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Cool Breeze Posted 20 years ago
Linguistics Studies
Change English As You Wish
Make believe that you are a language dictator whose commands are executed instantly. What is it about English that has always peeved you? What changes would you make to the English language if it were in your power to enforce them? Would you simplify the language, or make it more complicated? Would you like to return English to an earlier stage in its development? If so, what century? Why?
As you plan your changes, think of pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary etc. Look at your task from the point of view of a foreigner and a native speaker, a beginner and an accomplished user of the language.
Would your proposed changes perhaps have any undesired, negative consequences? Perhaps you are an extremist who would like to wipe English from the face of the earth completely and replace it with another language as the principal lingua franca?
Feel free to air your opinions,
CB
As you plan your changes, think of pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary etc. Look at your task from the point of view of a foreigner and a native speaker, a beginner and an accomplished user of the language.
Would your proposed changes perhaps have any undesired, negative consequences? Perhaps you are an extremist who would like to wipe English from the face of the earth completely and replace it with another language as the principal lingua franca?
Feel free to air your opinions,
CB
Top answer
Hi CB, I like to pretend I'm a dictator. Without a doubt, spelling! How can thought, through, enough, and bough each their own way of pronuncing the vowels?
- Hi CB, I like to pretend I'm a dictator.
- Without a doubt, spelling!
- How can thought, through, enough, and bough each their own way of pronuncing the vowels?
- And irregular verb formations.
- How can anyone learn this language, when it's drink, drank, drunk, but think, thought, thought?
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31 Answers
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Hi CB,
I like to pretend I'm a dictator. Without a doubt, spelling!
How can thought, through, enough, and bough each their own way of pronuncing the vowels?
And irregular verb formations. How can anyone learn this language, when it's drink, drank, drunk, but think, thought, thought? Or it's catch and caught, but hit and hit? Or... well, verb formations are just horrible
I like to pretend I'm a dictator. Without a doubt, spelling!
How can thought, through, enough, and bough each their own way of pronuncing the vowels?
And irregular verb formations. How can anyone learn this language, when it's drink, drank, drunk, but think, thought, thought? Or it's catch and caught, but hit and hit? Or... well, verb formations are just horrible
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I enjoyed my logic course, so I guess I'd like to see English that runs on that kind of structured reasoning.
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Hi CB
If you were a dictator, you'd introduce some nominal case markers for starters, wouldn't you...? I'd be all for it, it would certainly give us great freedom in word order.
One member of another site gave us this stuff. Have you read this? If not, enjoy!
;-)
[link][/link]
If you were a dictator, you'd introduce some nominal case markers for starters, wouldn't you...? I'd be all for it, it would certainly give us great freedom in word order.
One member of another site gave us this stuff. Have you read this? If not, enjoy!
;-)
[link][/link]
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Hi Feathers
Thank you for the link. I will state my views later in the autumn after everything has been said.
Cheers
CB
Thank you for the link. I will state my views later in the autumn after everything has been said.
Cheers
CB
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DrewauerbachI enjoyed my logic courseWhy does that not surprise me?
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Hi Cool Breeze,
You asked:
You asked:
What changes would you make to the English language if it were in your power to enforce them?I'd definitely change the spelling system. I wouldn't be as radical as to decide that IPA-symbols should be used in everyday writing, but I'd certainly change the spelling of words with an 'irregular' spelling, that is, words whose pronunciation
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I agree with Barbra and Einglishuser that the spelling system is horrible thing. Why aren't words written the way they are pronounced?. And which century is the best?.Hmm
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Mythical LadyI do not know when I laughed more recently. Almost brilliant in expressing desperation! How long he would have had to leave...
...and I am so thankful that Shakespeare is dead by now...
It is not the problem to fix English, as any other language in the world has been. The problem is who is going to follow and impose the rul
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English spelling was fixed 400 years ago and the pronunciation has changed a lot since then. Other languages have reformed their spelling - here's a list
http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j27/languages.php
There's nothing technically impossible with reforming English, but ther
http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j27/languages.php
There's nothing technically impossible with reforming English, but ther
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I wouldn't change anything to the English language, because I've worked so hard for a good number of years to learn this language (since I was three years old - now I am 23) and a change in it would be difficult for me to handle.
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