[newsbinator]

That's like comparing learning to drive a car with learning to drive a 747.

No, English isn't a perfectly simple, easy to learn writing system. It's among the hardest writing systems to learn.

Which is why we have a ridiculous game called "Spelling Bees", which can't exist in a language that's easy to write in. In Korea nobody's impressed when an 8-year-old can spell a complex-sounding word they've never heard before and don't know the meaning of: they should be able to spell it.

http://chateauview.com/pronunciation/

> Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation, I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse.

> I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy; Tear in eye, your dress you’ll tear; Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer.

> Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it! Just compare heart, hear and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word.

[CapitalistCartr]

When my Romanian friend came to the United States he was shocked to discover we have have spelling bees. In Romanian it would make no sense; the spelling of a word is usually obvious from saying it. Then there's English. We prefer to merge multiple languages together in the most confusing way.

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." --James D. Nicoll

[tgv]

You said writing system, nothing about phonetic correspondence. But then I'll simply replace English by Spanish. There's of course the silent h which throws a spanner in the works sometimes, and there's the v/b overlap, but extremely easy to pronounce straight from the text, even without understanding. And with 27 letters that don't combine with others into groups, a lot easier to learn than Hangul.

Or Inglish with a speling riform? Det shood bi sooparizi too lurn es wel. End yoo get ol da books end moovis for fri.

Anyway, you haven't replied why you think it's advantageous. All that trouble just to avoid translating here or there, or learning multiple languages? What makes you believe that speaking the same language makes a better place?

[BuckRogers]

>No, English isn't a perfectly simple, easy to learn writing system. It's among the hardest writing systems to learn.

I can't accept this after decades of hearing 2nd language speakers attempt to trivialize my native language as "easy".

With half the world telling me "English is easy", then it's now on them to learn the easy language. No excuses. Get to learning.

Most of your examples don't really become big issues day to day either. They may never become lawyers using English, but they'll maintain just about any other career including a medical doctor.