FROM THE ARCHIVE -- The spelling system of any language is, at best, only an approximation of pronunciation. Writing is, in fact, a totally arbitrary system of symbols and marks meant to convey the sounds of a language; and compared to modern gadgetry, a very primitive way of recording speech.
Language changes with time. What is agreed on as a convenient and conventional way of recording speech with certain symbols may, in a few years, no longer accurately represent the way people speak. Modern English orthography more nearly represents the pronunciation of Queen Elizabeth I than the current monarch. Nevertheless, we retain the spelling system because it would be neither feasible nor practical to republish all the books and re-educate all the people. In one generation, several hundred years worth of books would be unreadable.
The point is this: Despite the inconsistencies in English orthography and the sometimes wide disparity between spelling and pronunciation, the use of "standard" written forms remains a mark of literacy and education. And that allows you to achieve other goals, one being the smooth communication of ideas. In the writing biz, we are judged by our product; the symbols representing words, which we commit to paper.
MORAL: Pronounce as you wish, but hew to the spelling conventions.
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