Re: Simplified Spelling Society

[Guest guest]

Pronouncing foreign names- When I was in Hungary, shortly after the Berlin Wall fell in early 1990, I quickly gave up on trying to pronounce any of their words, even yes or no. I took to walking around with lots of slips of papers with Hungarian (magyar) words on them in the many pockets of my travel-clothes and gear. When people tried to talk to me I just put my fingers to my lips and shook my head and then handed them a slip, or wrote a word on a small pad. I think most people thought I was a deaf-mute! (*chuckling half out-loud*) Still, it worked great. Never had communication problems after that. The point is that even when you know the spelling, and even when you've heard them pronounce it the way they do, in some of the "weirder" (relative term) languages, pronounciation is almost a hopeless task. And by the way, I'm

~usually~ pretty good about being able to pronounce foreign words of nearly all kinds. I agree with , about seeing how a word is spelled often makes it a lot easier to figure out how to pronounce it. For me, it also makes it a lot easier to remember the word. Hmmm.. that very probably has something to do with highly visual-spatial persons recruiting visual centers of their brain to do verbal-social information-processing tasks. Heph greebohere <julie.stevenson16@...> wrote: Mmmmmmm sometimes I can know how to spell a word and yet not 100% certain on the pronouncing of it as I haven't heard it spoken (I read a fair bit) and other times I know how a word is pronounced, because I have heard it spoken, but not how to spell it, because I haven't seen it written down.>> I've often thought that foreign place names and such should have been > spelled phonetically so that they would be easier to accurately pronounce. These > days, the spelling may be correct, but with alien words, you can't be sure of > the pronunciation

because you have nothing to compare it to. > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.>Hephaestus Clubfoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestushttp://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabeiroi

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[Guest guest]

RE Text messaging, forms of I happen to do most of my writing in gregg shorthand, at around 40 words a minute (or 120 when trying to perform quickly for standardized shorthand writing speed tests). There are other systems for writing quickly, usually mostly based on normal roman-numeral letters. It seems to me that if people were systematically going about trying to devise efficient text-messaging methods, they would at least become familiar with some of those systems. Books on these are usually available at large book store chains. Wiley's QuickHand, at amazon http://www.amazon.com/Quickhand-Self-Teaching-Guides--Grossman/dp/0471328871/ref=pd_sim_b_5/002-0702978-9113601 Easy Script, at amazon http://www.amazon.com/EasyScript-Express-Matter-Easyscript-Legible/dp/1893726002/ref=pd_sim_b_3/002-0702978-9113601 Heph greebohere <julie.stevenson16@...> wrote: Mmmmmmmmm I have to question how simplified is thier idea of

simplification :-)For instance I don't really understand text messages - or should that be 'txt' messages for example :-)Some friend once texted me asking for my 'add' - I had no idea what my 'add' was, and was wondering why she was talking about a mathematic term. I think the message went something like this 'Wot UR Add'.I do know now that she was asking for my address, but to me text style writing can be quite confusing and it took me quite some time to realise what things like 'lol', 'brb' and 'btw' etc stood for.>> > Here is something that ought to make Scrabble games so much easier> > Source: > http://news./s/nm/20070417/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_english & pr\> inter=1;_ylt=AoROXer2Qc1o71MY0oQX4EKek3QF> <http://news./s/nm/20070417/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_english & p\> rinter=1;_ylt=AoROXer2Qc1o71MY0oQX4EKek3QF>> [ News] > <http://news./;_ylt=Ai8uTjZvWgXaAZT0SplebDGek3QF> > <http://us.ard./SIG=12i0ddtt7/M=587647.10551962.11171744.102203\>

85/D=news/S=91526046:LOGO/_ylt=AopTkLrGs4yXT5jeeEzpQoGek3QF/Y=/EXP=\> 1176936909/A=4521637/R=0/SIG=16haebq48/*http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;96\> 945233;16585023;o?http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/activityCenterHome?\> lc=en & cc=us & dlc=en & jumpid=ex_r602_link/kimipgcon/alliances/ww/2Q07Activi\> tyCenterHomepage/NewsPrint> Simplified Spelling Society:> "Let's get phonetic"> By MajendieTue Apr 17, 10:19 AM ET> > Enough is enuf.> > The Simplified Spelling Society (SSS) is celebrating its 99th birthday> by launching a new campaign to make it easier to read and write English.> > It may be the world's most universal

language but linguistic experts say> it has failed to adapt for the last 500 years and now half the globe's> English speakers have difficulty spelling.> > With texts and e-mails revolutionising the way we communicate, SSS> secretary Gledhill says the time is ripe for phonetic reform and> spelling simplification.> > "Texts cut away the complications and take away the stigma of not being> able to use an obsolete spelling," Gledhill told Reuters in an> interview.> > The SSS message is simple: "You can change the spelling without spoiling> the language. People are scared of change and don't realise it is normal> in language."> > European children learn to read and write far quicker than the British,> he said. Italians take just two years while the British can struggle for> up to 12 years.> > He said 40

million American adults are functionally illiterate -- for> everyday purposes, they are not able to read and write.> > Gledhill, who has a PhD in the history of Dutch consonantal spelling> from 1100-1970, said the Netherlands updated spelling to keep pace with> pronunciation.> > "English is about the only language, apart from French, on the world> stage that hasn't updated its spelling for 500 years. That is why it is> in rather a mess," he said.> > PHONETICS KEY> > Gledhill sees phonetics as the key to improving literacy and spelling.> > He complained that almost 4,000 English spellings make no sense. If> head, said and friend were simplified down to 'hed' and 'sed' and> 'frend' then kids would learn quicker.> > But teachers begged to differ.> > "Language has to be fit for purpose. The discipline of spelling

