Quote:Here we go again.
The "spelling" convention which David attempts to foist onto others lacks precision:
does "n" mean "n," or does it mean "an" or does it mean "and?"
OK; u caught me there,
fair n square. I had not thought of that.
I have always used n to represent the word
and,
inasmuch as it is sometimes pronounced that way,
and it is faster; that usage was created in deference to speed and ease.
Quote:This may not be a problem for a native speaker of English in most situations, since they can rely on context. The same cannot be said for literally hundreds of millions (if not actually billions) of people who learn standard English for sound professional reasons, but who will lack the sophisticated understanding of English to infer meanings from context. Given that many, if not most, of those hundreds of millions are learning English, quixotic spellings such as those David uses serve only to introduce confusion.
OK.
I will also concede that point.
When I am directly addressing someone who I know
to be in that situation, then I am sensitive to that
and try to help him out, as the occasion requires.
For the most part, the people whom I address
r fully conversant with English and don 't need much support in this regard.
Quote:There are other reasonable objections to it, as well.
A major one is that it is based on what David considers the appropriate pronunciation of words,
and therefore is a parochial conceit.
This is true.
I have been promoting the Tom Brokaw mode of English speech
as the world wide standard. I have expected to be attacked more forcefully
for parochial arrogance than I have been; perhaps that is yet to come.
Quote:Would he write schedule as "skedyul?"
I 'd write it : " skedule "; I can see your way too,
with the understanding that it is only one syllable.
Please note that I have no wish to be the final arbiter
of polished to perfection fonetic spelling.
I leave that to specialists.
I merely seek to show that the old paradime is illogical
( for modern pronunciation, as distinct from obsolete older Germanic forms ),
to accelerate the abandonment of the few non-fonetic forms
( e.g., the " UGH " that is added, uselessly, to the word tho ).
The vast majority of English is ALREADY fonetic.
That is Y children have been told to " sound it out " when learning to read.
Quote:To the native speakers of English in every other English-speaking nation other than the United States,
that word is pronounced "shedyule."
The examples of pronunciation distinctions are numerous.
This is true: enter Mr. Brokaw.
Quote:Others arise from imprecision.
David chooses to spell could, should and would as "cud," "shud" and "wud."
Do cows chew the "could?"
Again, I concede the point as to cows' chewing material.
This arises from my belief that reference to fenomena
of bovine mastication is so infrequent, as to be negligible.
Quote:Does "wud" mean would or wood?
I wud have the teaching in school be that the current spelling of wood
will remain intact and undisturbed.
Quote:Even if David does not pronounce the "l" in these words, others do.
THIS assertion comes as a big surprize.
I have never heard anyone try to do that.
I fear that an endeavor to accomplish that wud entail
unnecessary peril of sprain of the TMJ.
Quote:Does "r" stand for "are," or does it stand for "our?"
The concept here is that in the word " are " only the middle letter
is ever pronounced; hence, the other 2 letters r wasted n of no value.
Note, incidentally, that I advocate retaining use of silent letters,
if thay r of use as guides to pronounciation; e.g., I 'd preserve
the e in Rome, inasmuch as it tells us to apply a long O.
Quote:Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. attempted to foster "rational" spelling when he was the President,
Thank u for bringing that up.
Quote:although he was canny enough not to require it, not to attempt to enforce it.
I was under the impression that he attempted to require the use of
fonetic spelling within the Executive Branch, but that Congress defeated him.
However, I have not confirmed this.
U might be right.
Quote:He failed. David will fail as well.
On that last point, we disagree.
In my opinion, continuing to carry ( indefinitely )
such a useless burden is doomed; I have compared it
to everyone carrying around 10 pounds of useless iron all the time,
in deference only to TRADITION.
Inevitably, at some point, our species will say that enuf is enuf,
and abandon the non-functional burden, regardless of whether I had ever existed.
I contrast the few non-fonetic aspects of English
against Spanish, which is almost entirely fonetic,
thus easier, faster n more logical. With our species having that staring
it in the face, the useless burden part of English is doomed,
regardless of me. I just like to help.
I feel guilty and illogical for those many decades
during which I was guilty of complicity in perpetration
and perpetuation of the few non-fonetic parts of English spelling.
Quote:
In the meantime, he will only have made what he writes difficult to decipher,
and not necessarily easier,
and he will have confused the non-native speaker of English,
especially those who are attempting to learn.
I don 't like the metric system,
because I grew up with English measurements.
However, I know that success of the metric system
is INEVITABLE, regardless of my personal dislike of it,
because a system based on 10 is inherently better and easier.
The same principle applies to fonetic spelling.
The REASON for all of this resistance and hostility to it
is torpor; u all already LEARNED it the other way
and u r accustomed to it that way.
Children of the future will have no problem in learning it
the natural, fonetic way.
Quote:I've pointed all of these things out more than once--
as with the annoying and difficult to read bold-faced, large font writing,
the evidence is that David does not actually care
if it is true that what he writes is easier to read,
I CARE.
Quote:
he's just hard-headed and intends to insist on doing things his way,
I AM hardheaded; can 't deny that.
Quote:
and everyone else be damned.
NO.
Altho in other parts of my filisofy,
I do apply an everyone else be damned policy,
that is not true of fonetic spelling.
I am trying to be helpful to the extant generation
and to posterity. I am fully sincere.
David
