Linguistics (was 2.5 kernel & spelling)

> Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 10:29:41 +0000 (GMT)
> From: John Logsdon <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: no support w/2.5 kernel installed. Spelling, no big deal 4 me
> Reply-To: [email protected]
> 
> Hi all
> 
> I have been following this seriously off-topic thread for a little while
> now and can't resist a few words.  Indulge me please!  2.5 has been
> forgotten a long time ago.

Well, yes all the stuff about spelling is a bit off-topic. :) The
development versus stable release topic isn't, even if it has already
been hashed and rehashed by others. I suppose we could carry on our
discussion without involving the rest of the list, if people prefer.

> Whether spelling is important or not, I guess only in English could this
> question be asked.  I believe spelling is very important but my kids don't
> seem to agree.  There are two ways of working with language - visual and
> aural.  Bad spellers tend to be the latter and good spellers the former.
> Learning another language is generally easier if you are visual but
> complete fluency is then more difficult.

I would say that I'm visual. 

> This is particularly visible in continental Europe where words like Centre
> are written the US way rather than the British way which is of course
> derived from French.  Of course when the US joins the EU - or more likely
> takes it over - there may be some justification for these errors ....
> :-)))

:-p

> So we are stuck with at least two (written) versions of essentially the
> same language, which makes it very difficult for non-native speakers (of
> either version) to get it right.  Massive credit to all that do - and in
> some cases write better than the natives.

I've come across plenty of non-native speakers with FAR better grammar
and spelling than many of the native speakers I've encountered. But then
I've encountered plenty of unintelligible non-native speakers too.

> As Webster must have realised, it is impossible to make English phonetic
> and not too many people speak Esperanto, mainly because it has no
> geographical, economic or political base.  If you want a phonetic language
> there are many around - from a European tradition, my favourite is Italian
> which is contemporary, based on Latin, the language of music and is
> wonderful to hear and speak but I recognise that there are many other
> traditions and candidates.

My favorite phonetic language would have to be Japanese, but mostly only
because I speak a bit and had to endure years of study to become even
half-fluent. Reading & writing Japanese is another story (I can't
remember how many thousands of different characters there are)...

> As I said - seriously off-topic:)!

Well, this entire exchange is now definitely off-topic, so I promise to
stop with the whole language thing once I finish this message! :)

-- 
Jarod Wilson, RHCE
<[email protected]>
"A wise man once said nothing at all"
--



-- 
Phoebe-list mailing list
[email protected]
https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/phoebe-list