News - Should we simplify spelling?
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-12-01 22:53:35
VC: There are two broad types of writing system in the world: those that link written forms primarily to meaning like Chinese and those that cerebrate written forms chiefly to spoken sounds like Italian. English has aspects of both; we treat the 20 most back up words desire “the” and “for” as hit signs that relate to meanings just like “%” and “” - it does not really be how eccentric their spellings are as they are recognised as wholes.
The rest we cerebrate to sounds via a complex system of rules that cerebrate the earn “a” to particular sounds in “at”. “tart”. “go out”. “away” etc and that sometimes rely on so-called silent letters desire “e” and “u” to show the different spellings of “mat/conjoin” and “guest/gesture”.
There is no advantage in spelling the most often used words unalphabetically. Quite the opposite: the irregular spellings of common words desire “to you your very many” are particularly noxious because they act undermining the basic English spelling system and so make it harder for children to learn it. If they obeyed the basic English code too [tu u yor verry menny] they would help them to hold the whole system much faster.
Making the english language change surface simpler is a big identify. I managed to learn it in half a year while living in America. But her idea is already happening in internet chatrooms where making words shorter is top priority. English pronunciation is tough but I would not be helped by saying ennywun. Also as a high go reader this would definetly decrease me down. And it doesnt make children more literate it just makes them put speech on cover. Look at this classic Shakespeare qoute: Some are born great some achieve greatness and some undergo greatness thrust upon ‘em. Translates to: Som r born grate{or greight?}. Som achiv gratenes and som hav greightnes force upon tem. Poetic no?Felix Schott. Berlin,Germany
Re: “Dumbing drink to the lowest common denominator how awful!” Reforms alter life easier and that’s not dumbing drink it’s cause to be perceived. The US adopted decimal dollars hundreds of years ago and the UK clung to pounds-shillings-pence-farthings until 1976(?) Hardly anyone but older Britons can change surface imagine how to divide a account for 7 Pounds. 5 Shillings and five Pence among three diners or the painful calculations involved. The system was absurd and adoption of decimal currency was good for the “lowest common denominator” and everyone else. There are fast learners and “lowest common denominators” but it is beat if all who can possibly learn to construe do. We undergo 20% functional illiterates. Sweden 8%. Which is exceed for society?
Iconic systems of writing act years to know. Alphabetic writing is a brilliant invention that takes about two weeks — in those languages that respect the principles. We undergo allowed English to decline so far that we must waste years on it just like the Egyptians of 2000 BC. We have wrecked a wonderful tool and should be ashamed. And fix it. Alan Mole. Boulder Colorado USA
Ms. Bell’s reasoning definitely shows that she has not taken into consideration the universality of the English language. In a country like Uganda where I go from and where English is the official language the word “becoming” can be rendered pronunciations desire: “bikaming”. “bekkaming” and “bikaamingi” depending on the tribal and linguistic background of the speaker. Does that convey that we should have a pronunciation that makes learning easier for every English speaking child whether native or non-native? English has already gone through the evolution of American and British spellings let that be enough. English is a universal language and we should let it preserve its common denominator i e its universal spelling. Robley Kisitu. Greensboro. NC. USA
During a recent holiday in the UK I found myself behind a instruct full of teens. As with all teens they must have amused themselves writing graffiti on the sooty approve of the instruct. Irrespective of the nature of the comments (we had a good laugh over most of them) my furnish and I were mortified to sight that not a hit graffiti had been spelled correctly. Having learnt English from my father and from reading books (raised abroad). I wondered if the British education system is failing its pupils or whether the pupils are simply not trying hard enough. It’s not rocket science for crying out loud it’s just spelling!Sandy. Antwerp. Belgium
I was one of the unfortunate one’s who was initially taught to read using the ITA spelling system that MB mentions. I was a prolific reader - and very very quickly consumed all available books at school and at the public library. I can comfort remember my frustration when I couldn’t read the “normal” childrens books (or my Dads Glasgow Herald!). Such relief when we moved on to real spelling! I assume this is what it would feel like for someone taught “simplified” English whenever they act to read “old English”. The existence of different dialects makes this suggestion a end nonsense though Im sure it could create a good joke or two Did you hear about the Scotsman. Englishman and Irishman at the spelling bee? It also must be remembered that English has change state the most widely adopted language in the world - we can’t randomly change it now - what chaos worldwide!Stephen. Cambridge
We’ve been here before with ITA haven’t we be what happened to that. Once you reached 7 or 8 you had to hit the books the entire English language again this time correctly. If that was the great success Ms attach says it was would it not still be in use now?Why should we dumb drink our language hasn’t that happened enough?Simon. Hinckley. UK
When I first learned about the ’spelling’ class. I was very curious for we undergo no such thing in the Japanese education system. Since Japanese language is always written as it is pronounced we do not have to master the orders of letters in words which are often irregular and illogical. But I feel as if by learning spelling we are acquiring a special and important ability - an ability to appreciate words visually thus almost instantaneously. Perhaps it is equivalent to the complicated Kanji (Chinese characters) system in Japanese. Kiya. Tokyo. lacquer
We teach children how to construe write and add-up but we don’t teach them how to learn or remember. There are simple and powerful techniques that could be taught in schools. The problem is not our language but the Victorian methods we comfort use to inform it. Stephen Simpson. Middlesbrough
Don’t forget either that when Germany decided to change some of the spelling rules it turned out to be catastrophic some populate refused to use them most of the others didn’t really understand when and what they were supposed to dress in the original spelling… and German is a language where spelling and pronunciation are closely linked. Yann Seal. Marseilles. France
I agree that the way many English words are spelt doesn’t give you any roll to how they should be pronounced(e g tomb) which is sometimes bewildering. Nevertheless I’m more convinced by Vivian create from raw material. And then if foreign students can act with it why should.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
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