Subject: Z Shap of Things to Kum Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC (now officially the European Union, or EU), the European Parliament has commissioned a feasability study of ways to improve efficiency in communications between Government departments. European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessary difficult; for example: cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased program of changes to iron out these anomalies and anachronisms. Of course such a program would be administered by a committee of eminent linguisticians from all participating nations. In the first year, for example, the committee might suggest using 's' instead of the soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then the hard 'c' could be replaced by 'k' sinse both letters are pronounsed the same. This kould klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, plus typewriters kould be made with one fewer key. Enthusiasm kould snowball when, when in the sekond year, it was anounsed that the troublesome 'ph' would henseforth be written 'f'. This would make words like 'fotograf' twenty persent shorter in print. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments would enkourage removal of double letters, which have always been a deterent to akurate speling. We can al agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kan drop thos and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptive to steps sutsh as replasing 'th' by 'z'. Perhaps zen ze funktion of 'w' kould be taken on by 'v', vitsh is, after al, half a 'w'. Shortly after zis, ze unesesary 'o' kould be dropd from words kontaining 'ou'. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuali hav a reli sensibl riting styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vud find it ezi tu understand etsh ozer. Ze drems of ze Guvermnt vud finali hav kum tru. From: Ray