On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 4:07 PM, john gilmore <[email protected]> wrote: > Where is the sow? I found a pen [female swan] in her [pig] pen. > > I recommended not eschewal but contextual disambiguation. > > Sometimes, of course, context is enough. Only someone hellbent to > misunderstand would suppose that > > "O'Doul has been sentenced to life in the pen" > > meant that he was to be sewn up inside a swan until he expired. > > Still, brevity should usually yield pride of place to clarity. > > John Gilmore Ashland, MA 01721-1817 USA
How about someone hell bent on using the wrong word that sounds like the correct word? I offer the Owed to a Spell Checker, formally know as "Candidate for a Pullet Suprise". http://www.bios.niu.edu/zar/zar.shtml http://www.bios.niu.edu/zar/poem.pdf Read aloud the words sounds correct, but he usually uses the wrong word for the context. CANDIDATE FOR A PULLET SURPRISE I have a spelling checker. It came with my PC. It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks aye can knot sea. Eye ran this poem threw it, Your sure reel glad two no. Its vary polished inn it's weigh. My checker tolled me sew. A checker is a bless sing, It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It helps me right awl stiles two reed, And aides me when aye rime. Each frays come posed up on my screen Eye trussed too bee a joule. The checker pours o'er every word To cheque sum spelling rule. Bee fore a veiling checkers Hour spelling mite decline, And if we're lacks oar have a laps, We wood bee maid too wine. Butt now bee cause my spelling Is checked with such grate flare, Their are know faults with in my cite, Of nun eye am a wear. Now spelling does knot phase me, It does knot bring a tier. My pay purrs awl due glad den With wrapped words fare as hear. To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should bee proud, And wee mussed dew the best wee can, Sew flaws are knot aloud. Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays Such soft wear four pea seas, And why eye brake in two averse Buy righting want too pleas. Jerry Zar, 29 June 1992 Jerrold H. Zar Graduate School Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 [email protected] (Current mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, same university) Title suggested by Pamela Brown. Based on opening lines suggested by Mark Eckman. By the author's count, 123 of the 225 words are incorrect (although all words are correctly spelled). Published in the Journal of Irreproducible Results, January/February 1994, page 13. Reprinted ("by popular demand") in the Journal of Irreproducible Results, Vol. 45, No. 5/6, 2000, page 20. Journal of Irreproducible Results, Box 234, Chicago Heights IL 60411 USA. Phone 708-747-3717; Fax: 708-727-3657; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.jir.com . -- Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA Where do Forest Rangers go to get away from it all? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
