Sure there are benefits, but you've got a fine point -- is it worth the costs? What would metric advocates say to standardizing the world on the English language?
This is totally absurd. Simplifying English spelling would eradicate the link between words and etymologies, causing words to become mere signifiers of sounds. Words possess heaps of cultural significance that implicate literature, poetry, performing arts, and even visual arts. And practically speaking, what are we to do w/homonyms?
The simplification of Chinese characters represents a similar reformation, but at least traces of etymology remain in tact. A more accurate analogy to this proposal would be if the Chinese were to exclusively use Pinyin instead of Chinese characters -- simplified or traditional. Ask any Chinese-speaking individual what she'd think of the idea, and she'd say it's malarky.
If Americans really wanted to do this -- simplify spelling to eliminate inconsistencies between words and sound -- it would be a slightly better idea to make everyone use the IPA at least.
This article is a big advertisement for Microsoft products! Windows, email software, groupware, table PCs:
"Outlook also has a little notification box that comes up..."
"I deal with this by using SharePoint, a tool that creates websites..."
"It also has a note-taking piece of software called OneNote..."
The writing style makes the article sound like a bedtime story for business people. I can hardly believe Gates got commissioned to write an essay for Fortune magazine; it seems more likely that Microsoft's marketing group put this together and approached the publisher.
I graduated from college in New York a couple years after 9/11. The day I was scheduled to leave for the west coast I took a walk across the George Washington bridge with a digital SLR around my neck to take some pictures for my photo album. I started on the New Jersey side and snapped away as I made my way towards Manhattan. Not 10 yards beyond the toll boths a police officer drove up and stopped to ask what I was doing. Naturally I told him I was leaving the city that day and was just taking some pictures for fun. The officer took my camera into his car and spent several minutes communicating over his radio.
When he came back he asked me to delete all my pictures of the bridge. I asked him whether it was against the law to take photographs of public places, but I couldn't get a straight answer from him; he just told me I couldn't do this sort of thing, considering 9/11. Well I probably could've argued the case, but this was NYPD. I was leaving the city anyhow, so I deleted my pictures and got away from there!
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Sure there are benefits, but you've got a fine point -- is it worth the costs? What would metric advocates say to standardizing the world on the English language?
This is totally absurd. Simplifying English spelling would eradicate the link between words and etymologies, causing words to become mere signifiers of sounds. Words possess heaps of cultural significance that implicate literature, poetry, performing arts, and even visual arts. And practically speaking, what are we to do w/homonyms?
The simplification of Chinese characters represents a similar reformation, but at least traces of etymology remain in tact. A more accurate analogy to this proposal would be if the Chinese were to exclusively use Pinyin instead of Chinese characters -- simplified or traditional. Ask any Chinese-speaking individual what she'd think of the idea, and she'd say it's malarky.
If Americans really wanted to do this -- simplify spelling to eliminate inconsistencies between words and sound -- it would be a slightly better idea to make everyone use the IPA at least.
Skeptics say don't count on it.
What? Were they supposed to say something else?
This article is a big advertisement for Microsoft products! Windows, email software, groupware, table PCs:
"Outlook also has a little notification box that comes up..."
"I deal with this by using SharePoint, a tool that creates websites..."
"It also has a note-taking piece of software called OneNote..."
The writing style makes the article sound like a bedtime story for business people. I can hardly believe Gates got commissioned to write an essay for Fortune magazine; it seems more likely that Microsoft's marketing group put this together and approached the publisher.
The mysterious website gets me really excited, but this looks a little much like a Treo w/a camera on it.
Nice design though I think we've seen this before.
I graduated from college in New York a couple years after 9/11. The day I was scheduled to leave for the west coast I took a walk across the George Washington bridge with a digital SLR around my neck to take some pictures for my photo album. I started on the New Jersey side and snapped away as I made my way towards Manhattan. Not 10 yards beyond the toll boths a police officer drove up and stopped to ask what I was doing. Naturally I told him I was leaving the city that day and was just taking some pictures for fun. The officer took my camera into his car and spent several minutes communicating over his radio.
When he came back he asked me to delete all my pictures of the bridge. I asked him whether it was against the law to take photographs of public places, but I couldn't get a straight answer from him; he just told me I couldn't do this sort of thing, considering 9/11. Well I probably could've argued the case, but this was NYPD. I was leaving the city anyhow, so I deleted my pictures and got away from there!