Should some spellings be removed?

[ReinWeisserRitter]

Hey, look everybody! More people who don't get it!"

I think I get it quite well. There's no reason you'd advocate something like this other than you didn't feel like doing it the way proposed, and the only reason for that is that you're too lazy to, and expect others to be as well.

Sure, you can say otherwise, but it'd be bullshit.

 

[omega 616]

Yes. Let's simplify everything because some people are too lazy to learn basic ideas. Maybe when we're done with were and where we could start eliminating other words. First we will change English into Simple English which only consists of 850 most basic words and then, then we could even return to simpler methods of communication like pictographs so that everyone knows what's up.

No. Sorry. The idea is to get people to use their brains more - not less, else we might just go back to living in the moist cosiness of caves.

Hey another one not getting it, I am getting a collection going! How fun. This is just a topic, not a request to change it.

Lets be honest, how much of the English language do you actually use on a day to day basis? For example when was the last time you used ... livid? hyperbole? Asinine? They aren't even that uncommon. It's not like we struggle to find words, I bet most of the dictionary goes unused.

Although, if we went back to pictures it would probably make life easier for people who travel ...

Sure, you can say otherwise, but it'd be bullshit

I love when people do that "you can either agree with me or you are stupid/wrong".

No, I really am just bringing this topic up to talk about it. I am not bothered about if it did change or not ... wont effect me in the least.

Got by this far without knowing it, why learn now?

 

[SckizoBoy]

I probably should have specified Mandarin, too. Damn Chinese, why are you so complicated?!

Ha, I knew what you meant... though thinking about it... I work with a Chinese girl and she speaks 'Suzhou-ese' to one of her customers (they're both from Suzhou) and good grief, I can't understand a word! Even Shanghaiese (about a hundred miles to the east), I'm OK with...

So to answer: because they're/we're awkward, thasswai!! XD

Allow me to illustrate.
Spelled correctly:
"We're where we were."

Now with 'were' pulling double duty:
"Were were we were."

Now imagine that in a Liverpudlian accent... not pretty...

 

[Kinokohatake]

I don't know proper english=it should be changed into a ridiculous mess.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Yes. Let's simplify everything because some people are too lazy to learn basic ideas. Maybe when we're done with were and where we could start eliminating other words. First we will change English into Simple English which only consists of 850 most basic words and then, then we could even return to simpler methods of communication like pictographs so that everyone knows what's up.

No. Sorry. The idea is to get people to use their brains more - not less, else we might just go back to living in the moist cosiness of caves.

Hey another one not getting it, I am getting a collection going! How fun. This is just a topic, not a request to change it.

Lets be honest, how much of the English language do you actually use on a day to day basis? For example when was the last time you used ... livid? hyperbole? Asinine? They aren't even that uncommon. It's not like we struggle to find words, I bet most of the dictionary goes unused.

Although, if we went back to pictures it would probably make life easier for people who travel ...

What don't we 'get'?

If you mean something other than what you're OP states, than you didn't do a very good job of getting your idea across. And you want to simplify the language even more? You can't even get your point across now.

 

[manic_depressive13]

all they do is swap "s" for "z" a lot (presumably to get better scores in Scrabble)

Holy shit, you're a genius. I can't believe I never realised this before. It suddenly all makes sense now. Those devious bastards.

 

[Versuvius]

Yes. Let's simplify everything because some people are too lazy to learn basic ideas. Maybe when we're done with were and where we could start eliminating other words. First we will change English into Simple English which only consists of 850 most basic words and then, then we could even return to simpler methods of communication like pictographs so that everyone knows what's up.

No. Sorry. The idea is to get people to use their brains more - not less, else we might just go back to living in the moist cosiness of caves.

Hey another one not getting it, I am getting a collection going! How fun. This is just a topic, not a request to change it.

Lets be honest, how much of the English language do you actually use on a day to day basis? For example when was the last time you used ... livid? hyperbole? Asinine? They aren't even that uncommon. It's not like we struggle to find words, I bet most of the dictionary goes unused.

