Disappointing Phonetics
Sep. 19th, 2008 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI just got to a horrible chapter in my shorthand textbook: the chapter where they tell you, with no apologies, that the same letter is used for long a, short a, and the ah sound. And the same letter is used for long e, short e and short i.
This means that not only are main and mane spelled the same, so is man. I'm guessing pin and pen are the same, just like in some southern accents. Each and itch are probably spelled the same.
That makes for easy writing, but what about reading? And it's shocking when I know that Gregg was all about phonetics and was even pushing to have our spelling system changed to be phonetic (just like other reasonable people try to get the US on the metric system). Well, when you yank out all the silent e's and whatnot, then it doesn't work so well having the same vowel stand for more than one sound.
It's probably going to be okay, though. After all, some languages have almost no vowels at all for grown-ups. (In Hebrew anyway, the consonants are big letters and the vowels are mostly little dots and dashes, mostly beneath the big letters, and these are used mostly only in kids' books.) Surely those languages have plenty of words that look the same without their vowels.
This means that not only are main and mane spelled the same, so is man. I'm guessing pin and pen are the same, just like in some southern accents. Each and itch are probably spelled the same.
That makes for easy writing, but what about reading? And it's shocking when I know that Gregg was all about phonetics and was even pushing to have our spelling system changed to be phonetic (just like other reasonable people try to get the US on the metric system). Well, when you yank out all the silent e's and whatnot, then it doesn't work so well having the same vowel stand for more than one sound.
It's probably going to be okay, though. After all, some languages have almost no vowels at all for grown-ups. (In Hebrew anyway, the consonants are big letters and the vowels are mostly little dots and dashes, mostly beneath the big letters, and these are used mostly only in kids' books.) Surely those languages have plenty of words that look the same without their vowels.
no subject
on 2008-09-20 09:09 am (UTC)Just try not to question the book too much.
The system is well thought out and every rule will fit into the big plan of things very nicely if you follow along properly.
no subject
on 2008-09-20 10:33 pm (UTC)Hmm, I never thought of the brainwashing potential for shorthand texts. Just slide in a few bonus chapters near the end, and just see what can happen!