14 Dec
2009
14 Dec
'09
1:20 p.m.
On Mon, 14 Dec 2009, Dave Caroline wrote:
The dictionary follows use not the other way round in
natural language.
I have seen spelling also change in my lifetime, shewn->shown some
american spelling is drifting to general usage color->colour. Dewey
was an early proponent of speling changes.
http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/dewey.php
There have certainly been many besides Dui.
A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling
by Mark Twain
For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped
to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would
no longer
be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained
would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2
might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would
take the
same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with
"i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear
with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12
or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.
Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi
ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in
the maindz
ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th"
rispektivli.
Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud
hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.