[Katsunami]

I can see that more and more people who have started school after 1995 are getting into the workforce. How? Because spelling in the Netherlands is atrocious. It's not me being a grammar nazi, or someone to become angry about a spelling mistake here or there. Everybody makes mistakes or typo's now and again, me included. However, this is getting ridiculous. People aren't making mistakes; they're just guessing. This isn't language evolution; this is language dilapidation.

I see mistakes on packaging in the supermarket. I see mistakes on traffic signs. I see mistakes on websites of big companies, and even in official letters. (Sometimes, even in letters coming from the government.)

First: the dreaded "D/T" spelling problem... even though it is not difficult to get this correct. There are two simple rules to follow, and you'll ALWAYS get it correct. In this case, people are just guessing. I'm seeing people putting "D"'s at the end of words that only end in "T", or the other way around, or completely changing the meaning of a word, or creating spellings that don't even exist as a word.

Hout (wood)
Houd (to hold)

Hond (dog)
Hont (doesn't exist)

Brood (Bread)
Broot (doesn't exist)
Broodt (doesn't exist)

Or they are messing things up at random

Gebeurt ("Het gebeurt nu." -> "It happens now.")
Gebeurd ("Het is gebeurd." -> "It has happend.")
Gebeurdt (doesn't exist)


Let's just say... if you follow basic primary education and the first year of secondary education in the Netherlands, you should have had the two rules and the one exception to get this stuff right hammered into your head. Follow those rules, and there is NO GUESSWORK.

Second: Spaces. Dutch is NOT ENGLISH. We do not split words. If you do, you can, and often will, change the meaning.

"Computerscherm", NOT "computer scherm" (computer screen)
"Brandweerwagen", NOT "brandweer wagen", CERTAINLY NOT "brand weer wagen" (fire truck)

And yes, you stick EVERYTHING together in Dutch.

Two English sentences:

"After his promotion, he is now a commander of an aircraft carrier."
"After his promotion, he is now an aircraft carrier commander."

Dutch versions:

"Na zijn promotie is hij de commandant van een vliegdekschip." (NOT "vliegdek schip")
"Na zijn promotie is hij een vliegdekschipcommandant."

And changing the meaning of a word happens as follows:

"Ik heb driejarige paarden te koop." -> I have horses for sale and they're three years old.
"Ik heb drie jarige paarden te koop." -> I have three horses for sale and they're having their birthday.
"Hij is een langeafstandsloper." -> He is a long distance runner.
"Hij is een lange afstandsloper." -> He is a distance runner (who happens to be very tall).

This stuff isn't difficult. In the Netherlands, you stick stuff together... apart from (some) exceptions.

Third... I could go on and on.

I've ranted about this before, but the problem has increased at least tenfold since then. Back then, there weren't mistakes on packaging, street signs or official letters; and now there are. It won't be long (another 10 years I guess) before we can just abolish official Dutch spelling and tell everybody to just do WTF they feel like.