Alright, I'm being a pedant, but how is "dimensia" any more phonetic than "dementia"? If anything "dimensia" is less phonetic since all the common -sia words are pronounced /-ʒə/ and all the common -tia words are pronounced /-ʃə/. The "dimensia" spelling is influenced by "dimension", but that's not strictly the same as being phonetic.
I guess what I meant is the -sh sound is likely to be known across more reading levels than the -tia sound because it comes up earlier in reading education. The first spelling, when sounded out, more readily reproduces "dementia" as the remedial reader has heard it ambiently
Alright, I'm being a pedant, but how is "dimensia" any more phonetic than "dementia"? If anything "dimensia" is less phonetic since all the common -sia words are pronounced /-ʒə/ and all the common -tia words are pronounced /-ʃə/. The "dimensia" spelling is influenced by "dimension", but that's not strictly the same as being phonetic.
I guess what I meant is the -sh sound is likely to be known across more reading levels than the -tia sound because it comes up earlier in reading education. The first spelling, when sounded out, more readily reproduces "dementia" as the remedial reader has heard it ambiently
dime-en-sha?
duhmenshuh