Linda Arbuckle on sun 21 sep 97
In response to Lori's response to the original nudge about
advise/advice...I don't think it was at all cruel. Better to find out
among friends than to write someplace that isn't about sharing
information... like your gallery, or writing for a grant... and make the
same mistake. Someone corrected me about word use, and my initial
reaction was defensiveness ( I think I just didn't like being wrong),
after which I appreciated the tip. I still have spelling problems, and
am thankful for my word-processor spell check. I hate looking like a
dork on official paperwork, or having glaring proofing errors. So, kudos
to the ClayArt grammar/spell checker, at least for this once.
Linda
--
Linda Arbuckle
Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator
University of Florida, Box 115801, Gainesville, FL 32611-5801
e-mail:arbuck@ufl.edu (Note: this is a new e-mail address)
Talbott on mon 22 sep 97
You can advise someone without giving too much advice... be polite!
Reminds me of a college prof who gave her class a handout on the grading
system in regards to a term paper... the handout went on to say that for
each mispelled word your grade will be dropped by one letter grade... When
I (her student at the time) went to the prof and showed her that she
misspelled the word "mispelled" she was pissed... The professor obviously
was missing the point of why a student writes a term paper. It is the
acquiring of knowledge for one's benefit that counts and not the accuracy
of one's spelling or grammar... that is why their are copy editors right!
Just think about how your advice will affect someone's feelings or is it
effect?
1ST ANNUAL CLAYARTERS' GALLERY - NAPLES, MAINE (Summer 1997)
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/cag/naples.htm
2nd ANNUAL CLAYARTERS' GALLERY - NAPLES, MAINE (Summer 1998)
Details will be forth coming!!!
Celia & Marshall Talbott, Pottery By Celia, Route 114, P O Box 4116,
Naples, Maine 04055-4116,(207)693-6100 voice and fax,(call first)
WBS Live Chat Room, Sat Nites 10 PM EDT & Sun Afternoons at
1 PM EDT Private Room: Clayarters E-MAIL: clupus@ime.net
Lori Leary on mon 22 sep 97
I am glad for the discussion on this thread. I appreciate the public
and private posts; I have enjoyed reading the various viewpoints.
Clayart is a variation of public speaking......addressing thousands of
people. Scale this down to 35 people in a room having a topical
discussion. Someone chooses to correct the speaker's grammar. Is this
helpful? Does it serve any purpose? Does it add to the substance of
the discussion? To me, it borders on heckling.
I have read posts with spelling and grammar mistakes that have made me
wince. I have also read well crafted, interesting letters that were a
delight to read. But I would hate for someone who may have something
wonderful to share with Clayart NOT submit a post....for fear of an
altercation with the spelling and grammar police.
As a courtesy to other list members, it is important to be as clear and
as correct(this includes spelling and grammar) as possible in our
writings. But, if someone has a good idea, a great ^6 glaze, or a
wonderful story to share, please do....I sure don't want to miss
anything.
The point here is clay and what we do with it.
As an aside: in my original post I used the word "cruel". Perhaps that
was a tad bit inflammatory. Perhaps "unkind" or "thoughtless" or even
"cranky" would have been a better choice of words.
Lori
lleary@sccoast.net
Pawleys Island SC
remembering how much fun it was to learn the new phrase
"boky parts" on Clayart last spring
Susan L. Ross on tue 23 sep 97
Hi All --
Turns out I like quotes. I grabbed a few from Tongue Fu!, How to Deflect,
Disarm, and Defuse any Verbel Conflict, by Sam Horn. I'd like to share these
as they may (or may not) pertain to this topic (or any other topic):
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right
place,
but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment"
Dorthy Nevill
"It is better to swallow words than to have to eat them later"
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence"
Anonymous
"Patience is never more important than when you're on the verge of losing it"
Anonymous
"We can be right or we can be happy"
A course in miracles
"If you can laught at it, you can live with it"
Erma Bombeck
Just looking to spark some food for thought... :-)
Su
Potting in Piedmont CA
RubySuMoon@aol.com
Paul Lewing on tue 23 sep 97
Lori,
Thank you for amending your characterization of my post about spelling
from "cruel" to "thoughtless" and "cranky". I think that would
perfectly sum up my mood when I sent that post off. Have you ever
sent one off and wished as you watched it go out that you could call
it back? Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. It was never my
intention to humiliate anyone or discourage participation in Clayart.
But please let me say this. Language is a tool, and writing is a
craft, and they both are used to express ideas. It amazes me that
people who use one set of tools to practice one craft to express one
set of ideas, and do so almost obsessively for a lifetime, would not
be just as concerned about the other craft, the use of its tools, and
the accurate expression of that set of ideas. When I see
misspellings, misplaced apostrophes, and such, it grates on me much
the same way that, on a pot, a sharp rim or sloppy trimming, or a
poorly applied glaze would. I was going to say that this kind of
thing makes me think that whoever is writing it also couldn't know
much about their subject either, until I saw the posts from Ron and
Mel. I don't think anything could shake my respect for them. But
that was always the reaction I had to George Bush when he referred to
"nuc-u-lar" weapons.
I love spelling checkers, too, because, while I'm a good speller, I'm
a terrible typist. But they don't know what you mean when you use a
real word in the wrong place. I'm sure ewe awl no witch words I
reefer two.
So I've learned my lesson. I'll keep my pedantry to myself from now
on. But my private e-mail was about 20 to 1 in the vein of "Right on!
And how about "your" and "you're", and "definately", and
"consistant"", and so on.
Paul Lewing, Seattle
Russel Fouts on wed 24 sep 97
>> Clayart is a variation of public speaking......addressing thousands of
people. ....... I have read posts with spelling and grammar mistakes that
have made me wince. <<
Also keep in mind that English is not the first language of many people on
this list. I've met many people who "lurk" simply because they think their
written english is so bad. It's really a shame because these are really
interesting people who do interesting things and have a lot to contribute.
Russel (who works in English and French everyday but couldn't WRITE French
to save his life!)
PS taking good care of his "boky parts".
------------------------------
Barbara Lewis on fri 26 sep 97
I always assumed misspellings were just "typos," realizing that not everyone
has a secretarial background like me. I think as long as we can understand
the intent of the message, so what about misspellings. I really like those
like Mel who type without any capital letters -- their messages look like an
art form. Very anti-establishment! I would like to encourage more people
to take an active part in the dialog at Clayart. I am realizing now,
because of conversations about NCECA, that a lot of Clayart participants
have met one another at NCECA Conferences and have developed more meaningful
relationships over the years. I, for one, am new and would like to
encourage those "lurking" to just jump right in. I have March 25th marked
on the calendar and will be looking forward to meeting Clayarters this year
at NCECA. Barbara
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>>> Clayart is a variation of public speaking......addressing thousands of
>people. ....... I have read posts with spelling and grammar mistakes that
>have made me wince. <<
>
>Also keep in mind that English is not the first language of many people on
>this list. I've met many people who "lurk" simply because they think their
>written english is so bad. It's really a shame because these are really
>interesting people who do interesting things and have a lot to contribute.
>
>Russel (who works in English and French everyday but couldn't WRITE French
>to save his life!)
>
>PS taking good care of his "boky parts".
>
>------------------------------
>
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