Re: USAGE: No rants! (USAGE: di"f"thong)

1) Do you think English spelling should be reformed?

 [x] No, it should not be reformed
 [ ] Yes, it should be reformed, but only slightly
 [ ] Yes, and we need a whole now spelling
 [ ] I don't care

2a) Do you think English spelling is phonemic?

 [ ] Yes
 [x] No
 [ ] I don't know
 [ ] I don't care

2b) Do you think English spelling is phonetic?

 [ ] Yes
 [x] No
 [ ] I don't know
 [ ] I don't care

3a) Do you think English spelling should be phonemic?

 [ ] Yes
 [x] No
 [ ] I don't care

3b) Do you think English spelling should be phonetic?

 [ ] Yes
 [x]No
 [ ] I don't care

4) Which spelling would you prefer for current 'laugh'?

 [x] laugh
 [ ] laff
 [ ] laf
 [ ] larf
 [ ] _______
 [ ] I don't care

If you only answered 'I don't care' or 'I don't know' up to here,
rethink whether you are really interested in this poll...

5) Who is the most important group of people you think of when
   proposing/rejecting a spelling reform?

 [ ] People who can read already and just want to keep on reading
     undisturbed.  (This is probably the largest group of living
     people now).

 [ ] L1 learners of English

 [ ] L2 learners of English [This will be the largest group of people
     if time is considered and we wait for 100 years.)

 [ ] Myself, I cannot read/write properly/have had problems learning
it.

 [x] Etymologists_____

6) How should one cope with different dialects?

 [ ] By neglecting distinctions made in some dialects.
 [ ] By considering all distinctions made in dialects.
 [ ] By using historical state of English and base the spelling on
it.
 [ ] By defining a standard dialect and use it regardless of
variants.
 [ ] By using a semantics based writing system.
 [x] By taking the time & using the energy to learn them.

7) Have you thought about or (tried to) invent(ed) a spelling reform
   yourself?

 [x] Yes - one with diacritics & one with digraphs, both based on
the pronunciation guide in the AHD.
 [ ] No

8) Which other lang do think needs a spelling reform?

 [ ] Chinese
 [ ] Danish
 [ ] Faeroese
 [x] French
 [ ] German
 [ ] Japanese
 [x] I would imagine that every language has some inconsistencies.
I read the other day that even Hawaiian has one or two.
 [ ] __________

IMO, with the plethora of dialects, a spelling reform has no meaning
unless there is a pronunciation reform to match it.

Charlie