Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site fortune.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!fortune!polard
From: polard@fortune.UUCP (Henry Polard)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Spelling Reform
Message-ID: <4483@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Oct-84 12:11:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: fortune.4483
Posted: Fri Oct 12 12:11:26 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Oct-84 07:32:53 EDT
References: <179@scc.UUCP> <2696@ncsu.UUCP>
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 36
Keywords: spelling
Summary: Spelling need not be based on pronunciation

Reply-To:{amd, ihnp4, cbosgd}!fortune!plard;  polard@fortune.UUCP (Henry )

In article <2696@ncsu.UUCP> mauney@ncsu.UUCP (Jon Mauney) writes:
>
>...In order to make spelling logical and consistent,  there must be some
>outside standard to compare it with, and that standard is usually 
>pronunciation. ...

It ain't necessarily so.  One way of viewing consitency in a writing system 
has to do with being able to derive the pronounciation of a word from 
its written representation.  Consider:

divine
divinity

both words have the same root.  A competent speaker of English knows 
that if one adds the suffix -ity the pronunciation of the second
syllable of divine changes.  There are many other such alternations in 
English, all relics of the Great English Vowel Shift.  So it might be 
more appropriate to have a spelling system based on the consistent 
spelling of word _roots_ (which is how the present system works, 
in the main).

In the case of wh-, many people _do_ pronounce the h, even though it's 
pronounced at the same time as the w.  So one of the tasks of an English
writing system is to be useful for speakers of many dialects.

Some obvious targets of spelling reform are superfluous letters 
as in knight, and glaringly inconsistent representations of sound 
as in the -gh of through, tough and though.

Does anyone else have ideas for reasonable and practocal spelling reform?

-- 
Henry Polard (You bring the flames - I'll bring the marshmallows.)
{ihnp4,cbosgd,amd}!fortune!polard
N.B: The words in this posting do not necessarily express the opinions
of me, my employer, or any AI project.