the stupidest thing

[The diplomat]

Some advocates want to change the spelling of the english language to make it easier for students to learn:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202180,00.html

How about just teaching kids how to spell english correctly?

[Asher]

Because they have a hard enough time learning proper grammatical rules, I suppose. Like your grammar, for instance.

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by Asher
Because they have a hard enough time learning proper grammatical rules, I suppose. Like your grammar, for instance.

There are languages far more difficult to learn than english and those nation's students learn those languages just fine. We have to stop making excuses for our kids.

[Ecthy]

English is one of the easiest languages to learn. Try French for a change, or, hell, German!

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Ecthy
English is one of the easiest languages to learn. Try French for a change, or, hell, German!

French and German are at least pronounced the way they are spelled. English is such an amlagumation of other languages and hold-over spellings, propouncing it is a nightmare.

Remember Gallager's bit on the spelling of "one" and why it doesn't being with a "w." Then he talks about "two," which has a "w" but doesn't need it.

French and German have no such problems. Sure, France has two genders for its nouns, and Germans three but other than that.

[Lorizael]

While there are many languages that are significantly more complex than English, there are very few that make as little sense. There are no standard rules in English, just a tediously long list of exceptions.

[Mercator]

You are deluding yourself. No language has a perfectly phonetic writing system and every language has its quirks. And changing the spelling won't do any good. It usually just pisses people off at first and then they adjust and everyone complains just as much as before.

I seemed to have done fine learning English.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Mercator
No language has a perfectly phonetic writing system and every language has its quirks.

Who claimed otherwise?

I seemed to have done fine learning English.

useless anecdotal evidence

[Mercator]

Originally posted by Lorizael
Who claimed otherwise?

Everyone thinking changing the spelling will somehow fix things and make everything easier to learn.

useless anecdotal evidence

Thank you.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Mercator
Everyone thinking changing the spelling will somehow fix things and make everything easier to learn.

Ah, well, good thing I don't think that then.

[Mercator]

Well, good then. Luckily, I wasn't addressing you specifically. "You" can also be plural in English.

[Kassiopeia]

English is easy to learn because we're embroiled in it, especially in countries where the majority language is globally very small. People living in larger lingual communities like German and French are at a disadvantage in that sense, because the market is so large that there are all sorts of localisations and dubbing and whatnot.

[Hot Mustard]

Everyone should learn Marain - it is the most sophisticated language.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Mercator
Well, good then. Luckily, I wasn't addressing you specifically. "You" can also be plural in English.

Irony

[Jerh9e1k5]

Originally posted by Asher
Because they have a hard enough time learning proper grammatical rules, I suppose. Like your grammar, for instance.

I am quite sure that you spent five full minutes checking your grammar on these two sentences before posting.