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.