jackson once remarked, ?It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.? Was he trying to justify the mistakes people make while spelling words or was he just being plain ?nice? to the faction of people who seriously cannot spell a word right.
The English language is notorious for its deceptions and counter-deceptions as far as spellings are concerned. Words may sound different and alphabetically turn out to have a completely different morphology.
To further compound this problem (as if it was not enough already!) spellings of words often change with time.
Take for example:
Pea? the humble pea went through tremendous changes to be in its final state as a spherical green vegetable seed?
let us check it out?
[Originally pease was both singular and plural]; pyse (1000), peose, pees, pes; (new singular), pea (1611).
When the doins of the language like Hemingway, Ezra Pound and Virginia Woolf can mess their spellings up to make it a proof-reader?s nightmare what do the poor souls like an average English language writer do? Where do we turn to? Can we find any logic in this myriad maze of illogicality?
?Don?t fret my children?, says the amicable Vivian Cook who has a pleasant smile to offer, ?just browse through a page of my book ?Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary? and you will soon have your English spelling range spruced up and ready to wow the wits out of people.?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Vivian Cook worked as a lecturer in EFL in Ealing Technical College, then as Director of the Language Service at North East London Polytechnic and as Reader at Essex University. Since October 2004, he has been Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Newcastle, where he teaches on the MA and I PhD programs and hopes to organise an applied linguistics summer school from 2006. He is chiefly known for his work on L2 learning, in particular developing the idea of multi-competence, for his book on Chomsky and for his popular book on spelling. Current interests are the English writing system and the multi-competence view of L2 acquisition (please excuse me here... this is information gathered from the net).
He helps people grapple with the peculiarities of the language and especially aids foreign learners come to terms with it. Through his book ?Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary?, he has endeavoured to make learners realise how English lends itself to innovation. How through simple means one can avoid a pitfall or more importantly an obvious embarrassment.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The book is a delight? yes?you read me it right? it is a delight to read and a treasure-trove as far as usage is concerned.
The format is simplified, the language concise and direct.
There are subdivisions?so that one can start the book from anywhere?no serial reading required. Moreover, with clearly stated objectives of each division you can go straight to that section and hone your skills.
E.g. If it is the spelling usage in London dialect that has piqued your interest (or more likely has been the reason of pain in the wrong place) then just flip to that page and start learning?.no need to waste time.
The same goes for double letters, I and e usages, proper nouns that sound like common nouns, y usage, differences between American and British spellings and the list goes on and on? just like our reasons to make a mistake.
But what I like best about the book is the fact that after every considerable number of pages it has applied exerciseswhere you can get to gauge and determine your level of in-expertise (only at first) and your subsequent improvement without any fuss and noise.
WHY THE BOOK?
Well you may say? why is she now saying why the book... hasn't she has been telling us that all this time.
Well? please forgive me if I seem longwinded but I am sure at least 90% of all of you out there must be thinking? ?Does she live in the age of the Neanderthals or something? where was she when a word processor came out? does she remain blind when even mouthshut offer the services of MOUTHSPELL.?
Ha, ha ha? poor me? miserable me? but before you scoff me off, like some kind of a linguistic heretic, a purist from the age of the dinosaurs consider the following statistics:
Given below are the spelling patterns in fifteen year olds (viz. the type of errors they usually make)
1. Omission (leaving out letters). 36%
substitution (replacing letters) 19%
insertion (adding letters) 17%
grapheme substitution (alternative sound-based spellings) 9%
transposition (switching letters) 5%
other 3%
I still believe that an average Indian kid has no access to the computer. As a matter of fact so, don?t most adults. Therefore, the inculcation of a trend of correct usage of spelling is not only important but also a necessity to maintain one?s edge. The rest is obviously up to you to decide.
Give it as a gift to one who needs or present it to your self, to give your language skill a fresh lease of life? or you may even choose to ignore this whole idea? but remember if you ever have a doubt whether it was weird or wierd? Minuscule or miniscule?
Alternatively, if there were too many red patches on your review while mouthspell tries to correct you, then please note there was a book to help you see the difference... make the red disappear.
In the end, I can only say that it would be a perfect complement to your learning zeal? oh gosh? or was compliment???
Hi hi.
