Re: Conspelling

Muke Tever <alrivera@...> wrote:
>
> > From:    Dennis Paul Himes <dennis@...>
> >
> > > My idea (well, other than the dictatorial "alphabet reform") is that a
> > > reformed English spelling should at least try to *look* English (as
> > > opposed to Dutch or Spanish or Klingon...).
> >
> >     That is one of the goals of Vermont Revised Spelling.  A lot of
> > common words are spelled the same or almost the same, e.g.: "Dick and
> > Jane run with Spot.  Dick iz a boy.  Jane iz a guerl.  Spot iz a dog.".
>
> "guerl" ?
    Yes, well, although many words look similar, some don't.  "Guerl" is
analyzed "gu", /g/ (the U is there to keep the G hard before an E), "er"
/R/, "l" /l/.

> >     Do you distinguish between "fairy" and "ferry"?
>
> Not that I'm aware of.  People do that?
    I do.  "Fairy" is /fer i/, and "ferry" is /fEr i/.  In VRS they're
"fairree" and "fe'rree".  The same distinction holds for "marry" and
"merry", "bury" and "berry", and "vary" and "very", at least in careful
speech.  I've noticed that in rapid speech /Er/ tends to become /er/.

> Maybe that's why the dictionary has different signs for it  (an â for
> 'fairy' and an e-breve for 'ferry')....  I hadn't the faintest idea why,
> without a phonetic form (it just gives 'care' and 'pet' as examples... but
> what's the use if they sound the same?).
    The vowels in "care" and "pet" sound the same to you?  I guess my
dialect is closer to the dictionary writer's than yours is.

 ===========================================================================

           Denniss Paull Himze    <>    dennis@himes.connix.com
                  http://www.connix.com/~dennis/dennis.htm

Disclaimmer: "Troo, y tolk uv dremze; wich ar dha chiljrin uv an idle brane,
beegot uv nuththenge but vane fantucee; wich iz az thin uv substuns az dhe
are."                        - Roammeeo & Juuleeet, Act I Cene iv Vers 96-99