Do we need a new spelling? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata
-
0:10 - 0:15We have lost a lot of time
at the school, learning spelling. -
0:15 - 0:21Kids are still losing a lot of time
at school with spelling. -
0:22 - 0:26That's why I want to share
with you a question: -
0:27 - 0:31"Do we need a new spelling?"
-
0:31 - 0:33I believe that yes, we do.
-
0:33 - 0:38Or even better, I think we need
to simplify the one we already have. -
0:38 - 0:43Neither the question nor the answer
are new in the Spanish language. -
0:43 - 0:47They have been bouncing around
from century to century -
0:47 - 0:52since 1492, when in the first grammar
of the Spanish language, -
0:52 - 0:58Antonio de Nebrija set a clear and simple
principle for our spelling: -
0:58 - 1:01"Thus, we have to write words
as we pronounce them, -
1:01 - 1:04and pronounce words
as we write them." -
1:04 - 1:07Each sound had to answer to a letter,
-
1:07 - 1:10and each letter had to represent
a single sound, -
1:10 - 1:15and those which did not represent
any sound should be removed. -
1:17 - 1:19This approach, the phonetic approach,
-
1:19 - 1:23-the one that says we have to write
words as we pronounce them- -
1:23 - 1:27it is and it is not present in the basis
of spelling as we practice it today. -
1:28 - 1:34It is, because the Spanish language,
in contrast to English, French or others, -
1:34 - 1:36always had a strong resistance
-
1:36 - 1:41to writing words too differently
to how we pronounce them. -
1:41 - 1:44But it is not present, because
when in the 18th century -
1:44 - 1:47we decided how we would
standardize our writing, -
1:47 - 1:52there was another approach which guided
a good part of the decisions. -
1:52 - 1:55This approach was the etymological one,
-
1:55 - 1:57the one that says we have to write words
-
1:57 - 2:00according to how they were written
in their original language, -
2:00 - 2:02in Latin, in Greek.
-
2:02 - 2:06That's how we're left with silent H's,
which we write but don't pronounce. -
2:06 - 2:10That's how we're left with B's and V's,
-
2:10 - 2:12that contrary to what many people believe,
-
2:12 - 2:15were never differentiated
in Spanish pronunciation. -
2:16 - 2:20That's how we're left with G's,
that sound hard as in "gente", -
2:20 - 2:23and other times soft as in "gato".
-
2:23 - 2:26That's how we're left
with C's, S's, and Z's, -
2:27 - 2:31three letters that in some places
correspond to one sound, -
2:31 - 2:33and in others to two,
but nowhere to three. -
2:35 - 2:40I'm not here to tell you anything
you don't know from your own experience. -
2:40 - 2:43We all went to school,
-
2:43 - 2:48we all invested big amounts
of learning time, -
2:48 - 2:53big amounts of that plastic
and childlike brain time -
2:53 - 2:55in dictation,
-
2:55 - 3:00in the memorization of spelling rules
filled, however, with exceptions. -
3:00 - 3:04We were conveyed in many ways,
implicitly and explicitly, -
3:04 - 3:06the idea that in spelling,
-
3:06 - 3:10something fundamental
of our upbringing was at stake. -
3:11 - 3:13Yet, I have the feeling
-
3:13 - 3:17that teachers didn't ask themselves
why it was so important. -
3:17 - 3:20In fact, they didn't ask themselves
a previous question: -
3:20 - 3:22what was the purpose that spelling played?
-
3:23 - 3:26What do we need spelling for?
-
3:28 - 3:31And the truth is that when someone
asks themselves this question -
3:31 - 3:34the answer is much more simple
and less momentous -
3:34 - 3:36than we'd usually believe.
-
3:36 - 3:43We use spelling to unify the way we write,
so we can all write the same way. -
3:43 - 3:47So it is easier for us to understand
when we read each other. -
3:48 - 3:51But opposed to other aspects of language,
-
3:51 - 3:53such as punctuation,
-
3:53 - 3:59there is no individual expressive ability
involved in spelling. -
3:59 - 4:01In contrast to punctuation.
