Where can we get information about your proposed PLEE?

The Swedes had a spelling reform while their neighbours the Danes didn’t (or only minor ones) – these are “sister” languages that are pretty much mutually understandable – one is at the bottom of the literacy league tables, with us, while the other (the Swedes) are near the top.

Welsh has a rational spelling system while English does not – bilingual students with dyslexic problems will display these while using one language (English)but not while using the other.

Spain, with its reformed spelling system, diagnoses dyslexia one fifth of the rate that the Anglophone world does. The rates in Finland are way down too.

Go figure.

Please Google the OECD report on Linguistic Grain Theory. They have done the research and it flatly contradicts your (and your parent’s) assertion that spelling reform would not help students.

If I came from a long line of illiterate Nagget Weaslers and Grommitt Floggers or teachers and Nobel Laureates – literate or otherwise, it would be irrelevant to this discussion. The most important quality to inherit (if it is inheritable) is the ablity to think for ones self on the basis of the facts not sentiment.

Response: It is. Just as wheels ar a component of cars. They ar not the car. Unbalanced wheels make driving uncumfortable! Sumtimes difficult and dangerus!

When I speak of the English language I also speak of the way words are formed when written.

R: The language is the words and how they ar used. Primarily it is mannifested in the natural spoken form. The invented ritten form is seccondary. Sum languages hav nevver had a ritten form, but they’v all had a spoken form.

I come from a line of teachers.

R: Sum of us spelling bufs ar or hav been teechers. I was one.

Reformed spelling will continue to hit a brick wall in this country – much like the metric system has for many, many years (although I support a change in this arena.)

R: The USA could be left behind, agen!

Reformed spelling will continue to hit a brick wall in this country – much like the metric system has for many, many years (although I support a change in this arena.)

How have they done it with the many European languages that have been reformed? I imagine it would be done in a similar way.

“What effect does reformation of the spelling standards have on the adult population that has been spelling a particular way their entire lives? ”

An upgrade would be simple and easy to learn. Even if 300 words were re-spelled that would not constitute a huge learning burden.But anyway we now have several codes running at the same time (Text messaging, English & American T.S.).and this is not a problem.

“The English language is complex; the English language is full of seemingly erroneous spelling differences; the English language is hard, takes years to learn and even longer to master. Personally I like it that way. ”

We are talking here about the spelling system not the language but . . why do you like it that way? – are you aware of the terrible costs to us in maintaining this clapped-out system? Personally I don’t like it like that way & I think that my dislike is based on facts – what are your preferrences based on? Oh, and there is nothing “seeming” about the erroneous spelling.

“It reminds me of a complex programming language; their is a function for everything, nothing is impossible, and it takes a long time to learn.”

This is a completely inaccurate discription of the orthography. It is “actually” unsystematic; there are many silent letters that have absolutely no function what-so-ever. Please would you familiarize yourself with the material on Mash Bell’s web site. While most learn it (after a long time and at great expense) 20 % don’t. Now why do you want that to go on?

I fail to see that something that takes a long time to learn necessarily better than something that does not? Compare working in Roman and Arabic numerals. No one wants to bring back XLIIV etc, or do you?.

“In my opinion then English language separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls).”

Well, yet again, we are not talking about the language but the spelling system – let’s make that distinction. Being a competent speller is a poor indicator of I.Q. or success in other things. Charles Dawin. John Keats, V Woolf, W.B. Yeats, Steinbeck, (Nobel Laureates the last two) were amongst many who were poor spellers. Should they have been separated off as you put it?

Is not your concern about “the language”, and its shibboleths, a mask for prejudice?

Is thare a function for silent letters? How would maths be if thare wer silent numerals? Is thare a function for changing terminal -y to -ies in plurals? Is thare a function for letters c and g havving two sounds eech, and havving q as a bakstop for c or k?

6. In my opinion then English language separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls).

Is that a function for language? Is it a function for spelling?

I thaut thare function was for efectiv comunication.

Allan Campbell
Spell 4 Literacy

1. Who decides how new spellings would be implemented?

In my vew, it would probbably be an international comission of sum sort with representativs of publishers, educationists, international English-speeking boddys, parents, and with a linguist or two to warn of the traps.

2. What effect does reformation of the spelling standards have on the adult population that has been spelling a particular way their entire lives?

Agen, in my vew, a new spelling would need to be compattible (both ways) with TS. The yung lerning the new would need to be able to reed the old; and we oldys would need to be able to reed the new.

3. Does spelling reformation have to be accepted as a trickle-down effect that will take years and years and years to not only be accepted but also fully implemented? I could see how changing the spellings of words could benefit children just learning to read and write but it would take a full 3 or 4 generations for the benefits to be fully felt.

Mor likely a trickle up! Maybe, as u describe. OTOH, as they see the sense of it all, menny seniors may adopt it themselvs, and the total operation would snoball.

4. The English language is complex; the English language is full of seemingly erroneous spelling differences; the English language is hard, takes years to learn and even longer to master.

Not so. Forreners i hav spoken with tel me that English is one of the eesier seccond languages to lern; its the spelling that difficult. Spelling is not the language.

5. Personally I like it that way. It reminds me of a complex programming language; their is a function for everything, nothing is impossible, and it takes a long time to learn.

Why should it? Ar u a fan for sadism?

Is thare a function for silent letters? How would maths be if thare wer silent numerals? Is thare a function for changing terminal -y to -ies in plurals? Is thare a function for letters c and g havving two sounds eech, and havving q as a bakstop for c or k?

6. In my opinion then English language separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls).

Is that a function for language? Is it a function for spelling?

I thaut thare function was for efectiv comunication.

Allan Campbell
Spell 4 Literacy