Hello there.
In the scheme of things, what I'm going to raise with you today isn't a major issue.
In fact, it's such a minor woe that I doubt it would even register as a frivolous #FirstWorldProblem. Because it's smaller problem than that; a much more localised issue.
Very local - to me - in fact.
And yet I know I'm not the only one who's afflicted by it. Maybe you've been affected by it where you live. Or maybe it's not where you live ... but who you are; your name I mean ...
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... people misspell my address. Often. [I know! It's heart-breaking isn't it?]
In the town name people regularly add in an extra letter where one doesn't belong. There's only one 'O' in it. I assure you.
There are two 'S'es in Teesside. Honestly.
Just think of it as meaning: an area that's at the 'side' of the river 'Tees' ... because that's precisely what it does mean. Therefore it needs two 'S'es to make any sense, otherwise the river would have to be called the Tee. Which it isn't.
Because it makes me suspect that they think that I'm the one who's spelt it incorrectly in the first place!
And, if there's one thing I like less than someone getting my address wrong ... it's them thinking that I did!!
But hey ... like I say ... it's not such a big deal really. Live and let live eh?
I mean it's not like I was so bothered by it that I went to all the effort of documenting my frustrations via the medium of collage, and then blogging about it ... is it? Oh ...
So ... over to you ... tell me I'm not alone!
- What turns you into an irrational spelling pedant?
- Do you have a name / location that no one ever gets right?
Julie :-)
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p.s: Yes I'm aware that, after writing this post, spelling-karma will come round to bite me the next time I have to copy out a customer's address onto a parcel! Trust me I'm going to be proof-reading like my life depended on it from now on ...
Posts
people always spell my surname wrong even after I spell it out to them, I'm sure they think I've made a mistake!
ReplyDeletePeople spell my surname wrong and even computer databases get it wrong. Why? because they are programmed to assume that any name beginning Mac is automatically mac something and, therefore, needs a capital E as the next letter. This makes me MacEy. So even a machine thinks I can't type or spell!!! It certainly gets Mr M annoyed, but he has had the name longer than me
ReplyDeleteGah! Paranoid about my spelling when sending you stuff now, and off to double check my address book... ;)
ReplyDeleteWe suffered similar-but-different growing up in Herefordshire, which people (because it's such an unheard of backwater) regularly corrected to Hertfordshire. Obvs a totally different county, and the cause of much missing mail. I've also had people do the same to me in person, because apparently I look like I'm thick enough to tell them I spent my entire childhood in 'Hertfordshire', but not even manage to say it right. Grrr!
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My unmarried surname was Thackray NO E BUT WITH AN A!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete(No it didn't bother me either that it was rarely spelt correctly - even if someone had copied it from a form I had filled in).
I was convinced taking my DH's surname would solve the issue - isn't it OBVIOUS that Hallett is spelt with two L's (most people get this correct) BUT ALSO TWO T'S.
And why do I feel embarrassed when I have to correct people?
My husband once had something addressed to Mr Quayworth. Why would they choose the more obscure spelling of Key? Our town has an apostrophe which is a recipe for disaster, even some of the council signs miss it out. I feel like going round with a paint brush and adding it in but that would clearly end up with me being arrested for vandalism rather than being praised for correcting their grammar!
ReplyDeleteIt's been intriguing reading the comments on this one!
ReplyDeleteThe place where we had our wedding reception can be spelt in two different ways. We made the mistake of spelling it on the invitation in the way which isn't featured on the Road Sign. So everyone thought we had got it wrong..
The spelling of my street (Billinghurst) baffled Spanish speaking locals. It turns out this was the surname of the first expat that chose to besome Argentinian. No doubt he had a "difficult" name.
ReplyDeleteMy surname is sooooo easy everybody gets it wrong. Can´t be THAT easy, can it? ;)
Good on you for documenting your frustrations! I live in a village called Culcheth. For some reason no one can ever spell it and everyone repeats it back like its a question. Culcheth?
ReplyDeleteSuch entertainment in the comments as well as the post! My own particular beef is with my parents - who gave me the name Margot (with a 't') and my sister Anne (with an 'e') when they knew jolly well that we'd have to spell the complicated Scottish surname too!
ReplyDeletePeople spell our town name wrong every time. There are "two Ps, not in a row" in our town name but all non locals what there to be 3 Ps, with 2 in a row, in it. They also throw random E's into my last name, probably the E's they remove from my first name.
ReplyDeleteI love that you felt drawn to make a collage about this! I live on the Isle of Mull but people always sing that annoying song, Mull of Kintyre at me when I tell them where I live. It's about a completely different place!
ReplyDeleteMy mom had the *audacity* to name me Mary Bridget, and when people aren't calling me Mary Beth or Mary Anne, they're spelling Bridget wrong! I usually just go by Mary to avoid this, but on the rare occasions when I do use it I always have to say "one T, no E", otherwise I'm getting Brigette, or Bridgett...etc, etc. =)
ReplyDeleteWith a maiden name that could legitimately be spelt any number of ways and a current surname which leads itself to many misspellings, you have my sympathy. But in general, it's the 'its/it's' débacle even among big name scrappers which really makes me sigh. I might do a blog post on it :).
ReplyDeleteMy married name is Parkhurst and the amount of people that call me Pankhurst drives me crazy - I am quite flattered that they think I might be a distant relative of those amazing women but even when I spell it out to people they seem to automatically turn the r into a n. So now I always say 'It is Parkhurst as in the prison, not Pankhurst as in the suffragettes' Which causes much eyerolling from Mr P and usually he is found muttering about changing his name as he thinks Pankhurst is more suited to me LOL. Oh and I even had a new bank issue me a chequebook with my name as Pankhurst despite my application form saying Parkhurst
ReplyDelete