Dumbing down / Simplifying - doubleplusungood ?

Capt'n Midnight

Found this web site - devoted to monosyllablic words.

http://www.onepartwords.com
Our Goal
One Part Words has been brought to you with the thought that all the things there are to say or know can be said or taught in one part words. One part words means just what it says, all the words will, when they are said, be made with one sound, not two. This may seem odd, but there are lots of strange things on the web, some of which are far worse than us.


Anyone got any comments on this ?
Is it a reaction to the meangingless of English words ?
Take for example the word LOVE - there are many similar words but the distinction blurs. Most other Europeans have distinct and unambigous words to differentiate between Romantic love and "I love the dog" (I like the Innuit word that means " I like him, but I wouldn't go seal hunting with him)

So English have a greater number of words than other languages - but since so many have similar meanings - does this limit our fineness of concepts ?
Should we dumb down the langague ?

(I think that would be doubleplussungood..)

Silent Bob

Just because it is possible to use monosyllabic words doesn't mean we should.

Destroy the richness of the language why don't we.

We do have different words that mean roughly the same thing but differ enough that someone who knows can use the right one in the right place.

For instance "great" and "wonderful" can be taken to mean that something was very good but "wonderful" has slightly different connotations to "great".

Dumb down the language? No way. Smarten up the populace perhaps...

simu

Is it a reaction to the meangingless of English words ? Take for example the word LOVE - there are many similar words but the distinction blurs. Most other Europeans have distinct and unambigous words to differentiate between Romantic love and "I love the dog" (I like the Innuit word that means " I like him, but I wouldn't go seal hunting with him)

English words aren't meaningless - some words just have different meanings depending on the context they're used in. It's the same for every other language.

Here you will find the great thoughts of Man, these are not things like books, though they may be found there.

(from the site)

That's horribly dull to read!

Pre Time Things which came when man did not yet keep track of time. Pre Christ Things which came while we tracked time but ere Christ walked the Earth. Pre Dark Times Things which we came 'twist Christ and the Dark Age. Pre New World Things which took place ere the New World was found. Pre USA From the New World to the time the USA was born. Since Then Things that have come to pass since the USA was born.

(also from said site)

Don't know who runs this site but isn't it a bit odd that they impose US history on speakers from all the other countries where English is spoken as well? It all sounds very orwellian - they're trying to simplify the past and remove all the quirks of English that show its rich history.