5 comments

  • advisedwang2 minutes ago
    What do "regular" writing systems do when different dialects use different sounds for the same word? Do different people write the same word differently? Or are people forced to confirm to a standard dialect? Both seem bad.
  • andai27 minutes ago
    See also: Quikscript, optimized for handwriting (but suitable for printing also).<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.omniglot.com&#x2F;writing&#x2F;quikscript.htm" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.omniglot.com&#x2F;writing&#x2F;quikscript.htm</a><p>And the excellent official Quikscript manual:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.omniglot.com&#x2F;pdfs&#x2F;quikscriptmanual.pdf" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.omniglot.com&#x2F;pdfs&#x2F;quikscriptmanual.pdf</a><p>The guy who invented it is called Read. Nomen est omen!<p>---<p>See Also Also: Uncleftish Beholding:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;msburkeenglish.wordpress.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2010&#x2F;04&#x2F;uncleftish-beholding-aka-atomic-theory.pdf" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;msburkeenglish.wordpress.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2010...</a>
    • nine_k5 minutes ago
      But the large majority of texts is now typed, not handwritten. I&#x27;d optimize a writing system for fast, easy, error-resistant reading. The Latin script reads easier than this, despite its known problems, maybe because Quickscript lacks the 27 centuries of refinement.<p>If I were to pick an existing script, that would be either Hangul or Tengwar (with vowels). Tengwar already has an English mode, and Hangul would likely need a few adjustments, following its general principles.
    • GolfPopper18 minutes ago
      Interesting. It makes me think of J.R.R. Tolkien&#x27;s Tengwar script:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tengwar" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tengwar</a>
  • flkiwi17 minutes ago
    Exhibit A: queue. Five letters to make the sound of the first.
  • java-man3 hours ago
    Yep.<p><pre><code> For example, in Year 1 that useless letter &quot;c&quot; would be dropped to be replased either by &quot;k&quot; or &quot;s&quot;, and likewise &quot;x&quot; would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which &quot;c&quot; would be retained would be the &quot;ch&quot; formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform &quot;w&quot; spelling, so that &quot;which&quot; and &quot;one&quot; would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish &quot;y&quot; replasing it with &quot;i&quot; and Iear 4 might fiks the &quot;g&#x2F;j&quot; anomali wonse and for all. Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez &quot;c&quot;, &quot;y&quot; and &quot;x&quot; -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais &quot;ch&quot;, &quot;sh&quot;, and &quot;th&quot; rispektivli. Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. </code></pre> <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.i18nguy.com&#x2F;twain.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.i18nguy.com&#x2F;twain.html</a>
    • dang48 minutes ago
      Not Mark Twain, but (believe it or not) Dolton Edwards in Astounding Science Fiction, Sept 1946.<p>&quot;Dolton&quot; was an amusing pseudonym. See this thread from a few years ago:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=23587507">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=23587507</a>
    • cyberax43 minutes ago
      &gt; Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.<p>It actually looks pretty good. It&#x27;s written for comical effect, but it highlights nicely how _bad_ English orthography is.
  • excannuk42 minutes ago
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