Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica
Titolo: Euro English - a joke (or not?)

Conoscete gią questa gustosa idea di come semplificare l'inglese?
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Euro English
=):-))=
The European Commission have just announced an agreement whereby English
rather than more difficult languages will be the official language of the
EU.
As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English
spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phase in
plan that would be known as "EuroEnglish".
1st In the first year, "s" will replace soft "c". Sertainly, this will make
the sivil servants jump with joy. Hard "c" will be dropped in favor of "k".
This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have one letter less.
2nd There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when
troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will render words like
"fotograf" 20 % shorter. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new
spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where mor komplikated changes
are
possible.
3rd Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have
always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible
mes of the silent "c"s in the language is disgraceful and that they be
droped.
4th By the fourth year, people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing
"th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, unesesary "o" kan be
droped from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kurs be aplid
to
ozer kombinations of leters.
5th After ze fifz yer, ve vil hav a rely sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no
mor trubl or difikultis and evryvon vil find it esy to understand ech ozer.

 
A parte gli scherzi, avevo trovato riferimenti (in una novella pero`,
quindi non so se sia vero: chiedo lumi) a un progetto per semplificare
lo spelling inglese, riavvicinando la scrittura e la pronuncia:
qualcosa chiamato "Anglic". Qualcuno ne sa qualcosa? 
            Romano
PS: in Spagna ci sono proposte simili, per eliminare le (poche)
ambiguita` di scrittura (je-ji/ge-gi e ce-ci/ze-zi, fondamentalmente,
a parte l'annoso problema b/v che in teoria si pronunciano allo stesso
modo ma in pratica non e` vero). 
-- 
Romano Giannetti             -  Univ. Pontificia Comillas (Madrid, Spain)
Electronic Engineer - phone 
+34 915 422 800 ext 2416
  fax 
+34 915 596 569
Change - with . and delete .no.spam from my email address!

modo ma in pratica non e` vero). 
potresti sviluppare?
--
Gianni
nassuu a Milan (IT-MI)
crescut a Tolosa (FR-31)
habitant le Val-d'Oise (FR-95)
Please use 'gianni at opentv dot com' to write me.

