Friday, July 07, 2006
I dinna reed so gud.
I'm recoiling in horror right now. Reading that whole article made my head hurt. My brain is already wired for modern day spelling. Truth is they don't even need to lobby for a new spelling system. Language is not static. Just give it a few generations and we'll all be using the netspeek.
I like using alt spelling for emphasis or to sound a certain way through text. But reading a scientific journal? Fugghedaboudit. It's like you're trying to raise a nation of George W's. I'm already living through The Great Dumbening. Turn on the telly. Whaddya got? Popularity contests, demeaning for dollars, and pimp my noun. That's the entire landscape. Sigh.
Language evolves with us. You can't just create it and expect people to adopt it. I'm lookin at you Esperanto. I do agree we have to do something about our illiteracy rate, cause there's still that social stigma. We have to not make people feel stupid because they can't memorize words. But then again kids also have to try to read and write. I feel they get off too easy in that department.
Back in my day we used to spell check in the snow... uphill... barefoot...
Of course, the generation after that will add their own twist to the language and we're back to it being an evolving organic entity again, but widespread adoption is certainly doable.
Personally I hate multiple languages. I'm all for everyone understanding everyone else. Bring on the more and bloodier wars. :)
Then we could go back to fighting over resources, race, and whatever topic du jour comes up. But at least I'll know what expletives your hurling at me. Hee.
That'll never happen anyway. Humans are social creatures, but you'll often get isolated groups. We're also pretty creative, what with metaphors, euphemisms, accents to add to the daily speech.
Oh. And we're sometimes fiercely protective of 'identity', of which language is a part. So I'll never see a world language until I'm up to my ears in China. ^_^
