Language reform
Language reform is the the process (or proposal) of massive change to a national language. The aim is usually to simplify and logicalise a language that may be not far from chaotic.
Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, redundant prefixes/suffixes are all put under scrutiny in reform. In the english language, there are hundred of prefixes that mean "the opposite of", e.g. un- im- an- de- etc. What language reform would say is that all this miscillanious prefixes can be done away with and replaced by a single one, say un-. On top of this, there are words such as "happy" and "sad" that roughly mean the opposite of each other, but would be better (in terms of simplicity) portrayed as happy and "unhappy", forgetting sad from the language altogether.
As with all reform, there are overwhelming reasons for opposition. All literature would need to be rewritten, all computer documents as well as all road signs, all maps etc. Moreover, everyone would need to relearn the language. Young children and language students would in the long run be far better off with the new easier language, but in the short term would have a lot of work on their hands. Scolars argue that languages may loose their poeticness and become harsh and without-soul if they are to be changed.
Actual examples
- The International Phonetic Association makes numourous attempts to change all languages accross the globe. This reform does not delve into grammar, or sentence structure, instead, simply asks that we do away with all the alphabets across the globe and use a single, unifyed one instead. This makes use of the concept of the perfect alphabet, one that has a symbol for envery sound that humans can verbalise.
- Various sciences of the world have each made great progress in changing the way words are used. Under scientific nomenclature, actic acid becomes ethanoic acid, formaldehyde becomes methanal, differences between velocity and speed are rigidly defined, etc.
- Metrification can be considered number reform, making use of the International System of Units and has been entirely successful, spare three countries - UK, USA and ?
- In the world of George Orwell's book 1984, traditonal english has been replaced by the fictisious language newspeak. This was a total revamp of the language, affecting all aspects and attacking those that did not make sense.