Re: English diglossia (was Re: retroflex consonants)

Tristan:
> John Cowan wrote:
[...]
> Doesn't matter: the very second you tell people to change the 'correct'
> spelling from 'you' to 'yoo', they'll also change the correct spelling
> of 'saw' and 'sore' to be the same (assuming they say them the same)
> No-one has trouble spelling 'you' correctly, but it's actually difficult
> getting 'saw' and 'sore' right. Regardless of the inter-dialectal
> homogeneity built into a reformed spelling in theory, putting it into
> practice will see it lost. It's a case of all or nothing. I can't see a
> part-way solution working
IMO the primary argument in favour of spelling reform is to help
children to learn to *read*. If children mix up saw/sore when they
write, that's not such a problem. But it's important that they can
see a word & work out on the basis of some adequately consistent
rules how to pronounce it & hence recognize it. Current English
orthography costs even bright children a couple of years of lost
reading, and -- though I am guessing here -- quite possibly it
costs some people a lifetime of illiteracy.

--And.

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