|
Would English speakers understand you if you wrote down phonetically spelled English
in your own language? (roman script).
In other words...
Woeld joe understend mie if Aai wroot douwn everiefing in fonettical Inglisch joesing
Dutsj saunds?
|
|
|
In my language they probably wouldn't.... LOL :)
|
|
|
P.S. : I mean if I wrote English phonetically using the sounds and symbols from my
native language.
|
|
|
Probably, but the "j" might confuse readers.
|
|
|
I think we would... it'd be hard though. It'd be just like spelling reform... that's
my main dislike against it. I can read it, but it takes me twice as long as it should.
The average English speaker obviously does not "pronounce" out words he sees. Maybe
we memorize forms.
|
|
"The average English speaker obviously does not "pronounce" out words he sees. Maybe
we memorize forms."
Exactly. I think I finally have the answer why so many native English speakers are
such bad spellers. In my language I'm actually aware of every letter, I don't just
memorise forms. So, I do that in English too.
|
|
It would be hard in English language because it's not a phonetic language.
Each word has its own pronunciation, which most of the time doesn't have anything
to do with what you see.
I takled to some young people about how and what they are thought in school speaking
of spelling and they told me that the teachers don't care much about spelling anymore.If
the parants want to teach their kids , that's great, but other wise in school is
getting worse and worse.
This is happening in public school, but I am wondering if in private schools it's
better.
|
|
Maybe Sanja, but I'm actually a pretty good speller... Especially of words I already
know (I have a somewhat big vocabulary). I'm an avid reader though. Not many kids
I know today are, which I think is very sad.
I went to a private school by the way. There was emphasis on spelling AND handwriting.
|
|
|
That's good Tiffany, I know you're good at it, I meant many other people I met online.
|
|
=> "The average English speaker obviously does not "pronounce" out words he sees.
Maybe we memorize forms."
=> Exactly. I think I finally have the answer why so many native English speakers
are such bad spellers. In my language I'm actually aware of every letter, I don't
just memorise forms. So, I do that in English too.
Sanja, I don't think this is why so many Americans aren't good at spelling. I'm
not aware every letter when I'm reading, yet I went to the city finals in the nationwide
(US) spelling competition when I was 12. But I was in school at a time when spelling
*was* emphasized, and I have always been a voracious reader. I've known a few people
whose spelling improved greatly after they started reading more.
|
|
|
I didn't say "Americans", I said "many native English speakers". Well, of course,
poor education and not reading enough are also important reasons, but I have always
thought there was something about the English language itself when so many native
speakers have problems with the spelling more than speakers of other languages (apparently,
even though I wouldn't know it from my personal experience because I don't speak
other foreign languages). I guess it is the fact that Enlish is not phonetical and
people just look at the whole words instead of focusing on the letters and sounds.
|
