Author Topic: If I were king of the world, (Read 9488 times)

Brinestone · « **Reply #25 on:** May 21, 2009, 08:58:31 PM »

Which is why I stuck with consonants. Much less messy.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #26 on:** May 21, 2009, 09:04:29 PM »

Why standardize spelling at all? If we really want to be all egalitarian about it, stop making correct spelling the shibboleth of good breeding and education. Blayne and Tom would be on equal footing.

Jonathon · « **Reply #27 on:** May 21, 2009, 09:06:10 PM »

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Not only that, it assumes that there is consistency and agreement among English speakers for those vowel sounds.

Not exactly. My spelling would be based on phonemics, not phonetics, so it doesn't need to account for every variant pronunciation. For example, this system would spell Mary, merry, and marry differently—as Meyree, merree, and maerree.

Of course, this spelling is based on a standard pronunciation, which is indeed not shared by all English speakers, but at least it's shared by a good number, as opposed to the five-hundred-years-out-of-date system that we use now.

Jonathon · « **Reply #28 on:** May 21, 2009, 09:07:27 PM »

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Why standardize spelling at all?

Because it makes reading easier. Of course, our system is bad enough that it makes learning to read harder, but once you've got it down you can read faster and more accurately than you can if you have to sound out every word.

Zalmoxis · « **Reply #29 on:** May 26, 2009, 11:10:59 AM »

I am not Brigham Young.

But I have stolen his experiments in social re-engineering to make cool LDS-themed t-shirts: http://motleyvision.spreadshirt.com/

Porter · « **Reply #30 on:** May 26, 2009, 11:15:01 AM »

I would add a new gender neutral pronoun to English (as opposed to it which is genderless).

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #31 on:** May 26, 2009, 05:08:36 PM »

You mean for a third person singular neutral pronoun so people stop using they? I am right behind you on that one.

Jonathon · « **Reply #32 on:** May 26, 2009, 05:15:59 PM »

People have been using they for all of recorded English history. Get with the times.

rivka · « **Reply #33 on:** May 26, 2009, 08:08:07 PM »

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I would add a new gender neutral pronoun to English (as opposed to it which is genderless).

I vote for the Swahili "yeye".

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #34 on:** May 27, 2009, 07:12:22 AM »

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People have been using they for all of recorded English history. Get with the times.

Not everyone. I recently looked this up in an APA style guide to see if I could get away with using the masculine pronoun, because I hate all the other options. Turns out I'm allowed to alternate between him and her, which made me very happy.

Porter · « **Reply #35 on:** May 27, 2009, 08:02:18 AM »

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Turns out I'm allowed to alternate between him and her, which made me very happy.

I actually hate that option.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #36 on:** May 27, 2009, 08:36:46 AM »

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Why standardize spelling at all?
Because it makes reading easier. Of course, our system is bad enough that it makes learning to read harder, but once you've got it down you can read faster and more accurately than you can if you have to sound out every word.

But it makes it so much easier to get amazing Scrabble scores.

"Yeah, there's a 'k' and an 'x' in that word. They're silent, is all."

Jonathon · « **Reply #37 on:** May 27, 2009, 09:14:43 AM »

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I recently looked this up in an APA style guide to see if I could get away with using the masculine pronoun, because I hate all the other options. Turns out I'm allowed to alternate between him and her, which made me very happy.

*shudders*

rivka · « **Reply #38 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:08:38 AM »

Me three.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #39 on:** May 27, 2009, 02:33:09 PM »

What? It's the most logical answer to people who object to using the masculine pronoun on the grounds that it's sexist. And worlds better than him/her. And universes better than them.

Porter · « **Reply #40 on:** May 27, 2009, 02:36:24 PM »

I hate him/her, but not as much as alternating between the two.

Using them is the least of our currently available evils.

The Genuine · « **Reply #41 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:16:42 PM »

Porter · « **Reply #42 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:21:56 PM »

Calling somebody an it means you are saying that they are neither male nor female. I want a pronoun that means you aren't saying anything about their gender.

Just like I used the pronouns they and their in the previous paragraph.

The Genuine · « **Reply #43 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:28:01 PM »

Do you call a random animal an "it" when you don't know its gender (even though it has one)?

Porter · « **Reply #44 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:35:31 PM »

I might, but that's because I don't mind "dehumanizing" a critter.

It's insulting to call a person an it.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #45 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:39:53 PM »

As in "Jesse doesn't know its butt from its elbow"?

The Genuine · « **Reply #46 on:** May 28, 2009, 12:17:14 AM »

I was always told I shouldn't stick something the size of my elbow in my …

Oh, nevermind.

Neutros the Radioactive Dragon · « **Reply #47 on:** May 28, 2009, 08:15:13 AM »

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #48 on:** May 28, 2009, 05:18:02 PM »

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I am not Brigham Young.

But I have stolen his experiments in social re-engineering to make cool LDS-themed t-shirts: http://motleyvision.spreadshirt.com/

One of which I am wearing right now

Jonathon · « **Reply #49 on:** November 16, 2009, 02:20:46 PM »

Were I kind of the world, I would eliminate the distinction between immigrate and emigrate. It's almost always entirely superfluous, and furthermore it's often difficult to determine which one to use.