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Post by helsieboo on Jul 19, 2012 2:43:47 GMT -5
Sorry if this has been brought up before, but I don't think it has.
Spelling in the BSC books always drives me slightly mad in the notebook entries and letters. We all know Claudia is not a good speller and everything is misspelt, but it really bugs me the way that the other sitters never make spelling mistakes and the way the kids always have lots of mistakes.
Now, of course it stands to reason that 13 year olds are better spellers than 8 year olds, but it also makes sense that even a bright 13 year old who is a good speller will occasionally make a mistake. Why don't we ever see this? Even if they started spelling a word incorrectly, realised it, crossed it out and fixed it! I'm a decent speller but I still made the odd mistake at 13.
Of course, it also makes sense that the kids will be poor spellers as they're younger and learning, but there will always be some kids who can get through a paragraph with no mistakes! Additionally, how come the ten year olds make mistakes and the eleven year olds don't ever make any?!
I know this is a weird rant, but it seriously bugs me.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Jul 19, 2012 3:41:53 GMT -5
They are "professionals" that's why, and Kristy would not put up with any nuts if they messed up. As for Claudia, I guess they don't want to lose their meeting space if they say anything LMAO
I know she's much younger, but Karen has made spelling mistakes before.
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Post by greer on Jul 19, 2012 7:11:15 GMT -5
It makes sense to me, because with Claudia, kids *know* not to trust Claudia's spelling. There would be no cues to discern whether or not Stacey or Kristy, say, were spelling things correctly. My guess is that it was an editorial decision to not mix kids up.
Then again, I was always an excellent speller, so I never noticed it.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jul 19, 2012 13:02:21 GMT -5
I always felt the Claudia not being able to spell well was kind of like a scapegoat, just to foil the other girls who could spell perfectly. Almost like, "We have 1 bad speller! See! Everything's normal around here!"  |
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Jul 19, 2012 13:52:48 GMT -5
I never really gave it much thought, but yeah, it would have been a bit more realistic for the other girls to slip up every now and then. Like greer, I was always a good speller. Even I made the occasional spelling and grammar mistake, though. I still do!
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,251
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 19, 2012 14:54:48 GMT -5
for me it was something i noticed but never really thought about. but now that you mention it, it is kind of strange. by the end of the series that was hundreds of perfectly spelled postcards and entries. something that did bother me was sort of along the same lines -- how they always spelled bye as 'bye. i get WHY they did it, but it was weird how every single one of them did it.
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celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
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Post by celaeno on Jul 19, 2012 19:44:05 GMT -5
I agree with what's been said...I'm guessing it was the editors' decision to have proper grammar and spelling because kids (and some of their parents) who were reading the books would probably see the bad spelling/grammar and not understand that the writing was intentionally trying to mimic a real 13-year-old; instead there would probably be some in the audience who would be like "Geez, how did this get past the editor???" The only reason it was allowed with Claudia was because we were told explicitly in EVERY book that she was a bad speller (plus they exaggerated her poor spelling to the point that it was clear that it HAD to be intentional).
I think most people would be VERY surprised if they saw an average 13-year-old's writing and saw how many spelling and grammar mistakes there were. Sometimes I'll see a note or card from one of my younger cousins, and I can't believe how poorly it's written.
I know this shouldn't bother me that much, but it bugs me how they always write "Me, too" in the books instead of "Me too". To me, the comma signifies a slight pause in the sentence, and normally people say "me too" quickly enough that there's no pause. It's probably more correct with the comma, but for some reason it drives me crazy.
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Post by greer on Jul 20, 2012 0:40:09 GMT -5
"me, too" seems more correct to me, but that might be the influence of the BSC books.  |
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jul 20, 2012 0:48:01 GMT -5
I agree with what's been said...I'm guessing it was the editors' decision to have proper grammar and spelling because kids (and some of their parents) who were reading the books would probably see the bad spelling/grammar and not understand that the writing was intentionally trying to mimic a real 13-year-old Also, incorrect spelling is just hard to read in general. Not to mention that it doesn't help anyone develop a GOOD spelling ability. |
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,251
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 20, 2012 1:24:09 GMT -5
^ i agree. spending time online and seeing the same typos constantly makes me slow down and double check when i spell, and i've been writing a lot longer than bsc-age kids have.
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Post by helsieboo on Jul 20, 2012 6:26:15 GMT -5
Also, incorrect spelling is just hard to read in general. Not to mention that it doesn't help anyone develop a GOOD spelling ability. I agree with this point. Just think it would have been more realistic though to occasionally show someone else slipping up, even if they put a line through and corrected it after. |
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Post by wenonah4th on Jul 21, 2012 9:43:56 GMT -5
That would have made sense, Helen.
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Post by BuckinghamAlice on Jul 22, 2012 3:01:57 GMT -5
I was always an excellent speller, but I made mistakes as a kid and still do! I have been known to write/type too fast. I always felt bad for Claudia when, right after one of her horribly written notebook entries, the book's narrator quotes her bad spelling. ("Yes, Claud had a thghjhkeibrrible day indeed!" type thing.) It always seemed sort of smart ass to me, even though it's not like anyone but the reader ever knew. Though I have to agree that the good spelling and grammar from all the older kids was definitely an intentional choice. It is funny though that at 10, they can make mistakes and use very simple language, but once they hit 6th grade everything improves. I mean, being 11 will never be as cool as being 13, but you can be just as clever and adult like at 11! |
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Jul 22, 2012 17:52:24 GMT -5
I understand the intentional choices made about the spelling, but I've got no idea why almost all the younger kids and almost all the boys print only in capital letters. When there's a note written by a sitting charge who's old enough to know cursive, it's still usually printed in block capitals.
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Post by greer on Jul 22, 2012 23:55:16 GMT -5
I understand the intentional choices made about the spelling, but I've got no idea why almost all the younger kids and almost all the boys print only in capital letters. When there's a note written by a sitting charge who's old enough to know cursive, it's still usually printed in block capitals. Yeah, I'm really not sure why the decision was made that all kids and males write in all caps. I've never met anyone who wrote in all caps, actually, and I doubt Karen, for instance, would have been allowed to do so at school. |
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