 qualcosa chiamato "Anglic". Qualcuno ne sa qualcosa?
    Esiste la "Cut Spelling Society". La URL dovrebbe essere questa:
http://www.les.aston.ac.uk/sss/cutspelng.html
    Copioincollo anche la pagina introduttiva, che spiega le linee generali
di questa associazione:
The English spelling problem
English spelling is notoriously difficult. It is an antiquated,
unpredictable system not designed for universal literacy. We all suffer from
its irregularity: it takes much longer to learn than more regular systems;
it inhibits free expression; it causes mispronunciation; it is handled
erratically by most people, with even skilled writers prone to uncertainty
and error; and it depresses educational standards (millions are functionally
illiterate). Many languages with more regular spellings have modernized
their writing in the past century, and several English-speaking countries
modernized their currency and/or weights & measures in the 1970s. Our
spelling can and should now be modernized too.
Old and new to be recognizably similar
An ideal spelling system matches letters to speech-sounds. The sounds of
words then tell us how to spell them, and the spelling tells us how they
sound. English is so far from that ideal that we would need a totally new
spelling system to make a perfect match. Even if such a drastic change were
agreed, it would so disrupt the continuity of literacy, and the necessary
worldwide re-education would be so costly, that it would be impracticable.
As other languages show, new spellings must be close enough to the old for
people educated in the one to read the other easily.
Redundant letters the key
Isolated reforms (eg, abolishing GH) may therefore seem the only feasible
approach, but their effect on the all-pervading irregularity of English
spelling would be marginal. So does that mean it is impossible to improve
the spelling of English significantly, without excessive disruption? An
answer came in the 1970s, when Australian psychologist Valerie Yule noted
the many redundant letters in English. In the next decade those letters were
classified, and the effect of removing them studied. The result was the Cut
Spelling (CS) system which regularizes swathes of inconsistencies in written
English that confuse learners, readers and writers everywhere, regardless of
accent. In 1992 the Simplified Spelling Society published a comprehensive
Handbook to CS (2nd edition 1996). Interested readers around the world have
since come to know CS, and a number of writers have become proficient in
using it. Its principles are widely acknowledged as offering a promising new
approach to the English spelling problem that is flexible enough to be
adapted to public demand.
Efect of CS on readrs
Th foloing paragrafs sho CS in action. We first notice it is not hard to
read, even without noing its rules, and with practis we read it as esily as
traditionl spelng. Most words ar unchanjed (over 3/4 in th previus sentnce),
and we hav th impression not of a totaly new riting systm, but of norml
script with letrs misng here and ther. Th basic shape of most words, by wich
we recognize them, is not fundmently altrd, and nearly al those that ar mor
substantialy chanjed ar quikly decoded; very few ar truly puzlng. This means
that, if al printd matr sudnly apeard in CS tomoro, peples readng ability
wud not be seriusly afectd. Foren lernrs in particulr ar helpd by th clearr
indication of pronunciation, as wen pairs like lo/cow, danjer/angr,
undrmine/determn cese to look like ryms. With groing familiarity, users
apreciate CS as a streamlined but mor acurat represntation of spoken
english. Its novlty lies in th disapearnce of much of th arbitry clutr that
makes ritn english so confusing and causes most of th mistakes peple now
make.
Lernng CS
How CS is lernt depends on th lernr. Those first aquiring litracy skils can
lern by norml fonic methods, wich ar mor efectiv in CS thanks to its
improved regularity (eg, hav, wer, litl, nyt, scool, frend). Litrat lernrs,
by contrast, mastr CS by practisng deletion of redundnt letrs from
traditionl spelng. They may first try riting CS by foloing th Beginrs Gide
overleaf, wich outlines th 3 cutng rules and 3 substitution rules, or they
may teach themselvs systmaticly thru th exrcises in th Handbook. It soon
becoms aparent that CS not only removes many of th old perversitis like th
unhistoricl GH in hauty, but it also smooths away countless iritating
variations like th unpredictbl vowl letrs befor final R in burglr, teachr,
doctr, glamr, murmr, injr, martr, etc. Th difrnces between british and
americn spelng evaprate. For lernrs from a numbr of othr languajs CS has th
furthr atraction of removing discrepncis between english and ther mothr tong
(eg, singl consnnts in CS acomodation as in spanish acomodación). Once
mastrd, CS is ritn mor fluently and acuratly than traditionl spelng, as
inumerabl uncertntis and traps that previusly causd hesitation and mispelng
hav been elimnated (eg, receive/relieve becom receve/releve). From 1997 it
has also been posbl to produce text in CS without lernng th rules at al (se
last paragraf).
Econmy of efrt, time, space, mony
CS not only asists readng and riting skils, but also speeds up th production
of text. Th loss of redundnt letrs shortns riting by around 10%, and so
saves time and efrt for evryone engajed in creating ritn text, wethr
scoolchildren, novlists, printrs, jurnlists, secretris, advrtisers, grafic
desynrs, editrs, or anyone else. Th gretr regularity of CS means less time
spent lernng to read and rite, and less need for chekng and corectng. In
education th time saved can be spent on mor useful lernng, wile in th
workplace it increses productivity. Th reduced space ocupyd by CS has
typograficl advantajs: public syns and notices can be smalr, or ritn larjr;
mor words can be fitd on video or computer screens; fewr abreviations ar
necesry; and fewr words hav to be hyfnated at line-ends. Ther ar also
material econmis: with 10% space-saving, books and newspapers use less paper
(or else th same pajes can carry mor text), and less storaj and transport ar
