English Wants Macrons Too!

If you look at any text in Classical Latin, there's a good chance that it will be splattered throughout with macrons (if you don't know what they are, they are the little lines above some vowels -  ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Macrons are helpful fellows who tell you if  the vowel it hovers over is long as opposed to short. Short, meaning pronounced for one mora (literally, delay), or long, pronounced for two morae. When the average English speaker first attempts to practice this peculiar thing, it seems very strange indeed. Because, of course, in English long and short describes the quality of the vowel, not the literal length of it!

However...if you think about it...all may not be what it seems.

I would like you to say "beat" out loud - or under your breath, if  you're in a public place :) -
(bear with me, there is a point to this)

Now, say "bead".

Let it soak in...

It's the same sound (ee) but when said in "beat" you must say it for only one mora, and in "bead," two. If you switch it around,  it just does not work. It sounds wrong. When I discovered this (I think it was on some Anglo-Saxon site) I was absolutely bowled over. Yes, I am easily impressed. I drove everyone I knew crazy for a week telling them to say "bead" and "beat". Yeah, most people weren't that excited. But I know it sure made me think.
I think English wants (and rightly deserves) macrons too!
I feel so strongly about this that I made a ribbon for the cause!

Yeah! For English!!!!!!!!!

Now we just have to figure what letter to put it over...beād, bēad...hmm... bēād?