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Joined: Jul 2005
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Strange... I'm reading a book, and I saw the word "setlement". Initially I figured it was probably a word I don't know, even though "settlement" made the right sense in the context; I'm prone to giving myself the benefit of the doubt. So I looked it up... and turns out there's no such word, and therefor it's, by all accounts, a typo.

I wouldn't say it's the first time I ran into typos in official production, but it is the first time this past two years. Anyone?

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It is an escalating trend, and but one element in the Decline of Civilization.


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typos do seem to be rare with the ubiquity of spell-check in publishing software, which only makes them all the more glaring when they do occur.

#159857 05/22/06 04:53 PM
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Didn't you get the memo? Civilization has officially bottomed out. But then you can't understand this text because all words have devolved to a meaningless, utterless state of degradation.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
#159858 05/23/06 12:45 PM
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Only once in the past two years, Woody? I see them in almost every book I read these days...

#159859 05/23/06 04:35 PM
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A
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It really sticks in my craw when I spend $$$ for a textbook and find that it is full of typos. It makes me feel like the authors and editors had very little respect for the material and/or their readers. God knows there are enough hungry English majors out there who could be hired to proof read.

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Feeling another diatribe coming on. Faulty spelling is bad enough especially with spell-check programs. But rampant illiteracy is truly appalling. About a week back, A. received an official memorandum written by one of those oafs who only think they know what i.e. means, as if "imbecile's example". This thing had a top-level manager's signature on it and effectively suggested that everyone's E-Mail address is something like 'JohnDoe@moronville.gov'. The manager passed the question sent to some lackey who had the audacity to suggest A. had not read the thing closely and it meant giving an example. That ninny now knows i.e. is the POLAR OPPOSITE of giving an example, but in this monkey read, monkey write society that letter still amounts to an illiteracy promotion.

Last edited by Aramis11; 05/23/06 04:57 PM.

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It's almost as bad as people who speak of themselves in Kafka-esque third person in hard to decipher diatribes.
And while we're diatribing about proper usage, what would be the "polar opposite" of giving an example - taking away a counter-example?

Last edited by Myridon; 05/23/06 05:01 PM.
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You with that same gripe again? Must have hated Bob Dole speeches. The polar opposite of an example is a specific citing, like videlicet (viz. for Defoe fans) or id est.

Last edited by Aramis11; 05/26/06 12:28 PM.
#159863 05/23/06 06:22 PM
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Quote:

... God knows there are enough hungry English majors out there who could be hired to proof read.




*raising hand*

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