XPost: alt.usage.english, alt.english.usage   
   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   On Sat, 27 Jul 2024 09:52:04 +0200, Ruud Harmsen    
   wrote:   
      
   >Fri, 26 Jul 2024 21:04:32 +0000: bertietaylor@myyahoo.com   
   >(bertietaylor) scribeva:   
      
   >>Daniels deeply resented that. He said that things were fine as they are.   
   >   
   >I think so too. I read and write standard English much more easily   
   >than to write it in IPA. Also the more or less phonological spelling I   
   >myself devised in the 1970s, is very difficult to use even for me,   
   >although it was designed with the express purpose of being easier.   
      
   I tend to agree there.   
      
   I've tried to learn Russian (visited there nearly 30 years ago). When   
   looking at a text, the words I know I can recognise immediately. Words   
   I don't know, I have to spell out letter by letter. And words that end   
   in -ego I pronounce as -yevo without even thinking about it, which   
   gives problems with Bulgarian and Serbian, because they don't   
   pronounce it like that.   
      
      
      
   >   
   >The reason is that after the first learning stage of 6 years olds,   
   >people do not read and type in separate letters, but in word images,   
   >just like in the case of Chinese characters. (OK, there is debate   
   >whether words in Chinese are often 2 or 3 characters, or just one   
   >(learnt from PTD!), but that doesn't change the principle.)   
   >   
   >And yes, of course my fingers do type separate letters while I compose   
   >this message, but my brain thinks in English words and expressions   
   >while I do it. Via a built-up routine, by lots of practice every day,   
   >something in my brain or spine translates those thoughts into finger   
   >movements on the keyboards, in cooperation with my eyes. I don't   
   >consciously know how that works, but it does.   
   >   
   >When I try to control it consciously, it is disrupted!   
   >   
   >Conclusion: the easiest spelling, no matter how weird or irregular, is   
   >always the one you are used to. Simplification always only makes   
   >things harder.   
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa   
   Web:  http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm   
   Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com   
   E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)