Litchfield enquirer., 1876-08-03
Spelling.

indicate their pronunciation. English spelling is, in fact. sort of compromise between the Chinese word sign, and the simpler phonetic alphabet which in the case of the Italian and other continental tongues, furnishes an easy and almost cer- tain guide to pronunciation. It is said to be the work of lifetime to learn to read Chinese. The burdening of the mind with innumerable word signs is a terrible hindrance to the scholar and sub- stantially places the art of reading out of the reach of the common people. Eng fish spelling is not so hard as Chinese, because the bulk of the language is, af- ter all. spelled phonetically. There are hundreds and thousands of our words, however, that are more or less irregular; whose accurate spelling is dependent on no fixed principle, but simply on arbitra- ry practice. Hence English is the most difficult of all languages for the foreigner and the scholar. It is no doubt the fact that several of the early years of our lives are simply wasted on the intricacles of the worst system of spelling known to any language that has an alphabet.
 While the evil is great, the remedy is exceedingly difficult. The extent of the reform to be attempted is a much more doubtful matter than it's desirability. On this, point the Pathological convention which met in New York, last week, adopt ed the following views, reported by com- mittee consisting of Professors Whitney, March, Huldeman, and Packard:
 No language has ever had, or is likely to have, perfect alphabet, and in chang ing and amending the modes of writing of a language already long written, regard must necessarily be had to what is prac- ticably possible quite as much as to what is inherently desirable
 To prepare the way for such change the first step is to break down, by the combined influence of enlightened schol- ars and of practical educators. the im- mense and stubborn prejudice which re- gards the established modes of spelling almost as constituting the language, as having a sacred character, as in themselves preferable to others. All agitation and all definite proposals of reform are to be welcomed so far as they work in this di- rection. An altered orthography will be unavoidably offensive to those who are first called upon to use it, but any sensi- ble and consistent new system will rapid ly win the hearty preference of the mass of writer's.
 The Roman alphabet is SO widely and SO firmly established Tn use among the leading civilized nations, that it cannot be displaced; in adapting it to improved nse for English. the efforts of scholars should be directed toward it's use with uniformity and in conformity with other nations.
 Of course the variation of letter and character should be the least possible. Yet it is evident that there must be some change, or accentuation of letter, in such cases as the vowel c, or there will be confusion worse confounded. Perhaps this change could be best effected by the use of such works as are already employ ed by Webster and other photographers to indicate the proper pronunciation of this elastic vowel, and others now given widely different sounds.
 More difficult however, than the settle ment of the extent of reform will be the breaking down of that Immense and stubborn prejudice which regards the es- tablished modes of spelling almost as constituting the language, as having sacred character, and as in themselves preferable to others" Half this preiu- dice is mere laziness. Any one who now reads the language readily would in few months read the reformed alphabet with out difficulty. Even at first the advan- tages it would offer for the correct pro- nunciation of proper names would be rec ognized. Within year from it's general introduction we believe that four ffths of the community would read the reformed character with more ease and better pro- nunciation than the unreformed. Chil- dren would learn to read the reformed character in quarter the tune now requir- ed. Accurate writing would simply re. quire accurate pronunciation. There would be the great drawback, to be sure, that several generations would be obliged to learn to read both the old and the new spellings. Learning the new, first, how ever, would pave the way for the old, and there would be this inestimable advan- tage: The old spelling would not need to be learned accurately, after perhaps sim gle generation By that time all writing would be in the reformed alphabet, and all the acquaintance the ordinary citizen would need with the old spelling would be only that superficial familiarity with it's intricacies necessary for the understan d. Ing of the words printed in it-a far diff ferent matter from the thorough knowl- edge of the system now required for its accurate use in writing. A century, or SO, would remove from general use all the books printed in the old alphabet and the children of the third century of the Amer ican Republic might be delivered from an incubus that keeps back and discoura- ges the children of our day to an extent that few grown people adequately realize.
 Is such reform too heavy load for us to undertake? It involves simply lit- tie self sacrifice, on our part, for the sake of posterity; and it is hardly possible to overestimate the value of such sacrifice in country governed, like ours. by the people. A reform that saves the young and the ignorant years of study in arriv- ing at the knowledge required for the in. telligent use of the franchise. cannot but be of the greatest political importance to a democratic government. Had we intro duced this reform ten years ago. it is hardly too much to say that ten southern negroes would be able to read and write wheres there IS now one who is partia master of those arts. Nor is it necessary to dwell on the lesser advantages of roofing out provincial errors in pronunciation. and