Wy chanje English spelling?

[Felecia Briscoe]

It seems that vowel sounds is where we get into a great diversity.  How
about some consistency for the sounds of consonants.  For example CH
always sounds like it does in Church, but not in character or chamois?

F

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu] On Behalf Of Harold F.
Schiffman
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 9:01 AM
To: lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Subject: RE: Wy chanje English spelling?


The use of AR in 'banana' and 'aunt' would sure sound funny in the US,
as
well:  banarna? arnt? (last one rhymes with 'aren't').

For all the vagaries of English spelling, radical changes would probably
introduce more problems than they would solve.  How about just some
minor 'rectifications' as was attempted in France in 1989-90?  Something
that most Englishs speakers could agree on?  (Or is that impossible?)

HS

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005, Anthea Fraser Gupta wrote:

> US and Scottish readers (inter alia) will need to note that the
> Simplified Spelling Society is based in Southern England. They never
> mention dialectal variation. For example, one of their basic sounds is

> 'AR' (as in cARt).  This 'AR' sound is also used in 'hEARt' 'banAna'
> and AUnt.  Well, for some people...
>
> Why do they never mention dialectal variation?
>
> Anthea
>