Should the World adopt a new Metric Alphabet (the Decabet)?

[AiliailiA]

It would take considerable effort and would provide no real benefit.

But it was a joke.

Eleven pages of joke.

The longest thread I've ever started was like seven pages. I guess I should just plagiarize the work of other artists who are famous already. Then I'd get eleven pages just by pretending to take seriously something that I admitted was a joke before even one page was posted.

Or carve my words on tablets of stone, load them into a stolen boat, and sink them into the Marianas Trench.

Hmm. Perhaps I really should. Tablets of stone are pretty cheap nowadays, and so are electric grinders.

[Dermastina]

But it was a joke.

Eleven pages of joke.

The longest thread I've ever started was like seven pages. I guess I should just plagiarize the work of other artists who are famous already. Then I'd get eleven pages just by pretending to take seriously something that I admitted was a joke before even one page was posted.

Or carve my words on tablets of stone, load them into a stolen boat, and sink them into the Marianas Trench.

Hmm. Perhaps I really should. Tablets of stone are pretty cheap nowadays, and so are electric grinders.

You Americans do not seem to quite understand how satire humour works, judging by this thread. :3

On a side note, I'm all for getting rid of X. Damn useless letter, that is, we'd be better of without it.

[Ruridova]

Eleven pages of joke.

The longest thread I've ever started was like seven pages. I guess I should just plagiarize the work of other artists who are famous already. Then I'd get eleven pages just by pretending to take seriously something that I admitted was a joke before even one page was posted.

Or carve my words on tablets of stone, load them into a stolen boat, and sink them into the Marianas Trench.

Hmm. Perhaps I really should. Tablets of stone are pretty cheap nowadays, and so are electric grinders.

You Americans do not seem to quite understand how satire humour works, judging by this thread. :3

On a side note, I'm all for getting rid of X. Damn useless letter, that is, we'd be better of without it.

Xylophones, foxes, saxophones, and x-rays everywhere are in outrage at this proposition.

[AiliailiA]

Eleven pages of joke.

The longest thread I've ever started was like seven pages. I guess I should just plagiarize the work of other artists who are famous already. Then I'd get eleven pages just by pretending to take seriously something that I admitted was a joke before even one page was posted.

Or carve my words on tablets of stone, load them into a stolen boat, and sink them into the Marianas Trench.

Hmm. Perhaps I really should. Tablets of stone are pretty cheap nowadays, and so are electric grinders.

You Americans do not seem to quite understand how satire humour works, judging by this thread. :3

On a side note, I'm all for getting rid of X. Damn useless letter, that is, we'd be better of without it.

I disagree.

We should keep the rarely-used letters, because they allow current spelling to change easily. To avoid a homograph which confuses or is inimical to the word we want to use, we should have little-used options available to make new words. "Praxis" instead of "Practice" for instance.

Also, the ex- prefix is well used, and has many future applications.

For instance, you will be called an "ex-x-expulsionist" in future. That is, when you see the error of your ways, and give up your x-expulsionist ways.

[Greater South Pacific]

Perhaps a 10 base system for the alphabet may be a little easier if we were to include another 74 characters. The Chinese alphabet (if it's called that) combines whole words into symbols "Characters" and that saves on space when printing posters, books and more.

There is an idea which would add strength to the number of cominations of everything - a hexdecimal numeral system.

This allows for 16 characters, all as part of a 16 base number system.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e,f,0

Each of the new charaters int he number set would be identified with an underscore, to prevent mixups such as section a (a) or aa

be great for number plates (licence plates or rego plates) and prviding extra numbers for a multitude of applications.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

No. Too many sounds by one letter

[Psuedopolis]

So, NSG, want to adopt the Decabet?

It would have ten letters, which shall be seen here, along with the letters it will replace.

A - A
B - B
C - C
D - D
Г - E and F
Ч - G, H and I
J - J
K - K
LMNO - L, M, N, and O
Я - P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z

Why should the Decabet replace the current English-language alphabet? It has 10 letters, which is consistent with the metric system and the obvious fact that MOST humans have ten fingers. First proposed by Dan Aykroyd at Saturday Night Live at the height of metrication in the United States of America, little did he know that it is actually very simple.

Please don't, you might give someone ideas about actually doing this.

