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#1 2009-09-05 01:57:14
- phrontister
- Real Member
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The Spelling Chequer
Inspired by various versions of this poem on the internet, I saw possibilities for a near-total spelling derailment...and here's what I came up with.
It may look like absolute gobbledegook at first glance, but try it with someone who's a good reader and get them to read it out aloud to you - fairly quickly and smoothly (they may need to have a bit of a run-through first).
You'll probably find as I did when someone read it to me (including some other 'uninitiated' friends), that the reader won't have a clue whatsoever about what they're reading, but to the hearers, who aren't tricked by the alternative spellings, it will (might?) be quite clear!
All except the proper names and acronyms are valid words found in the SOWPODS word list, which contains British-English and American-English words allowed in Scrabble 'double-dictionary' play. If you run the poem (and the extra bits) through a SOWPODS-armed spellchecker, no errors will be reported.
The Spelling Chequer
aka 'Anne Owed too the Spell Ling Cheque Err'
(buy Hen Ree Word's Worth Long Fell Lowe)
Rede Pea Esses (bee lo) fur st
Eye have ah spell ling chequer –
It kaim withe my pea sea.
It plane lee marque's four miry view
Miss steak psych an knot cee.
Eye's try ka quay an tie pa whirred
And weight faw it too sei
Weather eye 'am rong oar write –
It shew's mi stray ta whey!
As sue NASA missed ache is maid
(it nose bee four to long)
Then eye cann put thee airer rite –
Its' rare lea ever rong.
Eye have run this pome threw it
(witch yaw sure lee plea's two no!)
Its let ur purr feck tall the weigh –
My Czech er tolled mi sew.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Of coarse, iff few doo the saim and run awl this threw you're spell ling cheque er to, the ree's alt faugh yule bee just as prefect (butt yore Czech err mussed bee worth it sault!)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Pea Ess.................Bet ur read doubt allow dan dun's pea dilly (hint: reed read as read – dont reede it as read).
Peep Ee Es............This pome was nom inn eight ted as ah canned id eight fore ah Pullet Surprise.
P Pea Pe Ess..........En knee 'pea queue lea are' word's (knot name) tsar inn these Crab Bull® diction heir ee!
Pe Peep E Pea S.....Play sing the em fah siss on the write cill ah bull is ess sen shool!
Last edited by phrontister (2009-09-05 02:29:33)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
#2 2009-09-05 04:49:53
- quittyqat
- Super Member
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Re: The Spelling Chequer
I put it through my spelling checker and it found errors.
I'll be here at least once every month. XP
#3 2009-09-05 08:54:52
- phrontister
- Real Member
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Re: The Spelling Chequer
Hi quittyqat,
Most English spell checkers are regional (either American English or British English), and unless you have a SOWPODS one (not actually available, AFAIK) your checker will show errors.
I used the OSPD - "Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary" (American) and OSW - "Official Scrabble Words" (British) for this. "SOWPODS" is just a popularised rearrangment of the combined OSW and PODS letters to make that combination pronounceable.
The OSW contains many more words than the OSPD, so it's likely that for this poem more errors will appear when using an A.E. spell checker than a B.E. one.
It's only an over-the-top exercise in silliness - as is the original poem (although nowhere near the extent of my version) - but it does highlight one of the limitations of spell checkers.
But...all the words are definitely valid, and would be allowable in international Scrabble tournaments that allow 'double-dictionary' play (which tournaments between A.E and B.E. players generally do).
Of course, just to add to the confusion, I also went for obscure word-choices where possible, which spell checkers that mainly comprise standard/common words would miss.
I also threw an out-of-place apostrophe or two into the mix...just highlighting a further flaw in electronic spell checkers.
Last edited by phrontister (2009-09-05 09:25:30)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson