I think you could find the similar problems with many languages (for example, my native Czech has a unique sound that's quite difficult to learn, and all the di

I think you could find the similar problems with many languages (for example, my native Czech has a unique sound that's quite difficult to learn, and all the different declensions and conjugations will make your head spin). But I also take the issue with: "Spelling is a matter of writing, of course, whereas language is fundamentally about speaking." I think with English it's not the case, English is like modern Latin, more people write/read in English than those who speak it.