-
4:02 - 4:06With punctuation, I can choose
to change the meaning of a phrase. -
4:06 - 4:11With punctuation I can impose
a particular rhythm to what I am writing, -
4:11 - 4:14but not with spelling.
-
4:14 - 4:17When it comes to spelling,
it's either wrong or right, -
4:17 - 4:20according to whether it conforms
or not to the current rules. -
4:21 - 4:26But then, wouldn't it be more sensible
to simplify the current rules -
4:26 - 4:32so it is easier to teach, learn,
and use spelling correctly? -
4:33 - 4:37Wouldn't it be more sensible
to simplify the current rules -
4:37 - 4:43so that all that time we devote today
to teaching spelling, -
4:43 - 4:46we can devote it
to other issues of language -
4:46 - 4:50whose complexities do deserve
the time and effort? -
4:52 - 4:57What I propose is not
to abolish spelling, -
4:57 - 5:01not that everyone writes as they like.
-
5:01 - 5:06Language is a tool of common use,
and therefore -
5:06 - 5:10I believe it's fundamental that we use it
following common criteria. -
5:11 - 5:13But I also find it fundamental
-
5:13 - 5:18that those common criteria
be as simple as they can be, -
5:18 - 5:21especially because
if we simplify our spelling -
5:21 - 5:24we're not leveling down;
-
5:24 - 5:27when spelling is simplified,
-
5:27 - 5:31the quality of the language
doesn't suffer at all. -
5:32 - 5:36I work every day with Spanish
Golden Age literature, -
5:36 - 5:39I read Garcilaso, Cervantes,
Góngora, Quevedo, -
5:39 - 5:42who sometimes write "hombre" without H,
-
5:42 - 5:45sometimes write "escribir" with V,
-
5:45 - 5:48and it's absolutely clear to me
-
5:48 - 5:53that the difference between those texts
and ours is one of convention, -
5:53 - 5:57or rather, of a lack of convention
during their time. -
5:57 - 5:59But not one of quality.
-
6:00 - 6:02But let me go back to the masters,
-
6:02 - 6:05because they are key characters
in this story. -
6:06 - 6:11Earlier, I mentioned this slightly
thoughtless insistence -
6:11 - 6:14with which teachers
pester and pester us -
6:14 - 6:15with spelling.
-
6:15 - 6:19But the truth is that,
being things as they are, -
6:19 - 6:21this makes perfect sense.
-
6:21 - 6:27In our society, spelling works
as a privileged index -
6:27 - 6:31that tells the cultured from the brute,
the educated from the ignorant, -
6:31 - 6:36independently from the content
that's being written. -
6:36 - 6:40One can get or not get a job
-
6:40 - 6:42because of an h that one put or did not.
-
6:42 - 6:45One can become an object
of public ridicule -
6:45 - 6:48because of a misplaced B.
-
6:48 - 6:50Therefore, in this context,
-
6:50 - 6:55of course, it makes sense to dedicate
all this time to spelling. -
6:55 - 6:57But we don't have to forget
-
6:57 - 7:00that throughout the history
of our language -
7:00 - 7:02it was always teachers
-
7:02 - 7:06or people linked
to the early learning of language -
7:06 - 7:09those who promoted spelling reforms,
-
7:09 - 7:11those who realized that in our spelling
-
7:11 - 7:15there was often an obstacle
to the transmission of knowledge. -
7:15 - 7:17In our case, for example,
-
7:17 - 7:22Sarmiento, together with Andrés Bello,
promoted the biggest spelling reform -
7:22 - 7:25that effectively took place
in the Spanish language: -
7:25 - 7:29the Chilean one in mid-19th century.
-
7:31 - 7:35Then, why not take over
the task of those teachers -
7:35 - 7:39and start making progress
in our spelling? -
7:39 - 7:43Here, in the intimacy of us 10,000,
-
7:43 - 7:44I'd like to bring to the table
-
7:44 - 7:48some changes that I find reasonable
to start discussing. -
7:50 - 7:52Let's remove the silent H.
-
7:52 - 7:57There where we write an H,
but pronounce nothing, -
7:57 - 7:58let's not write anything.
