The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-03-31
THE PHONETIC SYSTEM.
Answer 10 objection. Again., 1

Editors oil the Register:
think that some of your exceptions
10 the Phonetic system oi orthoSEaPHS
in Saturdays issue ofthe REGISTER, were
not we'll taken. Photography does ho'
propose. rs u primary object, to change
the pronunciation of II single word, but
only to simplify the spelling 50 as to
make the written or printed word GER
tain index 10 the vocal sounds, as they
would be uttered by the writer, though,
/ As MI incidental result, provlnclallSms
/ would doubtless be forced into harmony
with the well established mother tongue.
But let Us examine exception first, VIZ:
Difference of pronunciation. What rep
rescnts the spoken word house to us, re-
presents ouse TO the Euglishman, and
what is to us i hcji 10 the Lon oner
He gives the broad sound to the letter a
in half, whilst some of Us give ii the
sharp sound The two pronunCiatiunS
might be represented by hat and h""i,
and even were they 30 spelled, the con-
fusion could be no greater than exists
now in the spoken language.
But, Mr.. Editor, ! will try TO show
the apologists for the present system
lmuddlel where the ''inextrlcable con-
fusion comes in. 1t is found in the
futile attempt to teach every student Of
English orthography-and that includes
every child in the English speaking world
with hundreds of thousands OF adult
foreigners the necessity, beauty and
simplicity of ugh in laugh, II in staff,
and pin in phrenZy, &c, instead of the
simpfef. Also to teach them that has
six sounds as heard in made fall, mat
far, far, grass, &c; that there are seven
or eight different and wholly arbitrary
Combinations representing the same
sounds that does, Us az, aie eigh, CN aa,
Ct, Gge. &c, without any reliable rules
to guide him in their selection or ar
rangcmcnt.
Finally he must learn the photography
of eoeIy tcord, as he would
learn the most minute touches
in hundreds of thousands of different
pictures, and those touches often of the
most ridiculous and arbitrary character,
outraging all laws of perspective and
harmony; then, if the student succeeds IN
"comprehcnding the situation the con
/ fusion" comes in with vengeance. Take
few more examples from the most COM
mon words: SO, do, no, knoDC, to, t0O,
too, three, through, enough, plough, Dough-,
| doe, believe deceive, redeem, retrieve,
perceive, leigh, eyrg key quay, quenes,
sss, bee Yacht, ~hen, knight, slesgh Pitt HI
sic. would, weight &c, &c. Such spell
ing, and they are pretty fair examples OF
/ the whole, NAV seem nice and easy 10
Il gentleman who has spent many years
in dispensing Intelligence from an cditori-
al sauctum, but rest assured they are ter
rlbly demoraliZing on Il juvenile class
room.
What photography demands i, that
all purely silent letters be stricken out;
that the old letters be assigned one fixed
/ sound each, and that enough new letters
| or old combinations be adopted, with one
I iuvariable sound each, to make up forty
two characters in all or one letter for
erch elementary sound III the language;
then photography will be reduced to
mathematical certainty, and millions ol
wears and billions of money III the ag-
gregatc saved in single age. The pro
iect is cninently practical and practica-
BILE, but OF course will take time. The
/ Christian religion was preached more
! than n thousand years before the Anglo
/ Saxon language had an existence. and
. scarce fifth of the world is yet convert
ed and still its teachers do not despair,
nor will the advocates Of the spelling re-
form wsyer, but will push Oh u victory,
/ because
"Truth Is mighty and will prevail
T. G.. BUNDY.