[MK Chris]

Should we simplify spelling?

Whatever happened to educating people to spell properly?

[MK Chris]

Ah yeah, I have seen that joke too. Just goes to show how ridiculous the idea really is.

[Yudster]

Bad spelling is just laziness. Almost always.

[foot-loose]

English needs simplifying so children's literacy can improve.

Surely this is just a case of lowering the bar? Whats wrong with English? Its been fine for hundreds of years (granted there have been plenty of changes along the way) why do the kids these days need it simplified for them?

[Yudster]

Because no one can be bothered to teach it to them properly. But it must be quite difficult to effectively teach something which is increasingly being regarded as unimportant.

[foot-loose]

how can correct spelling be unimportant?

[Yudster]

Well I don't think it is, but when you have text spelling being accepted on GCSE papers, you have to assume that "society" doesn't agree.

[MK Chris]

Not only that, IT'S NOT PROPER ENGLISH! Why would you even contemplate allowing text speak in exams, it's the most stupid idea I've ever heard.

[MK Chris]

I'm not sure I agree with banning words combined with apostrophes, after all, that is still part of our language. I think It's less natural to use the full versions of these words a lot of the time, however, I do agree that symbols should not be used as substitutes for words.

[Yudster]

Its easier to tell people not to use apostrophes, because then you don't have to teach them how!

[MK Chris]

Yeah well there again is that laziness you were on about. It is annoying when people use apostrophes to show where two words have been joined, rather than where there is a letter missing.

[foot-loose]

like'this?

[MK Chris]

Kinda, though there's no way of joining those to make a shortened version anyway - I mean do'nt instead of don't.

[kendra k]

george bernard shaw was an advocate of spelling reform. according to him the only way to reform english spelling is to switch to a phonetic alphabet, like ipa. of course, this hasn't happened yet.

i wrote an essay three years about this. i remember one terrible book advocated a type of new spelling which looked like just dumbing stuff down. the book was terrible and looked like a 5 year old wrote it. the reasoning wasn't very sound either. i wish i could remember the name of it.

[MK Chris]

i remember one terrible book advocated a type of new spelling which looked like just dumbing stuff down. the book was terrible and looked like a 5 year old wrote it. the reasoning wasn't very sound either. i wish i could remember the name of it.

That sounds like what the woman in this article is banging on about really:

Here are a selection of reformed spellings as envisaged by the Simplified Spelling Society.

Addicted - adicted
Anyone - ennywun
Are - ar
Beautiful - butiful
Becoming - becumming
Benefit - bennefit
Couple - cupl
Difference - difrence
Have - hav
Health - helth
Learn - lern
Low - lo
Memory - memmory
Money - munny
More - mor
Most - moast
One - wun
Only - onely
People - peeple
Phonic - phonnic
Poor - por
Single - singl
Simple - simpl
Slow - slo
Still - stil
Therefore - therefor
To - tu
Very - verry
Were - wer
Worse - wors
You - u
Young - yung
Your - yor

Of course, looking at it from a southern point of view, as I would do, they read phonetically, however, if you were northern (as I think someone pointed in the article at the bottom) something like 'one' would have to be spelt 'wun' down south and 'won' up north. It's ridiculous.

[Sistermoon]

I was taught to spell phonetically (stupid idea, that was quickly abandoned) and my spelling suffers to this day. However, I was also taught how to use a dictionary!

We are living in a world were you are competing in a world market for some jobs. How is it going to help our kids if we "dumb down" school? They need to be learning more, not less!

[ladbroke]

They are starting to teach using phonics again now. My son is taught how to build words using individual sounds, and then joining them together. Seems to be working for him, and his spelling is improving no end. I certainly wouldn't let him grow up with a poor grasp of the English language! They start in reception class by having signs for each letter, which if nothing else makes it fun at that age.