Weather
‘Missing u (and e) in Bornmouth’ (From Dorset Beaches)
When news happens send us your pictures, video and views. Text BE to 80360 or contact us by email
‘Missing u (and e) in Bornmouth’
8:00am Saturday 23rd January 2010
BOURNEMOUTH might be popular for its golden beaches, artificial reef and raucous nightlife – but many Britons can’t even spell the name of the town, according to a survey by a hotel chain.
Along with Morecambe, Torquay and Scarborough, Bournemouth is the most commonly misspelled town in Britain, with a fifth of adults spelling it Bornmouth.
Approximately 20 per cent of Travelodge’s daily bookings are for places that are misspelled, which is what prompted the company to conduct its very own spelling test on 5,000 Britons.
Dr John Gledhill, from the Spelling Society, acknowledges that some places in Britain can be tricky to spell.
“Correctly spelling a location can be more difficult, because a place name may be a preservation of an old spelling that would have made sense when the place was named, but has little bearing on life today.
“The spellings could represent a pronunciation from any century from 1066 onwards that just happens to have stuck. Spelling these variants with their ancient roots is difficult, and often has little link with common sense.”
However, with the likes of Brighton, Gateshead and The Cotswolds in the top 20 of misspelled place names in the UK, some argue there are no excuses.
“Those are all very basic words aren’t they?” says Dr Andrew Norman, an author from Lilliput, Poole. “If you’d said somewhere like Aberystwyth, I could have understood.”
Dr Norman adds that when he was at school, spelling was drilled into students from a very early age. “Spelling was very important in my day – you would never have got through your O-levels if you didn’t know how to spell,” he says. “I’m from an older generation, and that’s how it was.”
Although spelling classes might not be quite so regimented these days, it is still a key element on the National Curriculum. So where is it all going wrong?
Part of the reason could be an increase in the use of computers, with spell-checkers and the internet coming into play. As comedian Russell Brand pointed out on his most recent tour: “I don’t like Google’s attitude. It’s a little bit smug isn’t it? If you make one little spelling mistake, it says, ‘Didn’t you mean?’ in sarcastic italics.”
Dr Norman warns about such tools: “People depend on machines now, but sooner or later they’ll be caught out.”
More Beach News stories
- No surfboards allowed on trains - it's an outrage says town's MP
- Boscombe reef gets its first surfing competition
- Visitor boost to Boscombe seafront following regeneration
- The Big Downwinder sets sail for Sandbanks
- Sports planned at Boscombe beach following surf reef opening
- Bournemouth small hotel rated among best in Europe
- Poole and Bournemouth join forces to promote 'the coast with the most'
- Poole tipped as one of the best places for UK "staycation"
Your Say YourDorset
Skatha, Poole says...
10:54am Sat 23 Jan 10
Take a listen to Wave105 local radio and hear how the young lady who reads the news pronounces it - Bornmuff !!!
Another word she regularly pronounces incorrectly is "ambulance" - she says "ambalance" !!!
I know we don't all have to speak with a plum in our mouth, but people in positions such as radioor TV presenters should speak correctly - it might just rub off onto other people ;-)
traindriver3ss, bournemouth says...
5:38pm Sat 23 Jan 10
Masha Bell, Wareham says...
8:08am Sun 24 Jan 10
They are historical relics that people have become very attached to but they cause teachers much additional marking. Some are also very confusing for young children (gave – have, bone – gone, ouch – touch)) and make learning to read much slower than it could be without them.
Many young texters are trying to improve matters. Perhaps we (u and i) should follow their exampl? The pamphleteers of the Civil War (1642-9) managed to rid hundreds of English words of their surplus letters (in, old, world). They must hav initially outraged some people too, but nobody would want to return to ‘inne, olde, worlde’ now.
The website www.englishspellingp
roblems.co.uk shows u the whole range of inconsistent English spellings which cause difficulties in learning to read and write.
tt52, bournemouth says...
5:34pm Sun 24 Jan 10
Bournemouth is famous for only one thing, building eyesores and filling sandbags with sand then chucking them in the sea.
HOT TOPIC: Despite its famous beaches, Bournemouth is often misspelled
traindriver3ss, bournemouth says...
10:51am Sat 23 Jan 10