Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihima.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!ihima!cmb From: cmb@ihima.UUCP (Christine M. Buss) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Spelling Reform Message-ID: <216@ihima.UUCP> Date: Fri, 19-Oct-84 18:06:10 EDT Article-I.D.: ihima.216 Posted: Fri Oct 19 18:06:10 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 21-Oct-84 12:18:52 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 20 In the ongoing discussion of the inconsistencies between English spellings and English pronunciations, I haven't seen the following point made. Although having spelling conform well to pronunciation would make English much easier to learn, it would not necessarily make it easier for native speakers to read. Because many homonyms (e.g. knight and night) are spelled differently, reading is fascillated. The reader doesn't need to apply context to determine the meaning of "nite". Where we have words with different meanings that are spelled the same (for example, the present and past tenses of read) we sometimes require a lot of overhead to process a sentence correctly, as we try to figure out which word is meant. In some ways, the two goals of having a language that is easy to learn and easy to use are at odds with each other. The large number of words in the English language, with their subtle differences in connotation, add to the richness and expressiveness of the language but make it much more difficult for a beginner. Christine Buss soon to be ihnp4!ihlpm!cmbuss