-
7:58 - 7:59(Applause)
-
7:59 - 8:02It's hard for me to think
what sentimental attachment -
8:02 - 8:07can justify to someone all
the hassle caused by the silent H. -
8:07 - 8:10B and V, as we said before,
-
8:10 - 8:12were never distinguished
in the Spanish language, -
8:12 - 8:13(Applause)
-
8:13 - 8:17let's choose one, it could be either,
we can discuss it, talk it over, -
8:17 - 8:20each will have their preferences,
each can have their arguments. -
8:20 - 8:23Let's keep one, remove the other.
-
8:23 - 8:26G and J, let's separate their roles,
-
8:26 - 8:31G should keep the soft sound,
"gato", "mago", "águila", -
8:31 - 8:34and J should keep the hard sound,
-
8:34 - 8:39"jarabe", "jirafa", "gente", "argentino".
-
8:40 - 8:45The case of C, S, and Z is interesting,
-
8:45 - 8:49because it shows that the phonetic
approach must be a guide, -
8:49 - 8:52but can't be an absolute principle.
-
8:52 - 8:57In some cases, the differences
in pronunciation must be addressed. -
8:57 - 9:00As I said before, C, S, and Z
-
9:00 - 9:03in some places correspond
to one sound, in others to two. -
9:03 - 9:09If we lower it down from three letters
to two, we're all better. -
9:10 - 9:14To some, these changes
may seem a bit drastic. -
9:14 - 9:17They are not so much.
-
9:17 - 9:20The Royal Spanish Academy,
all of language academies, -
9:20 - 9:25also believe that spelling
should be progressively modified, -
9:25 - 9:30that language is linked to history,
tradition and custom, -
9:30 - 9:34but that at the same time
it is a practical everyday tool -
9:34 - 9:39and that sometimes this attachment
to history, tradition and custom -
9:39 - 9:44turns into an obstacle
for its current usage. -
9:45 - 9:48Indeed, this explains the fact
-
9:48 - 9:54that our language, much more than
the others we are geographically close to, -
9:54 - 9:58has been historically
modifying itself based on us, -
9:58 - 10:01for example, we went from
"ortographia" to "ortografía", -
10:01 - 10:06we went from "theatro" to "teatro",
we went from "quantidad" to "cantidad", -
10:06 - 10:08we went from "symbolo" to "símbolo",
-
10:08 - 10:13and slowly some silent H's
are being stealthily removed, -
10:13 - 10:16in the Dictionary of the Royal Academy
-
10:16 - 10:21"arpa", "armonía" can be written
with or without H -
10:21 - 10:23and we're all okay.
-
10:25 - 10:28I also believe
-
10:28 - 10:34that this is a particularly appropriate
moment to face this discussion. -
10:35 - 10:39It's always said that language
changes spontaneously, -
10:39 - 10:41from the bottom up,
-
10:41 - 10:44that users are the ones
that incorporate new words, -
10:44 - 10:48the ones that introduce
grammatical changes, -
10:48 - 10:52and that the authority,
in some places an academy, -
10:52 - 10:56in others a dictionary
in others a ministry, -
10:56 - 10:59a long time after, accepts them
and incorporates them. -
11:00 - 11:04This is true only
for some levels of language, -
11:04 - 11:07it is true for the lexical level,
for the level of words, -
11:07 - 11:11it is less true for the grammatical level,
-
11:11 - 11:15and almost, I would say, it is not true
for the spelling level, -
11:15 - 11:19that has historically changed
from top to bottom. -
11:19 - 11:25Institutions have always been those
who set the rules and proposed changes. -
11:26 - 11:31Why do I say this is a particularly
appropriate moment? -
11:31 - 11:33Until today,
-
11:33 - 11:39writing always had a much more restricted
and private use than speech, -
11:39 - 11:44but in our time,
the age of social networks, -
11:44 - 11:47this is going through
a revolutionary change. -
11:48 - 11:51Never before have people written so much,
-
11:51 - 11:56never before have people written
for so many others. -
11:57 - 12:00And in these social networks,
for the first time, -
12:00 - 12:04we're seeing at a large scale
innovative uses of spelling -
12:04 - 12:09where even people of impeccable,
more than educated spelling, -
12:09 - 12:15when using social networks,
behave a lot like the majority of users -
12:15 - 12:17in social networks behave.
