New-York daily tribune., 1851-05-29
Phonotypy.

A School of children has recently been
taught IN Boston in a manner which IS exciting
great deal of interest among the educationists OF that
CITY Fifteen or twenty children were taken VINO
were Of the proper age TO learn to read ana VINO
knew nothing whatever Of letters. They were trained
three months IN Phonotypy, the reformed melhoa oi
smelling formerly employed by Andrews Boyle, IN
this CITY, in printing " The AnglO-Saxos,' and no"
by Mr.. Andrews in The PrOpagandist,' Published
by John F. Trow. 40 Ann-st.. after which they were
nut 70 reading books printed IN the ordinary way and
trained at that three months longer. at the END OF
which time public exhibition Of the school was
piven II was attended numerouSy by the parents OF
the children the teachers Of the public schools and
the friends of education generally, and the fact ap-
peared 10 be that those children taught IN this manner
had iumped entirely that tedious period of youthful
trial in learning to read and that they were able to
read sny English book with much facility as chl-
dren taught il the ordinary way after two or three
wears beside which the little things had, during the
same period learned 10 read phonetic shorthand 10
analyze words and to pronounce with great accu-
racv So remarkable an improvement IN education
naturally fixed the attention OF the public, which call
cd for additional exhibitions and the crowds attend
ing them have continued 10 increase. The last oi
nine of these public exhibitions was given IN the stats
House before the Governor, Senate, Council and
State Board of Education, and ended IN unanimous
recommendation on the part of the Board OF Educa-
ton of the introduction Of Phonotypy into the Schools
of the State as greatly superior method OF teacmhg
children TO read ordinary books.
We have not the space to point out the principles
upon which this gain Is effected. We recommend
our teachers and Board OF Education to look into the
subject We take the following from the report OF
the Committee of the Legislature before when TINS
examination took place
The distinctness of utterance was remarkable
feature IN the examination Every syllable was ut
tered with cleaTneSS and precision tnat lndcSIeu
with what uerrng certainty the characters lhdt ley
had learnt designated the sounds OF the langu ge
Those sounds arc represented IN the phonotypc al
phahet bv forty letters. namely. twenty-Our conSo
nants twelve yowels, and four dphihongs. Nalues
are given to these letters, so much IN harmony WIN
our present photography, as 10 make Thoho'ypl IC.
semble strongly the printed Roman pages so that
an individual who has become familiar with one caii
with slight additional labor, read the other
The advantages 10 be derived from the Introduction
of the phonetic system into our common school M
struction Will be very important There was eVi-
dence tending to show, .,
/ That IL Will enable the pupil to learn to read,
phoneticaiy in one tenth OF the time ordinarily en-
q That it will enable the learner to read the COM
mon tvpe IN One-tourth OF the time necessary accord
ing 10 the usual mode of instruction. 90
8 That the truth and accuracy Of the system Will
induce millions to teach themselves to read who are
now ignorant.
That It's acquisition leads the pupil to the correct
pronunciation of every word
s. That its certainty teaches a distinct enuncation,
which will not be lost when the pupil comes to read
from the Roman text
6. That its adoption merely as means OF learning
to read our common print, Will tend to Danish pro-
ynclaliSmS. 80
: That, by directing attention to the different
methods Of representing sound the pupils WILL IN the
end become better orthogaphists than by the present
method.
S That it will have tendency to make many de-
rivations which have been almost lost familiar
to the eye.
o. That it will be Of vast benefit in enabling an IN.
dividual rapidly to preserve his own thoughts and
| those Of others.
TO- That 10 any one familiar with the system, 1t
will furnish means of representing the pronuncla-
| ton of foreign languages with precision.
H. That II Will present to the missionary superior
alphabet for the representation OF hitherto unwrltten
| languages.
10. That own language may, by means OF II,
be subjected to few simple rules of accent thing
which has hitherto been almost unattalnable.