[pchelpers] Re: Firefox English/British English

Hi Susan

> Concerning Firefox, does anyone know what differences there are between
> the American English and British English browser?  

As far as i know, localised FF versions don't do anything except change 
the language. So the only difference between the US and UK versions is 
spelling. There may even be a few words that are different.


PS
If you're not interested in spelling and languages, don't read this: :-)

...And because people who grow up in English-speaking countries are so 
used to English being written in such an insane, analphabetic way, most 
are usually adamantly opposed to a spelling reform. They can't even see 
that the English language is in dire need of a spelling reform that 
would make the writing system into a sensible tool instead of the 
current repository of ancient pronunciation and (often incorrect) 
attempts to show Latin and other etymology. They even close their eyes 
to the plight of their children. Things probably won't change until the 
US economy goes down the drain. Even Chinese will be written almost 
exclusively with the modern, sensible alphabetical system being taught 
in all schools already many years before English stops being spelled 
according to the way Chaucer pronounced English.

There are even educated people and even some linguists who have a hard 
time understanding that the writing system is a tool and not a separate 
language. A real, i.e. spoken language should of course never be changed 
by any commission or rational reform, but a system of writing is or 
should be only a tool and should very definitely adapt to any changes in 
the spoken language. Because the adult population has been incapable 
since more than 200 years of doing this important task in a rational way 
as suggested by linguists, the young generation is inventing its own, 
completely chaotic reform in email, chat, and text messages that will 
probably become an accepted or the accepted norm in 20 to 30 years.

In the meantime, more and more people will be incapable of handling the 
"official", old spelling system. Most people even now can't handle basic 
words like separate, receive, definitely, weird, independent, 
you/your/you're, to/too, there/their/they're, etc. As a result, large 
portions of the population in English speaking-countries will be 
increasingly unable to exercise basic democratic rights, and this will 
seriously hamper economic development too. Even now, large segments of 
the population cannot read or write in a way that they would be taken 
seriously or that they would dare to express their opinions publicly or 
to seek legal redress.

In contrast, almost all Finns, for example, are confident they can write 
a letter of complaint or a job application by simply using letters each 
of which represents only one sound they make while speaking. That is the 
revolutionary idea of the alphabet that has been killed by the printing 
press in most countries, but most have had at least some spelling reforms.

Because English native speakers are so used to learning spelling that is 
to a large degree in violation of the alphabetical principle and used to 
learning "letter pictures" for words, much like Chinese characters, the 
current chaos will probably continue and it will continue to be 
increased by (at least) two confusing forms of English spelling being 
used throughout the world until all the non-native speakers get fed up 
and demand an international norm.

I mean people who grow up in an English-speaking country already have a 
hard time learning basics of spelling because English is written in such 
an insane, analphabetic way, but they can often prevent being confused 
by other kinds of English because they run across them so seldom. But 
people living in non-English-speaking countries are going absolutely 
insane by the honor/honour/honorary and traveled/travelled and 
advise/realise/realize and much other British/US provincial nonsense.



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