Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1855-09-06
SPELLING REFORM.

Among the many inventions and reforms of the
present day that are calculated to have power
full and lasting influence upon the future prog
rcss of the world, may be classed the Spelling
Reform This Reform consists in finding the ex-
act number of recognized sounds in any given
language, and then supplying each sound with a
distinct and separate letter. so that no letter shall
stand for or represent more than one sound for
instance, there are in the English Language for
ty-tirce recognized and distinct sounds, according
to our best photographers; to represent these
forty-three sounds we have but t,centytrce effec-
tive letters, CT and having no sound of their
own.) We have, therefore, t,renty sounds in our
language which have no letters to represent them,
and we are, therefore, obliged to represent them
by other letters and combinations of other letters.
This leads to infinite confusion, especially, as
there is no fixed rule or method by which these
combinations are formed. The long sound of (a)
is represented in eighteen different ways, as in
ale, aim, guage, preyed, &c, and the long sound
of (o) in as many more. The simple word no
may be spelled in tieenty different ways by au
thority, as in know, gno-man, juneau, nough, as
in the word though, &c. The extent of this con-
fusion may be imagined when we state that the
forty-three sounds of our language are represent
ed in our common spelling in three hundred and
serenity different ways,or an average of about 12
different ways to represent each sound. Who
would ever think of making new language up
on such plan =? or who would for moment lis
ten to the proposition to have the nine distinct
values represented by our nine digits, so chang
ed that there would be 1-2 different ways of re-
ures /, 2,3, A. 5, 6, Z, 8, 9; that in pace
should be represented by =, in another by 3d.
and still another by 24; yet in theory this is no
more absurd than it is to have the combination
ough represent the simple sound (O,) and in prac-
tice it would be scarcely less difficult as the ev-
idence of all the nation can testify; for how ma
ny of best scholars will venture to assert that
of the $1,000 words of our language, they can
spell correctly one-fourth of theml Well may
it be said that with our present photography,
reading, writing and spelling are the most diff
fcult of human attainments."
1t is to remedy these defects in our orthogra-
ply, [on!y few of which have been stated, that
this Reform has been set in motion by the ed,l-
cationists of this and the Mother Country. 1t
has the sanction of the highest authority in Eng
land and America, and sooner or later is destin-
ed to triumph AS the steamboat, the steam-car,
and the lightning telegraph are destined to SUI
percede slower modes of communication, so must
an improvement of this kind commend itself to
the practical sense of every in this utilita-
rian age. When il is demonstrated that reading
and spelling can be accurately acquired by this
system in three months, what parent will be SO
cruel as to willingly force his child through the
drudgery of the old system, which requires life
time to ensure any thing like perfection.
We append the Phonetic Alphabet, and ask
every reader who takes an interest in the cause
OF Education, to preserve it, as we design further
to illustrate and commend this system to the rea-
ders of the Tribune Il Telegraph. We shall al
so, through the kindness of the publishers, give
from time to time, specimens of phonetic print.