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Lesson11 English Spelling
英語拼寫
English spelling is a "headache" for native and non-native speakers alike. As a student of mine once commented, English spelling must have been invented by one of the devil's helpers.
英語拼寫對以英語為母語的人和不以英語為母語的人來說一樣令人頭痛。我的一位學生曾經說，英語的拼寫肯定是魔鬼的幫手發明的。
Do we need a spelling reform? At first, the logical answer is yes. A reform would make the language easier for everybody. It would modernize the old-fashioned spelling which was standardized before Modern English was "born".
我們是不是需要一次拼寫改革？乍一看，肯定的回答才合乎情理。改革將使每個人學英語更容易，使在現代英語誕生之前就已經標準化的、早已過時的英語拼寫更適應現代需要。
A spelling reform is not a simple matter. First of all, it would be very expensive. Second, if spelling is supposed to reflect pronunciation, then what pronunciation should we use - R.P., American English, or some compromise? Once the decision is made, will all the speakers accept the changes? A spelling reform could start a linguistic war!
拼寫的改革并非易事。首先，花費會很高。其次，如果單詞的拼寫要反映其發音，那么我們應該采用何種發音呢，英國標準發音、美國發音還是兩者的折中？一旦做出了決定，是否所有說英語的人都能接受這些改變呢？拼寫改革可能會引發一場有關語言的大爭論。
Finally there is another important consideration. Change is the natural law for all languages. It occurs more rapidly in speech than in writing. Writing slows down the speed of change, because it is more conservative than speech. Writing also acts as a unifying link among the spoken varieties.
最后還有很重要的一點要考慮。語言的演變是適用所有語言的自然法則，口頭語比書面語的演變發生的更快。書面語比口頭語趨于保守，能減慢演變的速度，書面語在不同的口頭語之間起著連接統一的作用。
A spelling reform would weaken the stability of the written language and thus undermine its unity. If this happened, English would no longer be a language for international communication.
拼寫改革將削弱書面語的穩定性，從而破壞其統一性。如果這樣的話，英語將不再是國際間交流的語言了。
words to learn
生詞句型
1.conservative
保守的，守舊的，平常人所說的老頑固即屬于conservative minds
2.natural law
自然法則 自然規律 實際上演變歷程是任何事物的自然法則，即不可避免
3.compromise
折中，妥協 在兩個極端中間取舍，通常都是折中的方法，還有退讓的意思
4.modernize
使…現代化 比如使農業生產進入現代化：to modernize agricultural industry.
