In my opinion, this string of thought has gone on way to long and really serves little purpose save filling our mailbox. Did I misspell anything? Brian W. Bray Director of Education Texarkana Museums System [log in to unmask] 903-793-4831 (w) 903-793-7108 (fax) ----- Original Message ----- From: Nadia Nasr <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 8:46 AM Subject: Re: museum education mia culpa > I would like to recommend sending spelling corrections to the individual > who sent the e-mail, off list, and allowing that person then to make the > decision to send an e-mail to the list pronouncing those corrections. I > understand the argument for public admonishment, but I also understand the > frustration and embarrassment of having your errors pointed out in front of > the entire "public audience" of the list when you are trying to pass on > helpful information. > > It's a suggestion. > > Nadia > > > At 02:17 AM 6/17/02 -0400, you wrote: > >Indigo, I dunno (not an acceptable spelling!), I guess I think not forgiving > >when one asks to be forgiven for a correction is more rude than having the > >temerity to make the correction. But maybe that's just me. It seems to me > >that scolding someone for the kind of messages they send is more of a public > >admonishment than merely pointing out an error. Notice that I called it > >scolding, which I think is a fair characterization, and I'm not trying to > >exaggerate the tenor of your complaint. But I disagree that corrections are > >necessarily rude. > > > >I knew I was risking flames when I provided two "corrections" within such a > >short span of time, and when I saw a message from you, I guessed what it was > >going to say. I thought long and hard before sending the mia/mea message. > >But I was sincerely trying to be helpful, because these weren't > >run-of-the-mill spelling mistakes. Long ago I stopped pointing out ordinary > >spelling errors and incorrect word choice (except when it created confusion), > >with one lapse ("Here! Here" for "Hear! Hear!"), which I admit may have been > >overdoing it. > > > >I've received corrections on email lists when I've made factual errors, > >miscellaneous gaffes, mistakes in dates, etc., and spelling inconsistencies > >(I've made my share), and I believe I've been appreciative of the information > >and accepted the corrections with grace. I don't consider them public > >"admonishment." If I make a public mistake, I expect public correction. One > >thing I won't do is attack someone for making a correction or say it's petty > >and rude to do so or taking up valuable space and time on the list, and I'll > >defend anyone who gets flamed for a tactful correction. I've been known to > >ask whether a topic is appropriate for the list, and I've joined in the > >discussion after someone got scolded for a supposedly inappropriate comment; > >but I don't think I've ever done any scolding per se--except for people > >ridiculing others. Some may recall a previous flap about Latin when a > >correction (not originally made by me) for a translation was ridiculed as > >petty. > > > >Last year in a lecture I misidentified the subject of a slide, and a member > >of the audience corrected me privately (with a smirk). My reaction was, "I > >wish you had said that when everyone was still here", so that all could have > >had the benefit of the correction. And I'd have had the opportunity to agree > >with the correction: some who knew I was wrong, but didn't speak up, probably > >thought I was addled. > > > >I don't worry about typos--I maek plnety msyefl (and people have gleefully > >pointed them out, which doesn't bother me--I consider that normal give and > >take). But "Yates" and "mia" clearly weren't typos. I agree that it's petty > >to give too many spelling corrections and I try to stifle the urge. However, > >you gave a quote and an attribution, and since people like to re-quote pithy > >sayings, I think it's useful to get it right rather than perpetuate a > >mistake. For all I knew, your source might have misspelled Yeats and it > >wasn't your error at all. Of course the error is understandable, and > >everyone makes mistakes--no need to be sensitive about it. Never having > >heard Yeats's name pronounced, I used to say "YEETS" instead of pronouncing > >it "Yates." I still recall with gratitude the person who corrected me. > > > >The point of correcting "mia culpa" is similar, plus the fact that Latin > >quotations usually connote erudition, which ups the ante, so I try to get > >them right and usually look them up to be sure. Again, some source might > >have made the original error, not our colleague. Since "mia" is a proper > >Italian word, confusion is understandable. I appreciated the message from > >William Maurer about taking greater care with e-mail messages, but I wish to > >point out that a spell-checker probably wouldn't have helped in these > >instances. > > > >I think the appropriate response to a correction is "thank you." Indigo, > >thanks for your advice, but I hope you see my point. No public admonishment > >was intended, just getting the name and the Latin phrase right. > > > >David Haberstich > > > >========================================================= > >Important Subscriber Information: > > > >The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > >http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > >information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail > >message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should > >read "help" (without the quotes). > > > >If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > >[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > >"Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > Nadia Nasr, Digitization Specialist > McCain Library (601)266-6493 > University of Southern Mississippi > Box 5148 > Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5148 > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).