patrick.net

Spanish does not have this distinction, and they're pretty family oriented.

NuttBoxer says

Spanish does not have this distinction, and they're pretty family oriented.

I think it makes more sense to allow ambiguity if it's desired. Instead of saying "my paternal aunt", I should be able to just say "my aunt".

Changing language is a bit dangerous in that it makes earlier works inaccessible to previous generations. Imagine trying to read a book about sex from 1950 and being confused by what they mean by "woman", "man", "gender", etc. This was the purpose of changing the language in China, it was to make a clear break from the previous culture. Ever try to read a really old French book? My French is pretty terrible today, but reading a book from 1850 is a real task. Spelling is very different.

richwicks says

My French is pretty terrible today

My father's oldest brother served in France during the First World War and came back fluent in French--I heard him say "Wee wee manure" on more than one occasion.

NDrLoR says

richwicks says

My French is pretty terrible today

Wee wee manure

Is that like saw mill / cent mille?

We need spelling reform desperately. English is the most inconstant language in the world. To rectify the English Civil War Royalist-Roundhead (the former printed in France, the latter printed in Holland, and paid by the line so the printers had maximum incentive to add more letters and spell everything in the longest way possible) debacle.

A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH SPELLING
by Mark Twain

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet.

The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later.

Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.

Bai iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

richwicks says

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Reformed English would probably look like Dutch or Frisian.

There's no need for a big expensive program (although the gov would probably do so anyway). You just say "In 10 years, all civil, criminal, real estate, and corporate filings must be in Reformed English or will be refused by the Courts and Agencies responsible."

Every language in Europe except English has been reformed, mostly in the 18th and 19th. Spanish and French were monsters, with so many variant and unusual spellings that had accumulated over time.

"There are rules!" - Not really, with Bough and Cough and Dough and Tough.

"I before e, except after c
Or when sounded as 'a' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'
Unless the 'c' is part of a 'sh' sound as in 'glacier'
Or it appears in comparatives and superlatives like 'fancier'
And also except when the vowels are sounded as 'e' as in 'seize'
Or 'i' as in 'height'
Or also in '-ing' inflections ending in '-e' as in 'cueing'
Or in compound words as in 'albeit'
Or occasionally in technical words with strong etymological links to their parent languages as in 'cuneiform'
Or in other numerous and random exceptions such as 'science', 'forfeit', and 'weird'."