Wikipedia is the differences in spelling

[Kurdt]

If I recall correctly, there was a trial of phonetic spelling in England in the seventies that didn't go so well. I suppose phonetic spelling in japan works because it is a tonal language. English does not depend on tone so many different tones can have the same meaning and thus different spellings. To move to a phonetic spelling system you would also have to introduce standardised pronunciation which is ridiculously complicated.

I honestly don't know why people complain. If you're brought up with the language its not that hard to spell. Even learning a new language, it's not hard to spell things correctly.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I suppose phonetic spelling in japan works because it is a tonal language.

Chinese is tonal, not Japanese. Phonetic spelling in Japan does not work for the simple reason that they don't use phonetic spelling. They use kanji. Japanese has so many homonyms that it is unlikely that they ever would use a purely phonetic system.

 

[Kurdt]

oh well never mind.

 

[Moonbear]

Both the irregular (spelt) and the regular (spelled) are permitted in English.



That would rhyme with "hers" instead of rhyming with "verse." These are distinct sounds.

That would rhyme with "metre" (or meter) and instead of rhyming with "sure"



But then what to do in, say, the word "clock"? The sounds at the beginning and the end of the word are strictly different.

You've not improved anything: you've just bastardised the language such that it looks like the way that you pronounce the words. This might work in American, but you should note that not everyone in the English speaking world pronounces the words in the same way as you do.

I actually agree with you on all those points, and I certainly don't have a British accent (not anyone of them).

That's news to me! I've been saying it exactly the same all my life. Or are you referring to that straight line we like to call and "L"? Yeah, that's a different letter.

No, the sounds are different. I'm convinced that people who commonly misspell words do so because they commonly mispronounce words.

Drawring? WTF? It's ridiculous.

Quit picking on my New Jersey accent! Actually, it might be a carry-over of my mom's Massachusetts accent (not Boston...New Bedford area).

And, for the record, those things that slide in and out of the desk to store your pens and papers and such are pronounced droors, not draws...they have an R at the end. On the other hand, it wasn't until I moved to WV that I discovered people who do not consider the H in vehicle to be a silent letter. It's pronounced very softly here, but nonetheless pronounced.

So, like others have asked, just whose accent should we cater to if we're going to spell everything phonetically?

 

[cristo]

And, for the record, those things that slide in and out of the desk to store your pens and papers and such are pronounced droors, not draws...they have an R at the end.

That's why they're spelt 'drawer'

 

[Gokul43201]

The base word is travel.

Do you consider the additive to be "ing" or "ling"

Do you go partyling or partying on the weekends?

Why throw on the extra l in travel? Not needed.

Do keep that in mind when you do any running, sitting, napping, pubbing, trekking, stirring or island hopping the next time you're travelling.

Unless, of course, you go partyning, partyting, partyping, partybing, partyking and partyring on the weekends.

 

[Gokul43201]

British English is like putting racing stripes on your car. It doesn't actually do anything besides make people chuckle behind your back.

-ise? Do you pronounce it with "s" or "z"? I pronounce for example realize with a "z" sound. So why not write it like it sounds?

I don't like to play spelling Nazi...but this time, I can't stop myself.

I hope you ment to say something more like: It dozen't akchually doo anything besidez make peeple chuckle behind your back.

Iz that better?

 

[WarPhalange]

I don't like to play spelling Nazi...but this time, I can't stop myself.

I hope you ment to say something more like: It dozen't akchually doo anything besidez make peeple chuckle behind your back.

Iz that better?

It dozen't akchually (that's if you don't switch regular "c" to the "ch" sound) du anything besidz mak pepl chukle behind your bak.

I haven't reconciled make vs. mac. Might need an "a" with an umlaut.

 

[lisab]

So, like others have asked, just whose accent should we cater to if we're going to spell everything phonetically?

Mine .

 

[Monique]

I we can agree that it really doesn't matter how you spell words, the brain will make sense of it all:

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I we can agree that it really doesn't matter how you spell words, the brain will make sense of it all:

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Wow! So written English is a pictographic language after all.

 

[Kurdt]

I think in Monique's example all the letters are needed but letter order is not important apart from first and last. When the word is nothing like we recognise when spelled phonetically its very much harder because we expect certain letters.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I think in Monique's example all the letters are needed but letter order is not important apart from first and last. When the word is nothing like we recognise when spelled phonetically its very much harder because we expect certain letters.

I deleted a bunch of vowels and consonants.

I cdnolt blviee taht I clud aulacty uesdntnrd waht I was rdaneg. The phanmneal pwor of the hmun mnid, aocdrnig to a rschearch at Cmabrige Uinevtisy, it dsno't mtatr in waht odrr the lteres in a wrod are, the olny ipromtnt tihg is taht the frst and lsat ltter be in the rgit pcle. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitl raed it whtuit a pborlm. Tihs is bcusae the huamn mnid deos not raed evey ltetr by istlf, but the wrod as a wloe. Azamig huh? yaeh and I alyas tguhot slpeing was ipmoratt!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I cdnolt blviee taht I clud aulacty uesdntnrd waht I was rdaneg. The phanmneal pwor of the hmun mnid, aocdrnig to a rschearch at Cmabrige Uinevtisy, it dsno't mtatr in waht odrr the lteres in a wrod are, the olny ipromtnt tihg is taht the frst and lsat ltter be in the rgit pcle. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitl raed it whtuit a pborlm. Tihs is bcusae the huamn mnid deos not raed evey ltetr by istlf, but the wrod as a wloe. Azamig huh? yaeh and I alyas tguhot slpeing was ipmoratt!

I can read this with no hesitation. My wife is Chinese and she could read it with hesitation.

 

[Gokul43201]

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

Also I, guess that you can get away, with lousy grammar if, you spell that worstly.

 

[Moonbear]

It dozen't akchually (that's if you don't switch regular "c" to the "ch" sound) du anything besidz mak pepl chukle behind your bak.

I haven't reconciled make vs. mac. Might need an "a" with an umlaut.

Backtranslating (a la BabelFish ):
It doze not ack chew lee duh anything be Sid's Mac pep el chew kill behind your Bach.

 

[Moonbear]

I think in Monique's example all the letters are needed but letter order is not important apart from first and last. When the word is nothing like we recognise when spelled phonetically its very much harder because we expect certain letters.

I think it takes more than the first and last letter being in the correct place. Syntax and context are helpful too. If simple words to provide context aren't present, I think it gets a lot harder.

Here, only the first and last letter are in their correct positions (except for words where there are only 2 or 3 letters, so they remain intact).

Psgeirte, pweor, fmae, fntroue are the gloas of nmroeuus pniactiilos.

Not so easy this time, is it?

 

[GeorginaS]

I think it takes more than the first and last letter being in the correct place. Syntax and context are helpful too. If simple words to provide context aren't present, I think it gets a lot harder.

Here, only the first and last letter are in their correct positions (except for words where there are only 2 or 3 letters, so they remain intact).

Psgeirte, pweor, fmae, fntroue are the gloas of nmroeuus pniactiilos.

Not so easy this time, is it?

Yep, that's much tougher. I actually had to work to decipher the words.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Psgeirte, pweor, fmae, fntroue are the gloas of nmroeuus pniactiilos.

Not so easy this time, is it?

I had trouble with the first and last words. The rest I read with no hesitation.