cacography (fwd)

[C. Endicott]

cacography ("kuh-KOG-ruh-fee'")  n.

  origin:  From the Greek "kakos", meaning "bad"
            and the Greek "graphe", meaning "writing"
           First published use in English: 1580


1. Bad spelling.

    "Neither company lists any titles by humorists who were
     contemporary to Mark Twain, such as Artemus Ward and P. V. Nasby.
     I suspect that this is because few modern readers can abide their
     dreadfully dated cacography. Who has the patience today* to
     struggle through a sketch such as Artemus Ward's "Women's
     Rights"?  It opens thus:

        I pitcht my tent in a small town in Injianny one day last
        seeson, & while I was standing at the dore takin morey, a
        deppytashun of ladies came up & sed they wos members of the
        Bunkumville Female Reformin & Wimin's Rite's Associashun,
        and thay axed me if thay cood go in without payin. "

     --R. Kent Rasmussen (February 14, 1995)
       (Dr. Rasmussen is author of "Mark Twain A to Z", and other works)



2. Bad handwriting.


 *Editors' note:
  Skilled "cacography" can apparently sell books as well.  Consider
  Thomas Pynchon's latest bestseller "Mason & Dixon", written
  entirely in 18th century English.  For more on the author and
  his work see:  <http://www.pomona.edu/pynchon/>  or
  <http://www.fsbassociates.com/pynchon/>










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