Spelling mistakes in adverts

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Behodar

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#649873 3-Jul-2012 09:17

Today's Woosh press release is another example.

Richard Fry, GM of Operations explains, "Increasing numbers of New Zealander's are using smartphones and enjoy the convenience of the applications and address books on the devices. The high calling rates these phones incur, compared to landline prices - mean that many people switch to their landline when they are in the house."

You'd think that people dealing with the public would know when to use an apostrophe!

floydbloke

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#649925 3-Jul-2012 10:55

Behodar: Today's Woosh press release is another example.

Richard Fry, GM of Operations explains, "Increasing numbers of New Zealander's are using smartphones and enjoy the convenience of the applications and address books on the devices. The high calling rates these phones incur, compared to landline prices - mean that many people switch to their landline when they are in the house."

You'd think that people dealing with the public would know when to use an apostrophe!

and government agencies, snipped from this:
https://transact.nzta.govt.nz/transactions/NoticeOfDisposal/entry.aspx

NZTA: *if the vehicle was sold for parts or disposed of as a wreck, you need to cancel it's registration.

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

Digmarx

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#649939 3-Jul-2012 11:23

The more we interact with US English on the internet the more likely it is that we will absorb their language without being aware of it.

As an American expat and ESOL teacher in New Zealand, I'd more than agree. I'd even say it's inevitable given the lopsided cultural exchange and the rapid shift of modern English toward textual, expedience-based modes of communication.

I guess what I'd add, though, is that the influence isn't American, per se. English is an international language and is moving toward an equilibrium based on demographics. Kiwi English stems from British English but the fact that there are at most 4 million native NZE speakers and more than 300 million AmE speakers, it's natural that with more cultural exposure come changes in spelling, diction, etc. We're heading for Bladerunner's Cityspeak.

My pet peeves right now are: my (younger) students writing "gonna" and "wanna" instead of "going to" and "want to" and native speakers using "should of" rather than "should have".

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