Although, if we went back to pictures it would probably make life easier for people who travel ...

The proposal that separate words that sound similar and are spelled in a similar way should all be turned into a single word is asinine. In fact, it's suggesting we remove tenses altogether. Which is also asinine. It makes me absolutely livid.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Hey another one not getting it, I am getting a collection going! How fun. This is just a topic, not a request to change it.

Lets be honest, how much of the English language do you actually use on a day to day basis? For example when was the last time you used ... livid? hyperbole? Asinine? They aren't even that uncommon. It's not like we struggle to find words, I bet most of the dictionary goes unused.

Although, if we went back to pictures it would probably make life easier for people who travel ...

My gripe with that is: what're we going to do with technical language then??

Also, are you idealising a future with no thesaurus?

 

[Elate]

I'm sorry but you're wrong, each word is pronounced completely differently, so spelling them all the same would make absolutely not sense.

Where - Wh-air
Were - Wur
We're - Wee-er
Wear - Wair

There - Th-air
They're - They-er
Their - Thair (ok less so on this one)

This whole discussion has as much use as a chocolate tea pot, you may as well say "Why don't we remove capital letters?" or "Who needs full stops?"

Sure I agree with Fry's point about people going overboard with corrections, but he doesn't mean we should go around butchering our language for no reason, they're there (see what I did there) for a reason, because without them who would you know whether I meant "There there" or these here?

 

[omega 616]

Yes. Let's simplify everything because some people are too lazy to learn basic ideas. Maybe when we're done with were and where we could start eliminating other words. First we will change English into Simple English which only consists of 850 most basic words and then, then we could even return to simpler methods of communication like pictographs so that everyone knows what's up.

No. Sorry. The idea is to get people to use their brains more - not less, else we might just go back to living in the moist cosiness of caves.

Hey another one not getting it, I am getting a collection going! How fun. This is just a topic, not a request to change it.

Lets be honest, how much of the English language do you actually use on a day to day basis? For example when was the last time you used ... livid? hyperbole? Asinine? They aren't even that uncommon. It's not like we struggle to find words, I bet most of the dictionary goes unused.

Although, if we went back to pictures it would probably make life easier for people who travel ...

What don't we 'get'?

If you mean something other than what you're OP states, than you didn't do a very good job of getting your idea across. And you want simplify the language even more? You can't even get your point across now.

I am ok with not knowing the differences so just saying "ha, your stupid" is not getting what this thread is about. I am asking what you would think of unifying it into one word ... hell, even 4 radically different spellings ... I am asking for your opinion on that, you think it's confusing then okay.

 

[TehCookie]

I heard/read somewhere that the amount of words people know today is like half or a quarter of what people USED to know.

Could you imagine knowing 4X as many English words as you do now? I love my vernacular.

Is that words we know total or we only use a quarter of the words they used back then? I'm sure we only use a quarter of the words used back then because we created new words, but if you mean they had 4x (or even double) the vocab I would be a lot more skeptical.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

i believe you are hinting at phonetically spelling everything, am i right?

while yeah, i do that sometimes, just for lulz, i don't think doing YOUR version of it makes that much sense, it is an extreme example, but nonetheless here we go:


like i said, extreme example, but still applies.

i'm the laziest piece of shit when it comes to english/grammar, but i do not want your changes.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I heard/read somewhere that the amount of words people know today is like half or a quarter of what people USED to know.

Could you imagine knowing 4X as many English words as you do now? I love my vernacular.

Is that words we know total or we only use a quarter of the words they used back then? I'm sure we only use a quarter of the words used back then because we created new words, but if you mean they had 4x (or even double) the vocab I would be a lot more skeptical.

this, no offense but the average person "back then" did was not educated half as well as most average people now a days, so trying to say they used 4x as much words back then would be an utter "wtf"

 

[omega 616]

snip

You forgot hyperbole .... and it's spelled separate. You know for somebody who is pro it should stay the way it is, it's weird you spelled a word wrongly.

