From: unruh@invalid.ca   
      
   On 2012-05-25, Jim Beard  wrote:   
   > On 05/25/2012 10:32 AM, Adam wrote:   
   >>   
   >> Isn't that true for children in most places? Here (U.S.) the   
   >> written language isn't taught until first grade (age 6), when   
   >> children have already been using spoken English.   
   >   
   > Correct.  The crux of the thing is, language is independent of   
   > its written form, or if it even has a written form.  Hence,   
   > saying that the written form of a language is difficult does not   
   > imply that the language is difficult.   
      
   Well, in most alphabet languages, the written form is an attempt to   
   capture the spoken form with symbols. The letters correspond to sounds,   
   not meaning. Written chinese is a totally different language than   
   spoken. There is no attempt to capture sounds (well a bit) but to supply   
   symbols on the page for meaning, as arbitrary as the association of   
   sounds with meanings.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)