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From: ceejl@cee.hw.ac.uk (Joachim Lous)
Subject: Re: Dialling (was Re: Is '#' a "pound sign" or what?)
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Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 10:51:04 GMT
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James Linn (James_Linn@nortel.com) wrote:

: Turn about being fair play, why do Americans insist on dropping 
: extraneous vowels?  So they can type faster?

I've seen Englishmen make a great fuss about american simplified spelling 
(catalogue -> catalog, colour -> color etc.).  While it can 
certainly be confusing and maybe slightly irritating to read different 
spellings than the ones you're used to, and also simpler to just keep 
traditions than to keep changing things, it never ceases to amaze me how 
much passion some people can put into it, taking for granted that the 
British spelling is somehow inherently and obviously far superior, never 
stopping to think why that should be.  

Do we really need all those extra letters? Not that they bother me, but 
if they don't add anything useful and the Americans seem able and willing to 
agree on a simpler spelling, why on earth shouldn't they?

It's a bit like the French clinging to their ridiculous number-system, even 
though the 'cleaned-up' logical version works perfecly where they've adopted 
it.  BTW, who else could come up with single vowel sounds spelt in FIVE 
letters and suchlike?

-Joachim "anyone I haven't insulted yet?" Lous.

