Most amusing to me is how much mirth is generated by "incorrect" spelling. After all, the written word is supposed to be an efficient means of encoding the spoken word, or language -- not some sacred ritual. While the spoken word properly evolves in response to vital communication needs, the written word has been relatively immutable. Sad, really. We badly need some changes in spelling as the present scheme is pretty lousy. The main problem is that we are officially allowed only 5 vowel-symbols, in contrast to 26 consonant-symbols. We need more like an equal number of each to reasonably encode spoken languages.
I think the laughter, and sometimes derision, provoked by "bad" spelling results from pedantic scholars who place much silly emphasis on the arcane art of "correct" spelling. Curses upon them, I say. Anyone who can seriously object to such a mild improvement as, for example, "thru" instead of "through" displays an afflicted soul.
Yes, da chief may well be ahead of his time, regarding spelling. |
