Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Triple Word Score!

I've personally thought that when it comes to spelling and grammar, some people definitely take it too seriously.  What would make me care more? Perhaps my interest would spike if there were points involved.

I've played Scrabble only a few times in my life, and have vague memories of arguing over made-up words to get the highest score possible.  Maybe it's these repressed memories of losing terribly that have left me with such disdain for spelling.  There was a link to an article on the front page of Yahoo! that caught my eye. 

The article discusses how there are people other than journalists who really take word choice seriously, and competitively for that matter.  Right now, there is an argument over a change in the rules to allow three little words on to the board.  "Za," "qi" and "zzz" have now been added to the official list, allowing these high-valued letters gain players more points because Zs and Qs have the highest value in the game.

For those still scratching their heads over the meanings, "Za" refers to the slang term for pizza, "qi" is a Chinese-originated word for breathing, and "zzz" is what I'm sure a little bubble says that pops over my head when I sleep during my math class.

I know this may seem like a weak link to news editing, but it reminded me of how word choice continues to matter in so many different realms and helps me refrain from word enthusiasts as silly.  It also made me think of the "Man Bites Dog" headline game, which I hope to play again soon!

There really is value in language, in more ways than one.

2 comments:

  1. Nothing is too weak of a link to editing.

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  2. aah! I have nightmares about Scrabble, such an evil game for a bad speller like me. I agree with you that I don't care about some of these things, but I guess we have to get 'em right for those who do care, or our credibility suffers in their eyes....

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