Also, are you idealising a future with no thesaurus?

NO, the thesaurus is a good read!

Again, You know for somebody who is pro it should stay the way it is, it's weird you spelled a word wrongly

I'm sorry but you're wrong, each word is pronounced completely differently, so spelling them all the same would make absolutely not sense.

Where - Wh-air
Were - Wur
We're - Wee-er
Wear - Wair

There - Th-air
They're - They-er
Their - Thair (ok less so on this one)

This whole discussion has as much use as a chocolate tea pot, you may as well say "Why don't we remove capital letters?" or "Who needs full stops?"

Sure I agree with Fry's point about people going overboard with corrections, but he doesn't mean we should go around butchering our language for no reason, they're there (see what I did there) for a reason, because without them who would you know whether I meant "There there" or these here?

I have deduced that accents play a big role in pronouncing stuff, where I am from it is all the say ... in fact I have never heard it different.

I didn't say I wanted it butchered.

Nope, I didn't see what you did.

 

[Skoosh]

Snip

All I can say is go to 1:44 of that vid if Oscar Wilde can not give a shit about it, then "I will let that which does not matter truly slide" as was said in Fight Club.

There's a big difference between someone writing hundreds of pages by hand while letting an editor fix minor technicalities, and writing a paragraph on a machine that fixes glaring mistakes for you. See, that sentence I just wrote wasn't correct, but my meaning was translated across. We aren't talking about that. We are talking very, very basic mistakes. Things that should have been learned in 3rd grade, not sophomore year in college.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

As someone who loves the English language, they type of evolution you are talking about is just silly, and perhaps boils down to simply being lazy. It's easier to understand spoken language due to the inflections and subtleties of the voice, but written language, where this come into play, needs the differences in order to be understood. Language, of course, will evolve over time, but the negating of words based on some people being to lazy to understand the differences shouldn't be part of that evolution. It would end up just confusing readers in the end.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Is that words we know total or we only use a quarter of the words they used back then? I'm sure we only use a quarter of the words used back then because we created new words, but if you mean they had 4x (or even double) the vocab I would be a lot more skeptical.

Fairly sure it's the latter...

But I think that's more to do with the evolving habits surrounding use of language rather than actual knowledge of language. In the nineteenth century, English people regardless of class were rather circuitous in their expression and used roundabout language with expansive vocabulary to imply, rather than indicate. You'll find that a lot of pre-C20 'classic' literature (though not all) can be condensed to about two thirds their length merely by removing supernumerary and extraneous descriptions and dialogue...

They were like Ents... -_-

NO, the thesaurus is a good read!

Again, You know for somebody who is pro it should stay the way it is, it's weird you spelled a word wrongly

Which word... 'idealising'...? Fairly sure British English has the 's'...

 

[omega 616]

Snip

All I can say is go to 1:44 of that vid if Oscar Wilde can not give a shit about it, then "I will let that which does not matter truly slide" as was said in Fight Club.

There's a big difference between someone writing hundreds of pages by hand while letting an editor fix minor technicalities, and writing a paragraph on a machine that fixes glaring mistakes for you. See, that sentence I just wrote wasn't correct, but my meaning was translated across. We aren't talking about that. We are talking very, very basic mistakes. Things that should have been learned in 3rd grade, not sophomore year in college.

What's a sophomore?

No, really? Oscar never had a computer? I know the difference, I am saying if a great writer like that can not care all that much that he made the odd mistake in his profession, then I am okay with making a good number of mistakes about the same thing 'cos I am in no way a writer.

 

[meryatathagres]

I definitely pronounce "where", "we`re" and "were" differently.
Same with "there" and "their"; "your" and "you're"; etc.
The difference is subtle but still obvious.

 

[Phototoxin]

Burglarize, Directionality.

When the Americans exercise some sense and remove these words I will be happy.