So we’re standing in the ridiculously long queue of a hot, over-crowded supermarket today when a pack of jelly tots in the “walk this way and buy more stuff you don’t need on the way to the cashier” isle catches my eye. And I explode! My fiance, who by now is just as hot and uncomfortable as I am and has heard me complain about this particular issue before tactfully turns to me and says: “Sweetie, don’t just moan about it – write an article on your blog” (interpretation: I really don’t have the energy to listen to you gripe about this again).
So – here it is: Jelly tots shapez and Jelly tots crazi berries !!!!! Anybody see the problem?!?
Why, oh why would perfectly well-educated, intelligent marketing people use such blatantly incorrect spelling on their products targeting children?!?!?!
Seriously! We live in an age where language skills and spelling ability are dropping at alarming rates every year, no thanks to our children spending the majority of their waking time (including time spent in class) texting on Mix-it (is that how it’s spelled?) and WhatsApp.
I start noticing it everywhere I turn and like a thorn under my skin it starts irritating me to no end. I picked up an over the counter pain medication today only to read that a few minutes after taking it, you’ll feel so much “betta”. And then turned to see rows upon rows of products ending in that horrible post-fix “kidz”
ARRGGHHHH!
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
Admittedly, I’m no spelling-whiz and being from an Afrikaans family and having attended Afrikaans schools I often find myself reaching for the dictionary when writing in English. But I am pretty confident in my own ability to spell words such as “shapes” and “kids”.
I understand that all languages evolve and that the English we speak now will be very different to the English future generations will speak in a few hundred years’ time. But put a little creativity into it, People! Make up new creative words for new creative products by all means, but do not start building a new language by eroding that which we currently have.
Thanks for listening – I feel better already 🙂
