<p>[BBC</a> NEWS | Americas | Brazil embraces spelling reforms](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7807116.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | Americas | Brazil embraces spelling reforms)</p>
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<p>What do you think? Would this work for English? Are you for or against the simplification of languages? Discuss.</p>
<p>If the United States were to recommend simplification of the English language, what specifically would be corrected?</p>
<p>Every major language does this except English. I think it’s an interesting idea, but to be honest I’m enough of a snob that I think “enough” looks better than “enuf.” “Tho,” “nite,” and “lite” seem so lazy to me. I think that America should accept British orthography, if not British slang. Making “gray” “grey” and “color” “colour” doesn’t seem like that much of a sacrifice to make. (I’ll personally mourn the loss of the “z” in “-ize,” though, as I’m rather fond of z’s.</p>
<p>Well, the English language already has been standardized considerably. In the Middle Ages, spelling was a free-for-all. Then a bunch of scholars got together and decided on their favorite ways to spell things, and they stuck.</p>
<p>Personally, I really don’t know. I feel extremely unintelligent if I don’t use correct spellings, even in live chat. I suppose I’d get used to new spellings if we had them, but it would be a hard adjustment. I’m definitely for the simplification of grammar rules. English grammar doesn’t have to be so ridiculous. But again, I feel unintelligent when I use improper grammar.</p>
<p>However, if these changes were made, the new spelling and grammar would suddenly become proper. And I like to consider myself hip and trendy, no matter how untrue it really is. So I guess I’d think it’s fun. I don’t know.</p>
<p>Another problem with English is that English has, by some estimates, over a quarter of a million words. This depends on the way words are counted, but is someone going to go through a copy of Webster’s and change the spelling of every word? I guess if we can map the entire human genome, we can change the spellings of hundreds of thousands of English words. But it would be a tedious task, nonetheless.</p>
<p>I agree with Zamzam colour does look better that color lol. </p>
<p>Plus I’d be upset if they simplified english. Part of what makes the language great are the origins of the words and the way you spell them. English would be boring if they got rid of the latin/greek roots.</p>
<p>Besides it was hard enough just learnig the language and I think that some foreigners (ecpecially my parents) would be annoyed if they decided to change everything.</p>
<p>English is already so simple though…</p>