homeschoolmomtutu Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 In DC even the Spelling Bee draws protesters... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1bmf2tG4WxyUwMd4tmmmxpVTW6gD9G40H601 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmomtutu Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Enuf already! :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2tbcnm Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I think u rilly ment : enuf alreddy LOL :) Katty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormy weather Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 :001_huh: Somehow I don't think spelling like a texting four year old will catch on. I think shood go eet som froot and see abowt bi-ing a hefer. :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I would hate to see English dumbed down so to speak. It is bad enough that schools have been not using vocabulary rich books in many instances. I truly hope that the forces that want to do this lose out IMHO. I think the richness of the English language is at stake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 My dh gave me a book called Language Myths for Mothers' Day that had an article about English spelling. It makes very good points about how "simplifying" spelling would actually make the language more complex. I won't go into the whole thing, but one very good point he made was that there are MANY different accents in English. If each one spelled words the way they said them, a uniform spelling would be lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmomtutu Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 (edited) More thoughts on the history behind simplifying the English language. What are your thoughts wimmen? (and men ;) ) I'll just hold my tung.... http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/noah.htm Edited June 5, 2010 by homeschoolmomtutu correcting myself...having a hard time misspelling! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 My dh gave me a book called Language Myths for Mothers' Day that had an article about English spelling. It makes very good points about how "simplifying" spelling would actually make the language more complex. I won't go into the whole thing, but one very good point he made was that there are MANY different accents in English. If each one spelled words the way they said them, a uniform spelling would be lost. :iagree: Another thing that would be lost is the etymology - at least being able to figure out where a word came from based on its spelling. I teach a lot of spelling through etymology (and I believe that's a big part of what spelling bee types study to get so good). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 While we're at it, let's stop teaching math facts and just pass out some calculators. Unreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 My dh gave me a book called Language Myths for Mothers' Day that had an article about English spelling. It makes very good points about how "simplifying" spelling would actually make the language more complex. I won't go into the whole thing, but one very good point he made was that there are MANY different accents in English. If each one spelled words the way they said them, a uniform spelling would be lost. No, see, the logical next step would be a uniform dialect---then. we. would. all. sound. the. same (said in my very best robotic voice) ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Another thing that would be lost is the etymology - at least being able to figure out where a word came from based on its spelling. I teach a lot of spelling through etymology (and I believe that's a big part of what spelling bee types study to get so good). Absolutely. My daughter's fascination with the history of our language is one reason she loved participating in the bee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Benjamin Franklin attempted to create a phonetic alphabet for English back in his day. See here. I have a bible that was printed at that time in the phonics that Franklin proposed. I wish it had been done. It's a pain to teach someone to read English. If Franklin's alphabet had been implemented, we would be benefiting from the spelling ease it would have created, today. There's nothing inherently wrong with changing a language's spelling. It doesn't mean that people are being dumbed down just because our hodgepodge of spelling rules could be streamlined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Ah, but English is just so COOL the way it is! Had fun with a visiting professor once. He was teaching an honors seminar, and a portion of the course covered the International Phonetic Alphabet. So we got to transcribe lots of words. He was baffled why we all missed certain words in exactly the same way ... till we all realized it was a slight regional dialect difference. We transcribed the written words the way WE said them, and he graded based on the way HE said them ... it was a lot of fun after we figured out what happened. (For what it's worth ... the examples were things like words that start with 'wh' ... how many folks pronounce both of those sounds? In our area, we all said 'what' as 'wut' while he pronounced it 'hwut' ... that's not precisely good transcribing but you get the idea.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I'll dissent. While I think it's silly to protest the spelling bee, I really wish there was a way to simplify English spelling. I have two kids with dyslexia and tutor kids with reading problems, some of whom have dyslexia. I look at the Spanish language and there is close to 1:1 correspondance (not quite, but close) of sound to letter. That would make it so much easier. (I also wish that we could agree on neutral pronouns to replace she and he and him and her because I get tired of either putting both, which sounds awkward, or switching which one I am using, which is also awkward. However, I also I don't like using he and him either. But that's another story!) Spanish is spoken with different accents and they retain their spelling uniformity. The only thing I would worry about if we simplified is that people wouldn't be able to read old books anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southwind Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and Iear 4 might fiks the g/j anomali wonse and for all. Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez c, y and x — bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez — tu riplais ch, sh, and th rispektivli. Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 There's nothing inherently wrong with changing a language's spelling. It doesn't mean that people are being dumbed down just because our hodgepodge of spelling rules could be streamlined. :iagree: Changing the writing system is not the same as changing the language. The English language would remain equally as complex, but our writing system would be simple. Other countries have simplified the spelling of their words, the languages themselves of course only undergoing natural evolution that will occur with or without spelling reform. Ah, but English is just so COOL the way it is! :iagree: with this as well, though. As someone who has always been pretty good and spelling and reading, I find all the different spelling possibilities and the etymology the spelling shows you fun. I am also glad that I can figure out the meaning of words I don't know based upon their parts if they came from Latin (and happen to be made of the few words I remember). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Is it really that hard to learn how to spell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Actually, for some people, it really IS that hard to learn how to spell. I'm lucky in that I'm a natural, but my equally bright dh is not. I LOVE English the way it is, but I do understand the gripes for those who truly have trouble. As for Spanish, from what I recall from my Spanish classes, they have a group that actually regulates the language ... so you don't get changes unless they are approved. But that was what I was taught back in high school and college. I wonder how they've handled the texting generation? (I wonder what Spanish text-speak looks like??) ETA: I love spelling bees too. Was a champion back in my day (but not up to National level!). I don't get offended that people can play basketball better than I do (disgruntled, perhaps, but not offended, LOL) so I think it's cool that we can celebrate academic abilities as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Me Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and Iear 4 might fiks the g/j anomali wonse and for all. Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez c, y and x — bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez — tu riplais ch, sh, and th rispektivli. Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. :lol::rofl::lol: I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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