is> important. Children should learn to judge when formal and informal> language is required," said Dunford of the Association of School> and College Leaders.> > "Text message spelling may be appropriate for text messages. It> certainly isn't appropriate for filling out an application form.> Children should learn how to punctuate and spell properly."> > The Simplified Spelling Society boasted 35,000 members in its 20th> Century heyday. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of its most> prominent supporters.> > In Britain, where illiteracy is estimated to cost the economy 10 billion> pounds a year, parliamentarians sought to tackle the problem by> legislation. But enthusiasm waned.> "We are not sure why there was such a huge interest after the First> World War. Maybe people thought it was a brand new world after the war> to

end all wars," Gledhill said.> Membership worldwide has now shrunk to 500 for the London-based society> but Gledhill insists change is more urgent than ever.> "Spanish is easier to read and write and could challenge the dominance> of English. The English language itself is in very good health. We just> want it to be written down in a way that is readable and writeable."> > Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.>Hephaestus

Clubfoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestushttp://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabeiroi

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[Guest guest]

Good idea.

My mom used gregg shorthand when she was a secretary at her various

places of employment. She says it is easy to learn, easy to use.

This causes me to believe that it is too simple an idea for most

people and therefore will not be used by anyone.

Tom

Administrator

" I happen to do most of my writing in gregg shorthand, at around 40

words a minute (or 120 when trying to perform quickly for

standardized shorthand writing speed tests). There are other systems

for writing quickly, usually mostly based on normal roman-numeral

letters. It seems to me that if people were systematically going

about trying to devise efficient text-messaging methods, they would

at least become familiar with some of those systems. Books on these

are usually available at large book store chains. "

[Guest guest]

Gregg, I hear, does have vast merits — and I've heard this often

enough that I believe what I hear on the subject. I have indeed tried

to learn Gregg, but have failed miserably in efforts to learn even the

basics of this or any other form of shorthand. One day, someone will

probably invent something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learn

that even I can learn it.

Kate Gladstone

[Guest guest]

Gregg, I hear, does have vast merits — and I've heard this often

enough that I believe what I hear on the subject. I have indeed tried

to learn Gregg, but have failed miserably in efforts to learn even the

basics of this or any other form of shorthand. One day, someone will

probably invent something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learn

that even I can learn it.

Kate Gladstone

[Guest guest]

Kate wrote: " ... <snip> ... One day, someone will probably invent

something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learn that even I can

learn it. "

Perhaps, but it seems that you have done fine without it up until now

so I wouldn't think it really matters at this point in your life.

Sometimes NOT knowing something is fine, too. :-)

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

Kate wrote: " ... <snip> ... One day, someone will probably invent

something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learn that even I can

learn it. "

Perhaps, but it seems that you have done fine without it up until now

so I wouldn't think it really matters at this point in your life.

Sometimes NOT knowing something is fine, too. :-)

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

RE shorthand, the learning of Reading your comment helps motivate me to try to finish writing what may be someday titled - "Teach yourself Gregg Shorthand". Almost all books and instructions are geared to some seemingly distant point in the future when all the efforts of the student will somehow magically all come together. They were developed back in the 1950s where the subject was typically at least a two-semester business college course. I taught myself from various course books, dictionaries, and other materials as I went along taking notes at graduate school and as a paid notetaker for a on-campus publishing service. I figured out which parts of shorthand were used the most and started with those. ("And", "or", "the", ... and prefixes and suffixes such as "ing" which is just a dot in Gregg...etcetera.) Yeah right-- I'll get to that just as soon as I finish two other mostly-done books. (Sigh). Heph Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@...> wrote: Gregg, I hear, does have vast merits — and I've heard this oftenenough that I believe what I hear on the subject. I have indeed triedto learn Gregg, but have failed miserably in efforts to learn even thebasics of this or any other form of shorthand. One day, someone willprobably invent something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learnthat even I can learn it.Kate GladstoneFAM Secret Society is a community based on respect, friendship, support and acceptance. Everyone is valued. To contact the

forum administrator, use this e-mail address: -owner Check the Links section for more FAM forums. Our website is here: http://www.geocities.com/environmental1st2003/FAM_Secret_Society.htmland you may add to it on this page: http://www.geocities.com/environmental1st2003/Main6.html

[Guest guest]

RE shorthand, the learning of Reading your comment helps motivate me to try to finish writing what may be someday titled - "Teach yourself Gregg Shorthand". Almost all books and instructions are geared to some seemingly distant point in the future when all the efforts of the student will somehow magically all come together. They were developed back in the 1950s where the subject was typically at least a two-semester business college course. I taught myself from various course books, dictionaries, and other materials as I went along taking notes at graduate school and as a paid notetaker for a on-campus publishing service. I figured out which parts of shorthand were used the most and started with those. ("And", "or", "the", ... and prefixes and suffixes such as "ing" which is just a dot in Gregg...etcetera.) Yeah right-- I'll get to that just as soon as I finish two other mostly-done books. (Sigh). Heph Kate Gladstone <handwritingrepair@...> wrote: Gregg, I hear, does have vast merits — and I've heard this oftenenough that I believe what I hear on the subject. I have indeed triedto learn Gregg, but have failed miserably in efforts to learn even thebasics of this or any other form of shorthand. One day, someone willprobably invent something equally worthwhile, but so easy to learnthat even I can learn it.Kate GladstoneFAM Secret Society is a community based on respect, friendship, support and acceptance. Everyone is valued. To contact the

forum administrator, use this e-mail address: -owner Check the Links section for more FAM forums. Our website is here: http://www.geocities.com/environmental1st2003/FAM_Secret_Society.htmland you may add to it on this page: http://www.geocities.com/environmental1st2003/Main6.html