4 ms·
> So how do we fix it? I don't think we can, at least not while preserving its value. For one, english started as basically a pidgin or creole from the british
by Kamq 4y ago
> So how do we fix it?
I don't think we can, at least not while preserving its value. For one, english started as basically a pidgin or creole from the british isles being invaded by so many groups over centuries, so we're not starting off at the best place. Two, the other examples of spelling reform I'm aware of are either from highly centralized places (the French empire), or small groups of countries that border each other (German spelling reform). There's not really a way to get the US, UK, India, and parts of Africa to agree on how something is pronounced (and therefore agree on what the proper spelling should be).
The only way to "fix" it would be to have each country (or region within a country potentially), reform the language in a different way, which would destroy most of the value of having so many people in disparate places speak that language and be able to communicate.
- vlunkr 4y agoI don’t see why any of that means it can’t be reformed. No commonly-used language is formed in a vacuum.
- Kamq 4y agoIt can be reformed. I specifically say that it can be. My point is that, because you have so many disparate groups with completely different pronunciations (and therefore different target idealized spellings), reformation will destroy the majority of the value. And nobody who actually speaks english has an interesting in destroying the value of understanding that language.