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Language is introduced by each young generation in order to disassociate themselves from the 'olds' and I suppose we ourselves introduced words that our parents didn't understand.
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Dyslexia is such an abused and easy excuse for many people these days. There are genuine dyslexic people but it's all too easy to cite bad education and general laziness as dyslexia. Not getting at anyone so please don't take offence 
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@Anonymous wrote:
@Bambino wrote:Ummm.....I'm American
And I am delighted to meet you @Bambino. I am sure you are indeed Clearly Talented in the appropriate use of the English language. Was it Wilde (or Churchill) who referred to "two nations divided by a common language"?
Gerry
Nice to meet you too, @Anonymous Yes, I'd like to think that I have a fairly good command of the English language, even if I do spell the occassional word differently than the way you might do. 
@Bambino wrote:Nice to meet you too, @Anonymous Yes, I'd like to think that I have a fairly good command of the English language, even if I do spell the occassional word differently than the way you might do.
Lots of people spell lots of words differently from me @Bambino - but that is because I did not pay as much attention as I should when I was being educated!!
But spelling and pronounciation are interesting topics too. How does a non-English speaker learn to cope with :-
Bow (as in bow one's head) and Bough (branch of tree) and Bow (a weapon to launch arrows)
Row ( an argument) and Row (to propel a boat with oars)
Sew (pronounced 'so' - to mend a garment) and sow (cast seeds on the ground) and sow (to rhyme with bow as in bow one's head, a female pig)
and so many other apparent "irregularities".
Gerry
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@jonsie wrote:Dyslexia is such an abused and easy excuse for many people these days. There are genuine dyslexic people but it's all too easy to cite bad education and general laziness as dyslexia. Not getting at anyone so please don't take offence
Totally agree with that comment. Such a shame that genuine sufferers often miss the additional support they need ....because of all those who are just unwilling or too lazy to learn....
Pretty much the same way as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).is a title given to 1000's of children who misbehave 
.....However, that is a seperate issue and don't get me started on that one! 
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Gerry wrote:
I forgot to mention :-
GHOTI which is a constructed word used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling. It is a respelling of the word FISH the gh, as in tough
the o, as in women
and the ti, as in nation
the o, as in women
and the ti, as in nation
Perhaps a language revolution is overdue?
I've never heard that word before. You say it's a constructed word, but who constructed it?
I've heard of John Gotti, who was a New York Mafia boss, also known as The Teflon Don, because he escaped criminal prosecution so often, but we stray off topic.....
@Bambino wrote:I've never heard that word before. You say it's a constructed word, but who constructed it?
I've heard of John Gotti, who was a New York Mafia boss, also known as The Teflon Don, because he escaped criminal prosecution so often, but we stray off topic.....
If I remember rightly it was an invention by George Bernard Shaw who supported a movement to reform English spelling. Quite a lot about it on Wikipedia which is where I found it a year or so ago.
Gerry
