From our Registrar, for all those interested in the rationalization
of spelling. Mieke
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Ann Montgomery" <[log in to unmask]>
To: faclist@hera
Date sent: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 15:11:51 GMT -500
Subject: For Better Communication
Here is a proposal which came to me during the summer. Would this
make Senate minutes easier to understand?
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For Better Communication
Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC,
the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in
ways of improving efficiency in communications between Government
departments.
European officials have often pointed out that English
spelling is unnecessarily difficult - for example, cough, plough,
rough, through, and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased
program of change to iron out these anomalies. The program would,
of course, be administered by a staff committee at top level by
participating nations.
In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest
using 's' instead of a soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all
sities would reseive the news with joy. Then the hard 'c' would be
replased by 'k' sinse both letters are pronounsed alike. Not only
would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, but
typewriters kould be made with one less letter.
There would be growing enthusiasm when in the sekond year it
was anounsed that the troublesome 'ph' would henseforth be written
as 'f'. This would make words like 'fotograf' twenty per sent
shorter in print.
In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan
be expekted to reash the stage where some komplikated shanges are
possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double
letters which have always been a deterent to akurate speling.
We would al agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the
languag is disgrasful. Therfor we kould drop thes and kontinu to
read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would
be four years sins the skem began and people would be reseptiv to
steps sutsh as replasing 'th' by 'z'. Perhaps zen ze funktion of
'w' kould be taken on by 'v' vitsh is, after al half a 'w'.
Shortly after zis, ze unnecesary 'o' kuld be dropd from words
kontaining 'ou'. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer
kombinations of leters.
Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli have a
reli sensibl riten styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor
trubls, no mor difikultis and evrivun vud fin it ezi tu understand
ech ozer. Ze drems of ze govermnt vud finali hav kum tru.
Ann Montgomery
Registrar and Secretary General
Bishop's University
telephone: 819-822-9676
fax: 819-822-9616
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Mieke Koppen Tucker Bishop's University
Director, Writing Centre Lennoxville, Que.
Writing Proficiency Programme Canada J1M 1Z7
819-822-9600, ext.400 Fax: 819-822-9661
home: 819-823-7273 [log in to unmask]
