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What May Happen in the Next 100 Years (Predictions from 1901)

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harmonv:
Well, since I don't have a clue about the meaning behind C, X and Q...
-Shades (August 24, 2008, 11:10 PM)
--- End quote ---

"A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling"

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g
j" 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 "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud
hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

- Mark Twain

tomos:
I thought you was writing that harmonov, nise wone :Thmbsup:


a bit like lol-speak isn't it !?!

cranioscopical:
Just as long as I can still have ghoti and chips!

Deozaan:
I think it's great how we look on our past history and laugh at the silly concerns and predictions they had, at the height of their science and wisdom. But we don't stop to think of how silly all of our current concerns and predictions will seem to those who come after us next century.

Just in trying to apply that concept to modern times, it kind of makes me wonder how relevant some of our major concerns will even be in 100 years. Take global warming for example. A hundred years ago one of the bigger environmental concerns of the day was how they were going to clean up all the horse manure from the streets. Automobiles obviously were the "solution" to this problem, yet I don't think they were created and marketed as the manure solution. They were just naturally better and more capable than horses. This is just me thinking out loud, asking rhetorical questions, but will the scientific progress we naturally make as time goes on make global warming as obsolete a concern as the horse manure from 100 years ago? Like I said, it makes me wonder. . .

Sadly, I don't think lol-speak is what they had in mind when they imagined an improved English language.  :-\

Eóin:
Perhaps the most interesting thing that can be learned from a history of predictions is just how misplaced our present concerns end up being. Be it because we come up with solutions or, as the past would seem to suggest, a new technology comes along which so completely changes the playing field that we end up with a completely new and unrelated set of concerns.

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