Am I writing this correctly? is the question we ask ourselves when dealing with place names and geographic locations.
COLUMN: AM I WRITING THIS CORRECTLY?
Let me get straight to the point. I will skip a written introduction, thereby breaking all the rules regarding commercial correspondence. I simply can’t resist.
Being able to write and read is a right for everyone, which is why compulsory education was raised to 18 years on August 1, 2007, giving everyone the opportunity to gain some education.
Some people already write flawlessly in the sixth grade, while others refuse to do so and remain inadequately literate long after leaving compulsory education, standing at the sidelines of the grammatical field.
Punctuation like periods and commas seem unnecessary to them, and why use a capital letter if no period precedes it? Sentences become as long as a boa constrictor, and due to the absence of punctuation marks, readers risk losing their breath entirely.
These individuals often use the excuse that they didn’t stay in school long enough or simply that school was a damn obligation. Everyone had the time and opportunity to master reading and writing. The question is simply: did we want to? The time when everyone needed to become a doctor, lawyer, or teacher is decades behind us. Only those born before or during World War II can somewhat hide behind an apology for their ignorance of Dutch grammar due to insufficient education. Everyone else has had opportunities.
Let me be clear: no one writes without mistakes. Making mistakes is human, and because we are human, we make mistakes. Simple, right? Even I write with mistakes – just ask Marc Engels, my editor.
However, writing behavior on social media is appalling. After years of wistful observation, I have learned to put things into perspective. Not everyone is equally smart or motivated to write flawlessly. There are also lazy people who don’t bother, and certainly those who find written expression challenging.
The group that really bothers me consists of those individuals who write straight ahead without punctuation. Please put a period at the end of a sentence so readers can catch their breath. And after placing a period, start the next word with a capital letter. This helps maintain our breathing rhythm and makes the text more understandable.
Another group of people is the careless ones—those who write thoughtlessly, assuming everything they write will be understood exactly as intended. They balance on the edge of linguistic anarchy. Let me illustrate with some examples to make it clearer.
On Facebook, many location names are posted. Palm-Mar – with a hyphen and two capital letters – is the only correctly written and official place name for this district of Arona. Even on the concrete arch as you enter via TF-653, it’s incorrectly spelled. Whether you call it poetic freedom or artistic deviation, it’s still spelled incorrectly.
Dozens of variations of Palm-Mar appear, followed by even more distorted versions. Some names closely resemble El Palmar, located more than fifty kilometers to the north. Another typical example is the misspelling of names like La Caleta or Las Galletas, which appear in numerous incorrect forms.
Adege or Adeche, Los Americos, San Isidori, Porto da Cruz, Tahajo, Los Christianos, and many more locations are frequently misspelled.
Granted, even when spelled incorrectly, I can still recognize these places because I am an old hand familiar with almost every municipal location in Tenerife. But imagine someone who’s never been to the island, preparing for a trip and frequently googling. I bet Google won’t return results if you type Tahajo, or you might end up in Madeira if you enter Porto da Cruz…!
Incorrectly spelled place names lead to incorrect locations or nowhere at all because they simply don’t exist.
This is precisely the reason I wrote this column, ‘Am I Writing This Correctly?’, to highlight the importance of using correct place names. If you wish to write more and publish longer texts, occasionally use a period. A comma is welcome too. This way, you show respect for your readers and use at least 2% of available punctuation marks. A good start—keep it up.
Guy Devos © Photography
Am I Writing This Correctly? ©
More TRIVIA can be read [HERE].
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