< Derek Jensen Jan 12, 2:45 pm
Newsgroups: alt.language.english.spelling.reform
From: "Derek Jensen" <djen...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Date: 12 Jan 2005 14:45:25 -0800
Local: Wed, Jan 12 2005 2:45 pm
Subject: Re: speling refoermerz ov the werld ueniet!
Altho I'm in favor of fairly sweeping changes, none of the methods I've
seen or tried maintain enough of the look of English for my taste.
Spelling in a more Germanic way (lots of Ks and Zs) makes Romanic words
look terrible and spelling in a more Romanic way (lots of Cs, Qs, and
Ss) make Germanic words look terrible. There doesn't seem to be a happy
medium.
However, I regularly use simpler spellings in all my casual writing,
including business e-mails and websites (I maintain a few). I use thru,
tho, altho, thoro, thruout, and thoroly. No one seems to mind... but
neither does anyone seem to follow my lead.
I find English spelling to be fascinating, both mechanically and
socially. Everyone hates it and few are any good at it, but no one
wants to break the rules and defy the Microsoft spellchecker.
=D= >
i've been away for awhile, but i think about spelling reform fairly
often. mostly when i'm driving back and forth to and from work. i
like to imagine what the signs along the road would look like if they
were spelled phonetically. it's probably pretty much a waste of time,
of course. i don't think any radical change is likely to happen in my
lifetime. there would be just way too much work to bring about a
reform that a consensus would agree upon, and for what i would imagine
would be perceived as little benefit by the majority of
english-speakers.
i think perhaps those of us who are intrigued by spelling reform have
some deep need to see things work logically in the world. i am
personally somewhat of an idealist in many things. my fundamentalist
christian background may have something to do with this tendency what
with being raised hearing that some day everything will be made perfect
after the second coming of christ and all. though some may say that
idealism is a waste of time, i think some idealism is probably very
healthy. idealism, after all, led the fathers of the american
revolution to believe that a nation could be formed where everyone is
guaranteed the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
enough of my rambling for now. more on this later...
fone'tik speling translation:
iev ben awae' foer awiel, but ie think abou't speling refoe'rm faerlee
often. moestlee wen iem drieving bak and foerth too and fruhm werk.
ie liek too ima'jin wuht the sienz along the roed wud luk liek if thae
wer speld fone'tiklee. itz probablee pretee muhch a waest ov tiem, ov
koers. ie doent think anee radikal chaenj iz lieklee too hapen in mie
lieftiem. thear wud bee just wae too much werk too bring about a
refoe'rm that a konse'nsus wud agree upo'n, and foer wuht ie wud
ima'jin wud bee persee'vd az litl benefit bie the majoe'ritee ov
english-speekerz.
ie think perhaps thoez ov us hoo ahr intree'gd bie speling refoe'rm hav
suhm deep need too see thingz werk lojiklee in the werld. ie am
personalee sumwut ov an iedee'alist in manee thingz. mie
fuhndame'ntalist kristian bakground mae hav suhmthing too doo with this
tendensee wuht with beeing raezd heering that suhm dae evreething wil
bee maed perfekt after the sekond kuhming ov kriest and ahl. thoe suhm
mae sae that iedee'alizm iz a waest ov tiem, ie think suhm iedee'alizm
iz probablee vaeree helthee. iedee'alizm, after ahl, led the fahtherz
ov thee amaerikan revolue'shun too belee'v that a naeshun kud bee
foermd waer evreewun iz gaerantee'd the riet too "lief, libertee, and
the persue't ov hapines."
enuh'f ov mie rambling foer nou. moer on this laeter...
--tw
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