DCB
Joined: Jan 25, 2007
Posts: 42
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DCB
On 2007-02-18 19:24, tikipedia wrote:
On 2007-02-18 06:52, Daniel C. Boyer wrote:
Now you presume to know more about spelling than Noah Webster.
I think this being true practically goes without saying (Webster just changed the spelling of words he didn't like, and I think we can all agree that simply changing the facts of a subject when they aren't to your liking could be characterised in a number of ways, but one of them probably wouldn't be "knowledge"). Did you know the main reason for "American" spellings being adopted is that the "reformers" believed that American schoolkids were too dumb to be capable of learning the correct spelling (check in particular how the spelling of Ouisconsin had to be changed to "Wisconsin" because "simple" Americans [and in particular schoolchildren] -- why is it that this negative word "simple" is used in the U.S. almost with pride, as if being not too smart, as if being ignorant is a good thing? -- wouldn't be able to learn how to spell it correctly)? Lest anyone think I am agreeing with this, I don't believe American schoolkids are any dumber than those in any other country, but I believe if this low standard is set in terms of expectations at the outset, the kids will tend to live up to it.
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