Яlmno, LMЯG, яalmnoя яlmno adlmnoяя ячг Dгcabгя?

Чк кlmnoяd чaяe ягlmno lmnoгяягяя, яччcч ячalmnolmno bг яггlmno чгяг, almnoч ячяч ячг lmnoгяягяя чя ячlmno ягяlmnoacг.

A - A
B - B
C - C
D - D
Г - E and F
Ч - G, H and I
J - J
K - K
LMNO - L, M, N, and O
Я - P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z

Wчя ячlmnoяlmnod ячг Dгcabгt ягяlmnoacг ячг cяяягlmnoя Гnчlmnoчяч-lmnoalmnoчяaгг almnoячabгя? Чя чяs 10 lmnoeяяeяя, ячicч чя colmnoячяягlmnoя ячяч ячг lmnoгяячc яяяяelmno almnod ячe lmnobяilmnoяя гacя ячaя LMNOЯЯ чяlmnoalmnoя чaяг ягlmno гчlmnoчгяя. Гчяяя яяlmnoяlmnooягd by Dalmno Aяkяlmnoяd aя Яaяяяdaя LMNOчччя LMNOчяe aя ячг чгчччя lmnoг lmnoгяячcaячlmno чlmno чяг Яlmnoчягd Яяaягs lmnoг Almnoгяica, lmnoчяяlmnoг dчd чг klnnoя ячaя чя чя acяяalmnoя ягяя яilmnoяlmnoe.

This bit looks like is has been written in a hideously mutated form of Cyrillic.

[Ifreann]

Perhaps a 10 base system for the alphabet may be a little easier if we were to include another 74 characters. The Chinese alphabet (if it's called that) combines whole words into symbols "Characters" and that saves on space when printing posters, books and more.

There is an idea which would add strength to the number of cominations of everything - a hexdecimal numeral system.

This allows for 16 characters, all as part of a 16 base number system.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e,f,0

Each of the new charaters int he number set would be identified with an underscore, to prevent mixups such as section a (a) or aa

be great for number plates (licence plates or rego plates) and prviding extra numbers for a multitude of applications.

If you want more numbers without more digits then why stop a hexadecimal? Seems a better option would be a base 36 numeral system. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. Better again would be base 62 incorporating capital letters too.

[AiliailiA]

Perhaps a 10 base system for the alphabet may be a little easier if we were to include another 74 characters. The Chinese alphabet (if it's called that) combines whole words into symbols "Characters" and that saves on space when printing posters, books and more.

There is an idea which would add strength to the number of cominations of everything - a hexdecimal numeral system.

This allows for 16 characters, all as part of a 16 base number system.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e,f,0

Each of the new charaters int he number set would be identified with an underscore, to prevent mixups such as section a (a) or aa

be great for number plates (licence plates or rego plates) and prviding extra numbers for a multitude of applications.

What you are talking about -- brevity, saving space -- is indeed one criteria of a good language.

But the examples you gave of where it is so good -- posters, books, leaflets (you didn't say leaflets, but they were absolutely the boom industry of cheap printing: the single sheet, handed out for free, and a big part of the tradition of a "free press") -- are not a significant factor in modern speech. This site we are using now, carries far more data in form of pictures than it does in form of text (what you or I write).

There are still printed books, which are more expensive for having longer words. That is still a factor.

But should we overhaul the English langauge to save bandwidth? G.T.F.O!

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

I must say, E and F sound slightly different - as do G, H, and I; L, M, N, and O; and P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z; alas.

I mean, imagine if I wrote the above thus:

Ч LMNOЯЯЯ ЯAЯ, Г ALMNOD Г ЯLMNOЯLMNOD ЯLMNOЧЧЧЯLMNOЯ DЧГГГЯГLMNOЯ - AЯ DLMNO Ч, Ч, ALMNOD Ч; LMNO, LMNO, LMNO, ALMNOD LMNO; ALMNOD Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, Я, ALMNOD Я; ALMNOAЯ.

I mean, how do you work out what LMNOЯЯЯ means? And it's so tedious typing out LMNO.

Think about it, it will no longer be plagued by imperialism that everyone suffered since 1776.

Since 1776? What happened in 1776?

