Push for Simpler Spelling

[Peter Neilson]

Joe Malin wrote:
> Some thoughts: 

Additional thoughts...

The Japanese language is not neatly arranged, either. As far
as I know there are no efforts to "fix" it, because its speakers
*like* it that way. The spelling is a mixture of Japanese syllabic
characters and Chinese ideographic ones, and there is no clear
choice that one should spell a word one way or the other. Indeed,
the presence of homophones sometimes make the kanji ideographs
almost essential. I have heard that speakers of both Chinese and
Japanese occasionally draw kanji in the air while speaking, in
order to clarify which of several homophones was intended.

On the other hand, there is a tendency of the exceptionally well 
educated Japanese to use obscure kanji that are not well known
in Japan, but only in China, just as US authors might sprinkle
Latin, French or German words into their writing.

--Peter (ipse dixit) Neilson
"Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum viditur."