Musings on Language #2

[dehro]

ah..spelling.. that's another thing that I really don't get about english: spelling bees
how is being capable of spelling a word correctly worthy of a prize? and what is the big problem with spelling anyway?.. I mean.. you went to school, right? you read stuff, right? then you must have encountered words before.. how do you not learn how they're supposed to be written when you encounter them? people who suffer from dyslexia, I understand.. but everybody else should be able to spell at least the words they encounter normally, don't they? it seems to be a difficulty peculiar to english language, as is the pride connected to knowing your spelling (or conversely the heap of insults that rain on whoever fails at spelling)
in any other language I know off or speak a little, when you're past 10 you're supposed to know how to write words.
I don't think I've ever read anywhere on the web, the equivalent of "learn to spell" in any other language..
I genuinely don't get it.