[Urcea]

No. In fact, people should stop being proper barbarians and adopt the Imperial system.

[AiliailiA]

Perhaps a 10 base system for the alphabet may be a little easier if we were to include another 74 characters. The Chinese alphabet (if it's called that) combines whole words into symbols "Characters" and that saves on space when printing posters, books and more.

There is an idea which would add strength to the number of cominations of everything - a hexdecimal numeral system.

This allows for 16 characters, all as part of a 16 base number system.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e,f,0

Each of the new charaters int he number set would be identified with an underscore, to prevent mixups such as section a (a) or aa

be great for number plates (licence plates or rego plates) and prviding extra numbers for a multitude of applications.

If you want more numbers without more digits then why stop a hexadecimal? Seems a better option would be a base 36 numeral system. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. Better again would be base 62 incorporating capital letters too.

Better yet would be to use different symbols which cannot be mistaken for either a numerical symbol nor a existing alphabet symbol.

I've made my peace with the base-16 numerical system. I recognize those strings as numbers, because (a) they're almost always intermingled with digits 0-9, and (b) the digits A to G are put in upper case.

You say we should have a base 36 system of counting, and I say that any one-digit number has a good chance of being mistaken for the abreviation of someone's name. Or for "I" or "a" or "k"

After lead plumbing, this would be the next most likely explanation for the fall of the Roman Empire.

[AiliailiA]

And it's so tedious typing out LMNO.

That is the stupidest part of this very stupid proposal.

Well, except maybe this:

There's a typo in the poll: you misspelled "LMAO".

Um, LMNO is one word, and if it is preceded by another "LMNO," then that LMNO does not exist.

So L, M, N, and O, when appearing next to each other in a word, are "shortened" to LMNO.

If I call you a LMNO, you cannot be sure if I'm calling you a moll, a mono, a mo, an onomol, a loon, a moon, a loom, an om, an o, or a molon.

And if you were to respond with LMAO, you'd have to type it LMNOALMNO. Who knows what happens then...

[Ifreann]

If you want more numbers without more digits then why stop a hexadecimal? Seems a better option would be a base 36 numeral system. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. Better again would be base 62 incorporating capital letters too.

Better yet would be to use different symbols which cannot be mistaken for either a numerical symbol nor a existing alphabet symbol.

I've made my peace with the base-16 numerical system. I recognize those strings as numbers, because (a) they're almost always intermingled with digits 0-9, and (b) the digits A to G are put in upper case.

I can't imagine that hex often appears in contexts where it could be mistaken for letters.

You say we should have a base 36 system of counting

If the aim is to represent the most numbers with the least digits then it follows that using the entire alphabet is better than just a-f.

, and I say that any one-digit number has a good chance of being mistaken for the abreviation of someone's name. Or for "I" or "a" or "k"

After lead plumbing, this would be the next most likely explanation for the fall of the Roman Empire.

Lead plumbing, stupid numbers, and the gay. *nods*

[AiliailiA]

Better yet would be to use different symbols which cannot be mistaken for either a numerical symbol nor a existing alphabet symbol.

I've made my peace with the base-16 numerical system. I recognize those strings as numbers, because (a) they're almost always intermingled with digits 0-9, and (b) the digits A to G are put in upper case.

I can't imagine that hex often appears in contexts where it could be mistaken for letters.

Well it does. He always payed rent, and that time the communal water-bed in the living room had a problem with its thermostat, he somehow made the electricity bill go away.

But the notes he left on the fridge? I tried, I really did. But it was all greek to me.

You say we should have a base 36 system of counting

If the aim is to represent the most numbers with the least digits then it follows that using the entire alphabet is better than just a-f.

Yes, but if the aim is to represent the most numbers with the most symbols then let's go on unicode safari and find 118 symbols, or 246, or 502 symbols that aren't already used as English letters.

I hope you're enjoying this. It's all for fun, right?

, and I say that any one-digit number has a good chance of being mistaken for the abreviation of someone's name. Or for "I" or "a" or "k"

After lead plumbing, this would be the next most likely explanation for the fall of the Roman Empire.

Lead plumbing, stupid numbers, and the gay. *nods*

The gay? How dare you. Lead plumbing, stupid numbers, and inheritance rights for women. Closely followed by eating good food.

