Is The English Language Too Rich For The Average Spellchecker ?

[Canary42]

I often see examples of where this is probably the case. The one which inspired this post was "Nothing phased her" for "Nothing fazed her". Homophones seem to defeat the technology, and mislead the unwary.

https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/the-difference-between-faze-and-phase/

[douglas9401]

"ETYMOLOGY: 19c: variant of the dialect word feeze to beat off."

Once again illustrating the constant evolution and development of the language. :-)

[Canary42]

Sum of yew seam two bee missing thee point - if the Spellchecker can't take context into account, then it's useless (as this example shows).

[Nical]

Canary, I must be missing the point of your opening post. 'Nothing phased her' means 'nothing unsettled her'. 'Nothing fazed her' means 'nothing unsettled her'. There's no 'misleading of the unwary'.

[douglas9401]

The software's American as far as I know.
One should expect it to be like most things in the USA, clunky, made of wood and cast iron then covered in a thin, brightly coloured coating to conceal the actualité.

[Canary42]

Nical, one swallow doesn't make a summer. OK, by judicious use of Chambers you've pilloried my example, but that doesn't invalidate my premise, as we see from one or two other examples in this thread.

Happy now ?

[Nical]

Canary42, I know one swallow doesn't make a summer and I wasn't out to score points. I just felt the example shown wasn't the best, as it wasn't accurate. You'll have seen from the other posts that many others shared your view of phase/faze. I know there's no difference only because it cropped up a year or so ago.

[ichkeria]

Nothing “phased” her is plainly wrong. No matter the obscure alternative spelling Chambers gives.
But the example’s a poor one as pointed out because out of context both words are spelled correctly.

[jourdain2]

emmie, I used to teach this rhyme (it worked a treat).

'Whether the weather is cold,
Or whether the weather is hot;
We'll weather the weather -
Whatever the weather -
Whether we like it or not!'

[JimF]

"The size of the problem didn't faze him one bit". I can't imagine using "phase" here.

Similarly, "the new regulations were phased in a couple of years ago" - I can't imagine using "fazed" here.

[ABerrant]

Blame Samuel Langhorne Clemens...

The OED gives us:

[b]phase[b]

erroneous spelling of faze v., to discompose, disturb.

1889 ‘Mark Twain’ Yankee at Crt. K. Arthur (Tauchn.) II. 154 His spirit—why, it wasn't even phased.

1898 R. B. Townshend in Westm. Gaz. 19 Nov. 2/1 It don't seem to ‘phase’ him in the very slightest.

[ToraToraTora]

canary: "if the Spellchecker can't take context into account, then it's useless" - the clue is in the name, "spellchecker" it only checks for a valid word, not the wrong word. Some do have rudimentary grammar checking but that would not spot the wrong fazed/phased in your example because both are potentially valid in the absence of more of the sentence.

[ToraToraTora]

Further, computers have 0 intelligence and 0 comprehension, any decisions they make are the result of the programming instilled by a programmers interpretation of the rules of spelling and grammar. As we know the rules of that are incredibly complex and variable based on the context. When you can invert meaning of a sentence by punctuation alone then software is of limited use. It's very good at checking each word against a predefined list, AKA, spellchecking.

[douglas9401]

How would it deal with, oh, I don't know, "I'm on my fifth bottle of poo", Tora?

Perhaps a link to slurry spreading, fecal microbiota transplantation or even a niche sexual deviation.

[JimF]

It would tell you you haven't made any spelling errors - because you haven't. It may baulk at "poo" and suggest "pooh" if it doesn't have "poo" in its lexicon.

[bednobs]

interetingly (not with a capital i) i just read an article on the BBC that said "he wasn't phased".
The BBC for heavens sake!

[douglas9401]

Not with a lower case 's' either, bednobs. :-)

Talking of the BEEB, that long streak of sanctimony, Marcus Brigstocke, was clearly heard to use 'of' instead of " 've" on Radio 4 t'other night.

[ChillDoubt]

In this context, the only way she could have been ‘phased’ is if she was being shot by Captain James T. Kirk’s crew!

[ToraToraTora]

In order to pass through the quantum filter Mary needed to be phased accordingly, sadly everything we tried failed, in fact nothing phased her - there you go chill!

[ToraToraTora]

Mary was however unfazed at our inability to phase her correctly.