Anyone Can Read Now | The extent and seriousness of English functional illiteracy exceeds your worst NIGHTMARE, |
As you go from page to page, the page you are presently viewing is black (not linked) below. | 7. The Obvious Solution Never TriedThere have been several attempts at simplifying the spelling of certain words. This is the reason for most of the present differences of words spelled in the U.S. and the U.K. President Theodore Roosevelt decreed that government agencies over which he had control use a simpler spelling for 300 common words. One Chicago newspaper also used these spellings, but after a couple of years most of these simpler spellings were abandoned. There has never been a change in the way all English words are spelled. The obvious problem in adopting alternative spellings or simplifying the spelling of a few words at a time is that a reader must know both ways of spelling the word until the new spelling is commonly used by every writer. Reading of previously printed material makes it necessary to still remember the old spelling. Publishers will be reluctant to reprint previously published material just to respell a limited number of words. For comments, go to the bottom of the home page. |