[Ifreann]

I can't imagine that hex often appears in contexts where it could be mistaken for letters.

Well it does. He always payed rent, and that time the communal water-bed in the living room had a problem with its thermostat, he somehow made the electricity bill go away.

But the notes he left on the fridge? I tried, I really did. But it was all greek to me.

Sounds like an interesting roommate.

If the aim is to represent the most numbers with the least digits then it follows that using the entire alphabet is better than just a-f.

Yes, but if the aim is to represent the most numbers with the most symbols then let's go on unicode safari and find 118 symbols, or 246, or 502 symbols that aren't already used as English letters.

Now there's an idea.

I hope you're enjoying this. It's all for fun, right?

This entire thread amuses me greatly.

Lead plumbing, stupid numbers, and the gay. *nods*

The gay? How dare you. Lead plumbing, stupid numbers, and inheritance rights for women. Closely followed by eating good food.

I'm pretty sure I read on the internet that Rome collapsed because the gay. And the internet wouldn't lie to me.

[Aethelstania]

surely this would be change for changes sake. There is no reason to change the alphabet except I can't actually think for the reason why we have the letter K, I'm sure someone who knows more about the English language could give ma reason.

[Sociobiology]

surely this would be change for changes sake. There is no reason to change the alphabet except I can't actually think for the reason why we have the letter K, I'm sure someone who knows more about the English language could give ma reason.

K is useful, it is C that serves no purpose all it does is steal the sounds of other letters. It has no sound of its own.

chemistry = Kemistry
sock = sok
machine = mashine
Source = Sourse
Cnidarian = Snidarian
Chime = kzime or khime
Scape = Skape

[Lancearc]

You Americans do not seem to quite understand how satire humour works, judging by this thread. :3

On a side note, I'm all for getting rid of X. Damn useless letter, that is, we'd be better of without it.

Xylophones, foxes, saxophones, and x-rays everywhere are in outrage at this proposition.

Ylophones, Foes, Saophones, and rays need their Xs to be words!

[Lancearc]

surely this would be change for changes sake. There is no reason to change the alphabet except I can't actually think for the reason why we have the letter K, I'm sure someone who knows more about the English language could give ma reason.

K is useful, it is C that serves no purpose all it does is steal the sounds of other letters. It has no sound of its own.

chemistry = Kemistry
sock = sok
machine = mashine
Source = Sourse
Cnidarian = Snidarian
Chime = kzime or khime
Scape = Skape

But C looks better.

Alright, I admit it, C is hot. Just look at those curves, I don't see that on K.

[Chinese Regions]

You Americans do not seem to quite understand how satire humour works, judging by this thread. :3

On a side note, I'm all for getting rid of X. Damn useless letter, that is, we'd be better of without it.

Xylophones, foxes, saxophones, and x-rays everywhere are in outrage at this proposition.

Obviously it can be replaced:
Zylophones, fokses, saksophones, eks-rays etc.

[Chinese Regions]

surely this would be change for changes sake. There is no reason to change the alphabet except I can't actually think for the reason why we have the letter K, I'm sure someone who knows more about the English language could give ma reason.

K is useful, it is C that serves no purpose all it does is steal the sounds of other letters. It has no sound of its own.

chemistry = Kemistry
sock = sok
machine = mashine
Source = Sourse
Cnidarian = Snidarian
Chime = kzime or khime
Scape = Skape

I'm totally for this.
Though I proposed ch (like in cheese) to be replaced with q.
While the current pronounciation for q is easily replaced with k as well.

[Lancearc]

Xylophones, foxes, saxophones, and x-rays everywhere are in outrage at this proposition.

Obviously it can be replaced:
Zylophones, fokses, saksophones, eks-rays etc.

zil-o-phone

foke-ses

sakes-o-phone

eeks-ray

[Tlaceceyaya]

Xylophones, foxes, saxophones, and x-rays everywhere are in outrage at this proposition.

Obviously it can be replaced:
Zylophones, fokses, saksophones, eks-rays etc.

But what if you need to solve for x? You solve for eks?

[Chinese Regions]

Obviously it can be replaced:
Zylophones, fokses, saksophones, eks-rays etc.

zil-o-phone

foke-ses

sakes-o-phone

eeks-ray