DOES SPELLING COUNT?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 8

DOES SPELLING COUNT?

■■'■■■ discussion on examination ■■ - ; ::.,:' ■■.•:; papers. ; :■• ■. ;.' : . ',' •;•".'(nr ;TEr.E(iiUi;u—ritEss association.)■■''.'o ,'" ;■', : " ■'• . Auckland, January 29. C bhould examiners in history in the matriculation examinations take cognisance of •errors; in spelling and composition? This was. a question that , gave rise to a brief but interesting discussion at to-day's sitting of tlur Senate of the University,of New 2ea-l land.-.. The matter .arose out of< a clause nV a report.->by the Authors and Periods Committee, which, through its chairman '(Pro-' fcssor # ,J.;Macmi]lan Brown), submitted-.the! .following-' recommendation in regard : t<>-.''a'" letter that had been received ■ from Mr; J.Grossman, the examiner in history : f6r matriculation:— , '■"■-, ' ' ,;• .'■ ■■ ..:■■-':.:; ' " any-, paper-disfigured by'griiss vulgarities be disqualified;; (2) that .examiners be instructed: to. take into consideration- 'the' spelling ancT composition' in■" valuating/'the candidates."- :;■' :'-,„ ■ '■;": ■■■■■ 'ilie first reconimeridation wasuhanimously agreed;to-without discussion,-;but'.the secofti met with opposition- from a majority .of-the members of the'senate. ' ;"' " ■: '■■'■•'■ ■.-Mr. Fv E.■ Baume, M.P., thought that M tne -senate adopted the recommendation, it .would be placing: a.dangerous power in'the- - hands of : examiners, as-it would.make -it .possible a ; candidate, who had ; a. thorough knowledge- of. tlio: particular-subject in' Question to be .prejudicei by, .errors.: in .-spelling--and composition. The same principle might Dβ.applied to, other subjects, ichemistrv . for llistaiice.. .If- it ™ S thoughtvaesirable thai' iinglish composition: sJiould .-form ; part of 4 person s'examination they should make English a compulsory subject for the degree ex;ammatibiis; . : • ■■;■•,' ■■.'/.'■.'-;-.v':.:-'i'.?'...:\;.:>, ,; : Mr. .Q. '..-Hoghpn,. who agreed . with ■ Mr:.' iJaumey said that p ridiculous degree of accuracy in spelling was required by English' examiners., Chaucer was a great'poet, , but he could not.spell, he added,-quoting Artemus Ward.. . (Laughter.)'' .'■ ,L : ' -■'' : ..Mr.-.-.vori-: Haasti I have.known- of a- pro-" mment member of a, College Board of.Governors,,a..very': learned, man, , who absolutely could not;.speli: at,all. ' '~ .. ;■ .-: ; - ■': ■ w\.Hogben,..continuing, said that an exaggerated, -importance;.was attached to spelling., by. the English people. ;A,similar-.im-portance, whs not attached-to the'subject in. I l ,rahce and. Germany. ~. '.■,': -.. a The Chancellor: If.may. be a question of two methods .of-spelling. .•-■•:■...-■ Mr. Hogben: :Noi that, is. not'.so: men a word•is > spelt with a wrong letter-without •aiiecting the'pronunciation, no' notice is taken of it. In certain cases, of course, in Regard_to papers on, English, it was quite right .that attention's-hould be given to both spelling■; and composition, but in a history paper an exnminer,,lie argued, should mark tor history, or, if. it. was a geometry paper-he should mark for: that subject., : Hβ had known" an examiner in history examinations that he' had been connected with to mark for punptuation,,and he (the examiner).had; been asked to'revise, his system'of marking. If they were going to markif or incorrect - spelling in history,, should they, not also .mark for bad ; mathematics when incorrect figures appeared lira-history or •economics paper, without aftectmg. the. correctness or otherwise, of the answers? :■; ■- : v A ■• . '-.../ .-The Cliancellor, in speaking of punctuation,; said ■he . had yet to learn that it wasan; essential: part; of composition. Punctuation was not. an exact science, and-.it/was rarely that they found two'.persons or-even two printers 'whose; punctuation was similar. At; the'saine;:time, to pass over incorrect, spelling-was a very different thing. .'. Professor' J. R. -Brown said that if he discovered gross mis-spelling in-any paper dis-. closing a fundamental ignorance , of the world, he would make some deduction on account of it. . -■ . •.■■-.- .-.. . ; - After further discussion, the committee's second recommendation was by elevenvotes to eight. L . ..-• • - '•■■■ / ,- . •