Re: On Topic Wednesday: Universal Synthetic Languages

In article <vuKdnYy47upo8fnZnZ2dnUVZ_sSdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Ken from Chicago <kwicker1b_nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes

<dwight.thieme@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1147403762.241502.248930@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ken from Chicago wrote:
"Per Chr. J." <libriseclvsi@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1147355003.565620.104180@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> mwigdahl skrev:
>
>> Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld books also prominently featured
>> Esperanto as a universal language. Since there was a much greater
>> variety of languages represented on Riverworld than exist in the world
>> today, Esperanto was promoted as a simpler alternative, although
>> English was apparently also common.
>>
>> Matt
>
> Of course, Esperanto does have its quirks and cultural bias(es) as
> well, according to this page:
>
> <http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ranto/>

English would be pert near perfect if it universal spelling rules. One
set
of characters per the 40-plus phonemes. Instead it uses the often
conflicting spelling rules from the various languages it assimilates
words
from. Even something as simple as having consistant vowels would make
things
easier (e.g., a/ae, e/ee, i/ie, o/oe, u/ue for short/long vowels).

ObSF(with some misspellings): "Mayhem in the Classroom"

Soree, but Meihem in xe Klasruem goez tue far, and not far eenuf.

Replacing long vowels with dipthongs that don't even match the vowel letter
(e.g., "ai" for long "i" or "ei" for long "a", and it omits long "e", long
"o" and long "u") is too awkard.

Now simplee ading the leter "e"--whiel droping sielent "e", dipthongs and
dubel consonants--tue maek long vowl sownds is wae moer intueitiv. Eeven
smal children can figuer owt how words ar speld soe that noe longer wud thae
hav tue sufer from so manee arcaen speling ruels.

-- Ken from Chicagoe

P.S. Replace soft "c" with "s" make sense but you'd still need "c" for "ch"
otherwise you have confusion between shopping and chopping--unless you use
"c" for "ch" as in Stanley "Tucci" (tho you'd dropped the double "c" per no
double consonants rule). Oh and dropping the need for "u" to follow "q"
would also be a simple logical step.

Someone had to post it eventually...

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.


--
David Allsopp Houston, Tranquillity Base here.
Remove SPAM to email me The Eagle has landed.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: On Topic Wednesday: Universal Synthetic Languages
    ... Ken from Chicago wrote: ... Esperanto as a universal language. ... variety of languages represented on Riverworld than exist in the world ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: On Topic Wednesday: Universal Synthetic Languages
    ... Ken from Chicago wrote: ... Esperanto as a universal language. ... variety of languages represented on Riverworld than exist in the world ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: On Topic Wednesday: Universal Synthetic Languages
    ... Esperanto as a universal language. ... English would be pert near perfect if it universal spelling rules. ... conflicting spelling rules from the various languages it assimilates words ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: On Topic Wednesday: Universal Synthetic Languages
    ... Esperanto as a universal language. ... English would be pert near perfect if it universal spelling rules. ... conflicting spelling rules from the various languages it assimilates words ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Tried to watch Fear Her again...
    ... Like most made-up languages, Esperanto has a fixed formal grammar. ... Like most evolved hybrid languages, English has a fluid, informal ... Germanic derives almost all of its grammar and words from biblical Greek since in order to translate the bible into German 90% of the words had to be borrowed from Greek. ...
    (rec.arts.drwho)