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English Spelling design for INTERNATIONAL USE

Users of International English

International users now far outnumber native speakers. They would benefit when:

• The spoken language can be lernt from the written and vice versa

rather than having to lern almost two languages. The written language could be made consistent, predictabl and streamlined and its basic principls require only a dubl page rather than a whole dictionary fleshing out exceptions to hundreds of rules. The English language could become a more practicabl medium for comunication and education in multilingual areas, to make posibl litracy for the masses that also gave access to participate in the commercial, scientific, tecnological, comunications, cultural and educational world of global English.

• There are visible links with international spellings of common vocabulary.

A reformed English spelling with international users in mind would retain and improve visual links with the international vocabulary that has been spred globally by English as an international language and incorporated into every other modern tongue - e.g
TAXI/ TAKOSHI/ TACSI/ TAKSI ;
TELEFON/ TELEFON/ TELEFON (etc) ;
INTERNATIONAL/ INTERNAZIONALE/ INTERNACIONAL/ INTERNASIONL.
This visual similarity also benefits English-speakers reading other languages, including as tourists. Many proposed English spelling reforms would obscure those links.

The classical-origin '-ION' formation is so common internationally that this is a good reason not to respell it with 'shun', and insted to allow natural articulation to make the slur into the everyday pronunciation of such word elements.

• A standardised set of spelling conventions

These are essential to avoid 'many Englishes' such as dialects that are developing now, a retreat to Babel partly caused because present spelling is inadequat to hold the spoken language to a broad global standard.

• Access to present spelling.

Such a reform would also ensure that present spelling remained accessibl world-wide for those who still need it.

• Encouraging, not reducing, multicultural contributions to a diverse world culture.

A global standard in English spelling with a broadband pronunciation would not only promote international comunication in English. It would also still allow peple to celebrate their local linguistic differences thru their written style, specific vocabulary, spoken accents and intonation, while also able to reach an international readership - c/f Lewis Grassic Gibbon who is a writer in Scots dialect widely known beyond Scotland, because he avoided the limitation of 'braid-Scots' spelling to convey it.
He used the more widely used English spelling as a tool for communication, rather than restricting himself to a parochial spelling as if that was a necessary medium for patriotic expression.

• Transfer in learning other languages.

English-speakers lerning a second language find that they transfer easily to consistent differences in spelling systems in languages with regular spelling like German and Italian, because it is their consistency that counts. A consistent English spelling therefor need not change to the Continental vowel system in order to be internationally readabl and pronounceabl, as some have thought.

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