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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!benson
From: benson@dcdwest.UUCP (Peter Benson)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Phonetic spelling
Message-ID: <163@dcdwest.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Nov-84 16:01:24 EST
Article-I.D.: dcdwest.163
Posted: Wed Nov 14 16:01:24 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Nov-84 06:39:15 EST
References: <4631@fortune.UUCP>
Reply-To: benson@dcdwest.UUCP (Peter benson)
Organization: ITT Defense Communications (San Diego)
Lines: 39
Summary: 

I am/was/have been a linguist and I no longer fight the
good fight over regularizing English spelling.  In my opinion,
a significant portion of English words can be pronounced with
reference to a set of spelling-to-sound correspondences and
the others must be memorized.  My memory lapses occasionally
and I misspell a word or two.  I would be particularly careful
about such mistakes on papers to be published, resumes, and
other documents that tend to reflect on how complusive I am.

One of the problems I see with regard to phonetically correct
spelling is that it presumes that there is a correct
pronunciation.  The dialect differences that exist among us
means that some one dialect would have to be selected and
elevated to the status of the received pronunciation.
I find intstitutions that do the selection, such as the French
Academy, stuffy beyond belief.  Language changes.  People
change.  Spelling will probably change too, albeit somewhat
more slowly.

But if you can regularize the spelling, maybe afterwards you
can turn your attention to regularizing word usage.  People
are always saying "imply" when they mean "infer" and vice
versa.  Straighten them out, won't you.  And then try to get
them to write clearer, y'know, less turgid prose, better
structure, cleaner form.  If you can get engineers to spell
correctly, then these other tasks will be a piece of cake.


                                _
Peter Benson                    | ITT Defense Communications Division
(619)578-3080                   | 10060 Carroll Canyon Road
decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!benson    | San Diego, CA 92131
ucbvax!sdcsvax!dcdwest!benson   | 
-- 
                                _
Peter Benson                    | ITT Defense Communications Division
(619)578-3080                   | 10060 Carroll Canyon Road
decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!benson    | San Diego, CA 92131
ucbvax!sdcsvax!dcdwest!benson   |