Easy English

[ZenMonkey47]

This is one of those "My mind won't let me get to sleep until I think about this" kind of questions. How would you go about making the English language easier to learn? (For a follow up question: should it be made easier?)

Here's a few ideas to get the ball rolling
- Ditch A, An and The. Caveman speak jokes aside "Child bought apple at store" conveys the same meaning as "A child bought an apple at the store"

- ditch capital letters. sure it might make ee cummings less unique, but is it worth learning an extra set of letters for names, places and the idiot that leaves caps lock on?

- phonetic spelling. We've all read the various poems out there ( http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/poems.php ) that highlight the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation, wouldn't life be better if everything was spelled exactly how it sounds?

Anything else?

 

[Flying-Emu]

I like the way the English language is. It's already been destroyed enough; allow us to preserve our Anglo-Saxon heritage.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

Yes leave it be. If anything lets change spanish... Why do you guys need like 8 different ways to spell every word, it's way over my head.

 

[Internet Kraken]

I like the way the English language is. It's already been destroyed enough; allow us to preserve our Anglo-Saxon heritage.

This

 

[Alex_P]

- phonetic spelling. We've all read the various poems out there ( http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/poems.php ) that highlight the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation, wouldn't life be better if everything was spelled exactly how it sounds?

The problem is that people say things differently. On a global scope, it's quite remarkable how disparate the pronunciation of English words is. What seems naturally "phonetic" for you is no less arbitrary for someone else.

-- Alex

 

[WinterSoldier]

Make it easier? That will put grammar nazis out of business.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

why me talk like orcs now talky-man?

 

[Valiance]

I think the way that conjugation is handled would bother most people from other languages.

 

[ix_tab]

Oh English, the only language that seems to gleefully troll people who are trying to learn it.

When I was learning Bahasa Indonesia, which was based on a trading language, and therefore is simple and has consistent grammar, pronounciation and spelling rules, it struck me about how ridiculously overcomplicated the English language is.

Everyone who learns English as a second language has my respect because this stuff is just nasty.

 

[twistedshadows]

I like the way the English language is. It's already been destroyed enough; allow us to preserve our Anglo-Saxon heritage.

Agreed.

"Child bought apple at store" sounds like something you'd see in a newspaper.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Here's a few ideas to get the ball rolling
- Ditch A, An and The. Caveman speak jokes aside "Child bought apple at store" conveys the same meaning as "A child bought an apple at the store"

While there are languages that don't use articles (Japanese, for one), they're inherently more context-based languages. Articles are vital in English, unless you propose an overhaul of American/Canadian/British/Australian/New Zealander/etc. cultures.

- ditch capital letters. sure it might make ee cummings less unique, but is it worth learning an extra set of letters for names, places and the idiot that leaves caps lock on?

You're complaining about an extra 26 characters? The minor inconvenience resulting from that is more than made up for by the distinction usage of capital letters.

- phonetic spelling. We've all read the various poems out there ( http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/poems.php ) that highlight the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation, wouldn't life be better if everything was spelled exactly how it sounds?

No. No. Deer Bob in hevan, no. Thoz so-cald "poets" don no wut ther taking abaut.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I think the way that conjugation is handled would bother most people from other languages.

I agree Spanish conjugations at least have a resemblance of a pattern. The English language diffidently doesn't.

 

[About To Crash]

Ditch capitals? But man, capitals are such a wonderful representation of the arrogance of our language.
Just think about this: What to we capitalize? We capitalize words at the beginning of sentences, we capitalize names of people, places, companies... We also, sometimes as is apparently correct, capitalize God. Or when speaking of God, we say Him or He. But the arrogant part is this: We do not capitalize you, us, we, or me. We capitalize I. Why that? "i" works as well as "I" so what's the difference? Well, I find that it is a wonderful representation of the language, and the societies that use it.
There's an essay somewhere in here.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Details at 11

But jokes aside, English is fine. What iif we are to "dumb it down" artistic writers would bring it back, and if they don't someone 50 years from now will want to dumb it down again until we all able to stare at each other as a language.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I like the way the English language is. It's already been destroyed enough; allow us to preserve our Anglo-Saxon heritage.

This

Agreed. I rather enjoy using the English language to its fullest extent. Florid prose makes me feel educated and wise.

 

[dmase]

WHY SHOULD IT BE A NECCESITY TO DOUMB DOWN A LANGUAGUE THIS IS OUR HERITAGE. NO OTHER CULUTRE WOULD RANDOMLY DECIDE TO DROP A BIT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IMMIGRANTS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND IT. PLUS I THOUGHT THATS HOW FORIEGNORS USED ENLGISH ALREADY.

you see what i did there.

 

[NeutralDrow]

WHY SHOULD IT BE A NECCESITY TO DOUMB DOWN A LANGUAGUE THIS IS OUR HERITAGE. NO OTHER CULUTRE WOULD RANDOMLY DECIDE TO DROP A BIT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IMMIGRANTS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND IT. PLUS I THOUGHT THATS HOW FORIEGNORS USED ENLGISH ALREADY.

you see what i did there.

Shouted and misspelled words?

 

[smokeybearsb]

why me talk like orcs now talky-man?

....lol..that actually made me laugh the way I read it in my head..

Latin was like that, without articles. It was hell for me, until I got used to the sentence structure and stuff. I think I would prefer to speak it over English. That would be so badass if everybody spoke a dead language 24/7.

I think it would be bitchin if I spoke German, it can be such an intimidating language, or a very sexy one if spoken right.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

I think the way that conjugation is handled would bother most people from other languages.

I agree Spanish conjugations at least have a resemblance of a pattern. The English language diffidently doesn't.

English does too, it just breaks the pattern more often.

Language is a very hard thing to deliberately change. It's easier to just make up a new language based on existing ones a la Esperanto [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto].

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

why damase think call-edge kids not speak good? call-age kids pur-soo post second-dairy education

Didn't Orwell say something against simplifying English in one of his essays? Something about how attempts to control language are futile? He also featured prole-speak in his novel 1984 - a language simplified to the point where the speakers couldn't explain the concept of freedom. I'm going to have to side with Orwell on this one.