I've been playing the game Scramble in my iPhone, which is a variation on Boggle and suchforth. You have a square made of up letters, and make words by using letters that touch one another either on one side or diagonally. Its simple and fun!
Having played this game a little over the last week, I have a problem with the letter "Q." In Scramble, every letter gets its own separate block, except for Q! Q becomes "Qu" in these word games. They can't be separated! Does Q suffer from separation anxiety, or does U just refuse to leave Q alone?
Either way, the U seems completely redundant. When you pronounce the letter Q, the sound of the U is inherent. Why not just make things easier on everyone, and leave off that silly U? Think of the difference this would make. Imagine all the time it would save to not have to include that extra letter! Imagine how much ink would be saved in not having to print it! Wouldn't it be grand to not have to devote time teaching an archaic mode of spelling to generations of schoolchildren? Wouldn't people learning English as a second language breathe a sigh of relief to not have to remember "Q before U?"
Here's to Qince! Qick! Qit! Qarterly! Qeen! Qart! and Qery! Muahahahaha!