required. Not least, th environmnt benefits from loer consumtion of raw
materials and enrjy, and from reduced waste. Al these gains also save mony.
CS a flexbl concept
Som peple fear spelng reform wud mean spelng caos (as if english spelng wer
not alredy caotic). Th flexbility of th CS concept minmizes that danjer. CS
is not a rijid systm, but a synpost pointng to th omission of redundnt letrs
as th most practicl and advntajus way of modrnizing english spelng. Th CS
Handbook ofrs a coherent systm, as seen here, but difrnt users (ranjing from
individul riters and orgnizations to entire cuntris) cud adopt CS to varying
degrees. Probbly only a few of todays litrat adlts wud chanje ther riting,
tho in ther readng they wud becom acustmd to many simplr forms. Of those
that do chanje, som may rite commitee (many alredy do, tho it now counts as
rong), wile othrs prefer ful CS comitee: th two forms can co-exist, just as
judgement/judgment and othr alternativ 'cut' spelngs co-exist today. In th
long run th lojic and econmy of ful CS cud be expectd to prevail. Those
responsbl for deciding standrd spelngs in education, publishng, dictionris,
etc, can decide th balance between cutng and keepng redundnt letrs that best
suits ther needs. Worldwide co-ordnation wud be desirebl, but a comn urj for
simplification by shedng redundnt letrs wud work against any fragmntation of
ritn english as a medium of world comunication.
Autmatic spelng convertr
Ful mastry of CS may take mor time, concentration and practis than many
peple can giv to th task, yet they may stil wish to produce text in CS (eg,
to print a weekly CS colum in newspapers). They can now do so, thanks to
enjneer Alan Mole (Colorado, USA), aidd by Bernard Sypniewski (New Jersey,
USA) and John Bryant (Cambridge, UK), ho hav created th BTRSPL program. In
conjunction with th 40,000-word CUTSPL dictionry, this rapidly (at about 100
pajes per minut) converts text from traditionl orthografy to CS. Availbl fre
of charj from th Intrnet, BTRSPL/CUTSPL curently suits PCs (incl. WINDOWS),
but not yet th Macintosh. Th program is stil in its infncy, and furthr
developmnts ar pland, for instnce to enable users to adapt th dictionry to
ther own needs, adng new words or altrng those alredy listd, and so bild up
a persnlized CS riting tool. For details and to download th program, visit:
http://www.les.aston.ac.uk/sss/cutspelng.html
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BEGINNER'S GUIDE to CUT SPELLING
CUT LETTERS AS FOLLOWS:
Rule 1: Cut letters irrelevant to the sound:
A in head>hed, B in doubt>dout, C in except>exept, D in adjust>ajust, E in
are>ar, GH in caught>caut, H in when>wen, I in friend>frend, K in
knife>nife, O-L inwould>wud, N in condemn>condem, O in people>peple, P in
receipt>receit, S in island>iland, T in fetch>fech, U in build>bild, W in
write>rite, Y in key>ke,
and in many other spelling patterns.
Rule 2a: Cut unstressed vowels before L,M,N,R
A as in pedal>pedl, and likewise madm, womn, vicr.
E as in camel>caml, and likewise systm, gardn, singr.
I as in lentil>lentl, and likewise victm, raisn, Cheshr.
O as in pistol>pistl, and likewise fathm, reasn, sailr.
U as in consul>consl, and likewise albm, murmr.
AI as in mountain>mountn.
OU as in glamour>glamr.
Rule 2b: Cut vowels in regular endings
as -ED>-D in washed>washd.
-ES>-S in washes>washs.
-ING>-NG in washing>washng.
-ABLE>-BL in washable>washbl.
Rule 3: Write most double consonants single
as in ebb>eb, lock>lok, well>wel, bottle>botl, hopped>hopd, hopping>hopng,
accommodate>acomodate.
SUBSTITUTE LETTERS AS FOLLOWS: 1 F for GH & PH: rough>ruf,
photograph>fotograf
2 J for soft G: ginger>jinjr, judge>juj
3 Y for IG: sigh>sy, sight>syt, sign>syn
FEWER CAPITALS & APOSTROPHES Write only proper names with capitals:
France but french, Paris but parisian,
Augustus but august, Satrn but satrday.
Write apostrophes only to link words:
she'd, it's, we'l, let's,
not to show omission or possession:
oclok, hadnt, Freds house, our neibrs houses.
THE CUT SPELLING HANDBOOK
"CUT SPELLING: a Handbook to the simplification of written English by
omission of redundant letters"
prepared by Christopher Upward
2nd (revised and expanded) edition, 1996,
Birmingham, UK: Simplified Spelling Society, 340+viiipp, ISBN 0 9506391 3 3
Price £10/US$20 + airmail outside Europe £3/US$6.
From: 61 Valentine Road, Birmingham, B14 7AJ, UK.
Visit: 
http://www.les.aston.ac.uk/book/cutspelhb.html
THE BTRSPL / CUTSPL CONVERTER
For information on the automatic Cut Spelling converter program, see last
paragraph overleaf. For more details, and to download the program free of
charge, visit: 
http://www.les.aston.ac.uk/sss/
THE SIMPLIFIED SPELLING SOCIETY
"Working for planned change to English spelling for the benefit of learners
and users throughout the world" Details of the Society may be obtained from:
Jean Hutchins, SSS Membership Secretary,
13 Hurstleigh Drive, Redhill RH1 2AA, UK,
tel. 
+44 (0)1737 765 851
,
e-mail: 
JeanHu...@compuserve.com
or from: 
http://www.les.aston.ac.uk/sss/
    Ciao,
           Nicola
--
Multa non quia difficilia sunt non audemus, sed quia non audemus sunt
difficilia (Seneca)

 Conoscete già questa gustosa idea di come semplificare l'inglese?
    Sí, ed è molto carina, però ti sei scordato l'ultima, ilaricissima riga:
            Zen Z Drem Vil Finali Kum Tru!!



E con ciò, addio giochi di parole del tipo kum vit me
Mi scuso ;-)
G. M.


traditionl spelng.
Sicrmnt! s capsc benssm! E vorrebbero farmi fare tutta questa fatica? Ma
questi sono matti!!
Ciao.

 
Semplicemente, nei corsi classici di Spagnolo ti dicono che v e b si
pronunciano allo stesso modo [B]. E` molto istruttivo il fatto che io
posso pronunciare v e b all'italiana e ovviamente capiscono lo stesso
(come si dice, sono allofoni? Non mi ricordo). Pero` quando si sente
uno spagnolo che parla "bene", tipo un vallisoletano (di Valladolid),
la v e la b le pronuncia diverse, eccome; la b con [B] e la v con una
[v] un po` corta. 
                      Romano
 
[ci si risente lunedi`...]


 So er an īr ūfgestigen ist (Vogelweide)