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I wouldn't blame the speakers for this, but the spelling. However, I don't see a way of writing English other than the current one, otherwise every major dialect would have a different way of spelling (although the Americans are already lazy enough to drop the "u" in words like "colour" anyway  ).
For those who are complaining that it's impossible to know what the rules are in English, here they are:
(The ":" after the vowels mean they're the long ones  )
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[i:] - This is a close (high), long, tense, unrounded vowel. It's spelt "e" in words like "economy, remark"; "ee" in words like "eel, see, feet" or "ea" in words like "each, seal, plea". Other possible spellings are "ie" as in "fiend"; "ei" "seizing"; "i" "machine"; or execptionally "ey" in "key"; "ay" in "quay"; "eo" in "people"; "oe" "Oedipus" or "eau" in "Beauchamp".
[i] - This is a more retracted front vowel, and its degree of openness is close to that which some languages would consider as "e". It's the second commonest English vowel in stressed positions, and it can be spelt "i" as in "ill, tick" or "y" in "syntax, party". Exceptions would me "o" and "e" in "women" and "day" in the days of the week.
[e] - This is where we would have some problems in writing differently in English, as the realisation of this vowel is quite peculiar in Australian English, for example. This word neer occurs in final position, being reduced to [i] or to [uh] whenever unstressed. It's spelled "e" as in "fell" or "ea" in "lead".
[ae] - It's a short, lax, unrounded vowel, a little higher than the cardinal vowel [a], reason why many foreigners can't hear the difference between [ae] and [e] (I know I couldn't till I learned phonetics). Either spelt "a" as in "act, fact" or, exceptionally "ai" as in "plait".
[a:] - This is a very open vowel pronounced in the back of the mouth. It's spelt "a" before "r" (jar, carpet), a silent "l" (calm, palm), sometimes "f" or "ff" (after, staff) or "ss" (pass, class) or "th"... however it can be pronounced as [ae] in many dialects. In all of them though, it can be spelled exceptionally as "au" (aunt), "er" (Berkeley, sergeant), "a" (father)...
[o] - In American English it's merged with the previous vowel so it's hard to distinguish "pot" from "part". Usually spelt "o", but "ou", "a" and "au" also happen in exceptions like "cough", "want" and "laurel".
[aw] - closer and longer than [o], it's usually spelt "aw" or "au" (awl, august). If it occurs in final position, it's followed by a consonand (even if not pronounce) or a silent "e" (sore, port). Can be spelt "oo" as in "floor", "oa" as in "broad" and "ough" as in "sought", "a" as in "water, wrath" or "ou" as in "course, source"
[ue] - Closer than [aw] but more opened than [u:], and only happens in medial position. Usually spelt "u" as in "put" or "o" after "w" as in "wolf, worcester". Before the letters "k", "t", "d", "l" and "m" it may be spelled "oo" (look, foot, wood, wool, room)... or "ou" in verbal forms like "would, should, could"
[u:] - Longer (and more closed) than [ue], happens pretty much everywhere (oom, oomph, ooze, rude, crew)... and it's got all those ways of spelling too.
[^] - It's a central, half-open, short, unrounded vowel. Usually spelt "u" as in "under, but", "o" as in "come, front", exceptionally "oo" as in "blood, flood" and "oe" as in "does".
[uh] - The most used sound in English, as it's the standard pronounciation (along with [i]) of unstressed syllables. Therefore, whenever a syllable is unstressed, chances are this is the sound to be used.
[3:] - It's the long "uh", spelt "ir", "ur", "er" or "yr" as in "first, curtain, fur, refer". Exceptions are "our" (courtesy, journal) and, exceptionally "olo" in "colonel".
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Looks complicated, but once you read it, your pronounciation (and consequently, your spelling) will be a lot better
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