-
12:17 - 12:21That is to say, they loosen spellchecking
-
12:21 - 12:25and prioritize speed and efficacy
in communicating. -
12:26 - 12:31For now, over there, there are
chaotic, individual usages, -
12:31 - 12:34but I think we have
to pay attention to them -
12:34 - 12:37as they're probably telling us
-
12:37 - 12:41that a time that assigns
a new place to writing -
12:41 - 12:45is asking new criteria for that writing.
-
12:46 - 12:51I think we'd be doing wrong
in rejecting them, in discarding them, -
12:51 - 12:56because we identify them with symptoms
of the cultural decay of our times. -
12:56 - 13:01No, I believe we have to observe them,
arrange them, and channel them -
13:01 - 13:07within a regulation more related
to the needs of our times. -
13:08 - 13:12I can anticipate some objections.
-
13:13 - 13:15There will be those who'll say
-
13:15 - 13:20that if we simplify spelling
we'll lose etymology. -
13:21 - 13:24Strictly speaking, if we wanted
to preserve etymology -
13:24 - 13:26it wouldn't be enough with spelling,
-
13:26 - 13:30we'd also have to learn Latin,
Greek, Arabic -- -
13:31 - 13:36With a simplified spelling
we'll go to recover etymology -
13:36 - 13:41to the same place we go now,
to etymological dictionaries. -
13:42 - 13:45A second objection will be that
of those who will say: -
13:45 - 13:47"If we simplify spelling,
-
13:47 - 13:49we'll stop distinguishing between
-
13:49 - 13:52words that now are different
in just one letter." -
13:52 - 13:56That is true, but it's not a problem.
-
13:56 - 14:01Our language has homonyms,
words with more than one meaning, -
14:01 - 14:03and we don't confuse
-
14:03 - 14:07the 'banco' where we sit with the 'banco'
where we deposit money, -
14:07 - 14:10the 'traje' that we wear
with the things we 'trajimos'. -
14:10 - 14:16In the enormous majority of situations,
context dispels any confusion. -
14:17 - 14:20But there's a third objection,
-
14:22 - 14:28to me the most understandable,
even the most moving, -
14:28 - 14:32that is the one of those who'll say:
"I don't want to change, -
14:32 - 14:36I was brought up like this,
I got used to this way, -
14:36 - 14:42when I read a written word
in simplified spelling my eyes hurt." -
14:44 - 14:49This objection is, in part, in all of us.
-
14:49 - 14:51What do I believe we have to do?
-
14:51 - 14:54Do as is always done in these cases,
-
14:54 - 14:59changes are made onwards,
children are taught the new rules; -
14:59 - 15:04to those of us who don't want to adapt,
they let us write as we're used to -
15:04 - 15:08and it's expected that time
will cement the new rules. -
15:09 - 15:15The success of every spelling reform
that touches upon such rooted habits -
15:15 - 15:21lays in caution, agreement,
gradualism, and tolerance. -
15:21 - 15:25But we still can't allow
the attachment to old costumes -
15:25 - 15:28to impede us from moving forward.
-
15:28 - 15:34The best tribute we can pay to the past
is to improve upon what we received. -
15:35 - 15:38So I believe that we must
reach an agreement, -
15:38 - 15:43that academies must reach an agreement
and clear our spelling -
15:43 - 15:49of the habits we use because we received
them, even if they are useless. -
15:49 - 15:53I'm convinced that if we do that
-
15:53 - 15:57in the humble, but extremely
important sphere of language, -
15:57 - 16:02we'll be leaving a better future
to the next generations. -
16:03 - 16:04(Applause)
- Title:
- Do we need a new spelling? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata
- Description:
-
How much time and energy do we devote to learning spelling? Is it worth it? What options do we have? Karina has a proposal that might surprise us.
Karina holds a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University, in addition to degrees in Letters and Political Science from Universidad de Buenos Aires. Now, she's a professor at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and the director of the MA in Journalism UTDT/La Nación.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- Spanish
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 16:24
Sebastian Betti approved English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti accepted English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata | ||
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for ¿Ase falta una nueva ortografía? | Karina Galperin | TEDxRiodelaPlata |