Spelling: Why can't we officially remove silent letters from English words and otherwise make English more consistent?

As others have already noted, silent letters in English often do have an impact

• They may change the pronunciation of a nearby vowel (e.g.,  mop vs. mope,  at vs. ate). This often drastically changes the meaning, as you can see.
• They may indicate a word's origin within another language and thereby give clues to its meaning  (e.g., the silent p at the start of words like "psychology" reminds us of the Greek origin of the word and the connection to the story of Cupid & Psyche -- which hints at the meaning).

In addition, a silent letter that doesn't change the sound of a word can still affect its meaning or usage. For instance:

• pleas  (a plural noun)
• please (a verb)

Not only would it be difficult to erase all the silent letters from English (as others have convincingly argued), but I think we'd lose a great deal culturally and linguistically by doing so.

Read other answers by

Elizabeth H. Simmons on Quora:

• How often do you have to write formally and with proper grammar at your current job?
• How can I tell my professor that she uses the wrong tense all the time?
• I'm an international student applying to US colleges, can my letters of recommendation be written in other language?

Read more answers on Quora.

from Quora http://ift.tt/2ezKOdw