(OT) Proposed revised English spelling

[Frog42]

I haven't heard of anyone using "Master" in a while. Maybe it's just as well. Look what it did to Howie.

Who would think it could turn someone goofy?

[Howie]

Who would think it could turn my pants square?

[SalpalSally]

Your whole self is square...LOL!

[SuzE-Q]

I'd think he's a square, except for those Fabio-flowing locks of his!

[Howie]

And I'm sitting here with no shirt on, and the fan is blowing through my long hair, just imagine......

[SalpalSally]

Do I have to? Ughhhhh!

[Virginia]

I am with you Sally - do we really have to imagine?

I use to address young boys when I wrote to them as Master - actually I don't remember who I wrote to accept my younger brother, but I do remember doing it. Guess that proves my age.

Agate, I too have a problem with how to pronounce Ms. Back during war years in Germany the SS troops and the Russians would just say "come Frau" to any woman married or single and they would have to go or risk being shot. They said the Americans and the British treated them much better than the German SS and the Russians.

[Catdancer]

Language...and spelling...is fluid. Words change over time, uses change. New words are created to fit new circumstances. Old words are used in new ways. Titles are dropped as society gets more casual.....and more complicated. I still trip over what pronouns to use when talking with or about my transgender friends, or their spouses ( that word --spouse -- so useful these days when two people of the same gender or gender identity are married to each other).

Flexibility is the key. And a sharp ear. And sensitivity to what people want go be called. Some people still want honorifics - Mr. , Mrs. , Ms. I don't understand why Ms. gives people problems. Yes, it's pronounced "miz". Why is that more confusing than "Mrs" pronounced "misses"?? Or "doctor" as Dr.??

I still enough refer to doctors as "doctor" even though at least two iof mine are young enough to be my grandchildren. And say "sir" or "ma-am" (an abbreviation of Madame....which has come to mean something else quite unladylike) when referring to someone from whom I'm asking a favor, or service. And still use Mr. Mrs. or Ms. until the person tells me otherwise. And am disconcerted when people much younger than I...and who do not know me ...use my first name without first asking. But that's me. When my generation dies out, I suspect those honorifics will die with us.

[agate]

And am disconcerted when people much younger than I...and who do not know me ...use my first name without first asking.

Yes, and I'm appreciating honorifics more as the years go by.

Aging folks are all too often treated with disrespect, and I'm in favor of anything that encourages respect, even if it's just to set a tone.

People in wheelchairs often are treated like little kids who don't understand much or who need someone else to communicate for them. Older people are often treated like we've already lost all our marbles.

Being called "Mrs.," "Miss" or "Ms." reminds people (including me) that I still matter, and even if I've lost my marbles, I'm still entitled to an honorific. It's a way of letting it be known that the other person recognizes that I'm not a personal friend. After all, I might not want to be that person's friend. Why immediately pretend that I am?

But in more and more situations I'm called by just my first name.

Too bad too because my first name is so common that there are often several people in a group situation with the same first name. My last name is much less common.

[Howie]

And I have always gone by Howard which is my middle name, not my first. It makes things confusing at times.

[Virginia]

Well, when a lot of people call me by my first name (that don't know me) they say Miss Virginia, and that does not go over well with me. I would like to be called Ms. than Miss. I think older people who have been married for many years and lost a spouse often feel that way. A friend of mine (about 11 years older than I am) brought that up to me one time. She said that when people called her Miss Peggy it made her feel bad - she said she felt like it sounded like Miss Piggy. She was a widow.

[Virginia]

I spent some time with Microsoft this afternoon and they could not fix my computer. My type on here is so small it is difficult for me to type anything, so I might not be a lot for a few days. Will try to get this computer fixed because I like it so much. If that is not possible I will just have to go buy a new computer.

[Howie]

I can fix that, give me a minute.

On this page, move your pointer to the top right.

A little screen will drop down.

Go to the symbol that looks like a little gear.

A little menu drops down, and about the third thing is zoom.

All sizes are listed, I like 200%.

Click, and you're done.

[agate]

I spent some time with Microsoft this afternoon and they could not fix my computer. My type on here is so small it is difficult for me to type anything, so I might not be a lot for a few days. Will try to get this computer fixed because I like it so much. If that is not possible I will just have to go buy a new computer.

A font size problem should be fixable but maybe I'm so far behind the times that I have no idea what newer computers are and aren't capable of.

In Google Chrome, the address window where the URL for this page appears has a little circle with a + in it. It's supposed to look like a magnifying glass with a handle on it. If you click on it you'll see what you have your magnification set at. Mine is currently at 150%.

If I want to change that to make everything on the screen larger, I go to the top right of the Google Chrome screen where there are 3 dark lines, and in the drop-down menu I get from clicking on those lines, I find "Zoom."

I can then change the figure to a larger or smaller magnification.

But you've probably tried this already. I just thought I'd mention it.

[SuzE-Q]

Don't know if it'll work, but...

Step 1: Open Display Settings. If you'd like to adjust the size and scale of fonts and icons on your screen, you just need to access the right menu. To begin, press the Windows button on your keyboard, then type "Display Settings" and hit Enter.

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