Spelling and Pronunciation

Spelling in English, French, and German is a real ordeal for both children and adults. It barely reflects how words actually sound, is filled with historical artifacts and exceptions, and yet almost none of the well-known linguists seriously address this issue. Chomsky refers to Korzybski and discusses meaning, the indeterminacy of words, but avoids the ugliest side of language itself — spelling, which turns learning to read and write into a painful process.
English abounds in cases where spelling offers almost no guidance to pronunciation. French and German are full of their own traps: endings, diacritical marks, unpredictable sound–letter correspondences. For children, this is genuine torture. They learn to read more slowly than they could, make constant mistakes, and lose confidence. This ugliness of language carries over into adult life: it consumes time, energy, and mental effort that could otherwise be devoted to creativity and to a deeper understanding of the world.
And all of this persists despite the fact that the solution is simpler than it seems. Reforming spelling requires nothing more than an administrative decision and political will — and an entire generation of children could learn with ease, as children do in Spain or Italy, where letters almost always correspond to sounds. But no one dares to act. This lack of will deforms children, robs them of inner confidence, and turns education into a struggle.
The consequences extend far beyond school. When words fail to reflect meaning clearly, people misunderstand one another. Korzybski and Chomsky discuss how the multiplicity of meanings leads to conflicts — from local disputes to global wars. Take the word “dog”: it seems simple, yet there are many dogs, all different. Words like “socialism” or “capitalism” carry a multitude of shades and interpretations. Imperfect spelling intensifies this chaos because it obstructs the precise transmission of meaning.
Writers and poets are the only ones who see this clearly. We work with words and meanings, with human experience rather than bureaucratic abstractions. We express what is universal, not the interests of narrow groups. That is precisely why it is so important for society that words be accessible, logical, and transparent.
The ugliness of spelling is not merely an aesthetic problem. It distorts thinking, hinders learning, distracts from creativity, and complicates communication. And all of this could be fixed, if there were resolve. Instead, millions of children and adults continue to suffer from these historically entrenched absurdities.
I raise this issue because a writer sees more deeply: simple logic and simple care for children could change the world. Instead, we witness a lack of will that deforms future generations.