, 1877-11-18
PHONETIC SPELLING.

Paper Read by Mr.. George D. Isroomell
Before tho Principals Association.
Mr.. George D. Broomcll, Of the Central High
School, read the following paper before the
Principals Association Of this city at their last
meeting in response to u vote unanimously
passed at their meeting in October, inviting him
to do so. After the reading, on motion OF 4.
n Mcrriman, it was resolved that the thanks
OF the Association be rendered to Mr.. Broomell
for his able and convincing lecture, and that be
be requested to furnish a copy for publication
in the daily and weekly papers:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I thank you for
the honor OF an invitation to address this small
but select and intelligent assembly. ] wish l
were able to do justice to my subject and my
audience: can only hope the hour will not be
wholly without profit
FOUR METHODS OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE
are conceivable: first, the Geographic; second,
the Word method; third, the Syllable; and,
fourth, the Phonetic. Onitting all reference to
respective merits and disadvantages Of the first
three, pass directly tothc fourth,-that is, the
presentation OF language to the eye By repre-
scnting the sounds heard in speech. This is
uuaucstiouahiy the true method for general use,
and nothing that could properly be termed
literature could exist without it. need not
say that, speaking i'll general terms, our method
is phonetic; but II is my purpose to show that
the phonetic principle is very imper1cctfy and
uuskillfully applied, The principle is very sim
ijrst, careful analysis Of the sounds
heard in Speech; second, character or let
ter for each sound; aud third, that
each sound should be represented bY its
with such system, to write or print word it
would only be necessary to place the letters III
the order heard i'll speech, and the thing is done,
and alwa.s correctly. provided the writer pro-
nounces correctly. There would be no room
for mistake. Had we truly honc:ic system
the labor of learning to spell would entirely dis
appear ANY one acquainted with the alphabet
could spell auy word that lie could pronounce.
How do the facts now contrast With thls pleas
ing conception! Our children spell their way
Iaboriously carefully, tcarfully many times,
through the eight grades OF the primary and
grammar schools, completing something every
here and there. but never the spelling. Enter
ing the high schools, they lind it there In every
year of the course. Twelve years for the course
III spelling. Spelling everywhere aud every
when; spelling oral and written, spelling sl!'-
rly and in classes; spelling solo and in
Concert; spelling from card aud from
speller: spelling from :e leaders E'fst, aec-
textbooks in arithmetic, grammar, geog-
rraphy, and history: and in addition to all this,
long lists Of selected words are placed upon the
b}ackboa1ds for no other purpose than that their
spelling may be memorized. Then, after leaS.
IN sthool. there must needs be an occasional
revival OF the old-fashioned spelling school. In
Which the participants spell at mark or Pr1ze,
to stimulate to further study in the ortho-
m WHAT k TUE RESULT OF ALL THlsa
Mi nerfcrtiop surely. What proportion Of the
we'll educated even can write for an hour with
ont 4 lexicon It hand. and make sure When
through that every word will stand the test OF
critics eyc9 WHO does not know that might
:,rououucc even to this audience, composed OF
those whose lives are glyen to learning and to
teaching, list Of 100 words, neither. un-
usual nor difficult OF utternnce, wherein
the probability OF single one spelling the
eutire list according to the standards, would be
exceedingly sn,alla Recall how it was in those
smelling matches. It was only question Of
time Is to the best speller suffering defeat.
The contest WAS simply as to who should hold
ont longest. Now, what does this mean! What
but that nobody can spell all words CORRECTLY
that is, according to recognized standards!
The following estimate made by another MR.
Nediln some Ycars ago probably falrly repre-
sen1s the facts as to photographic proficiency.
OuI Of every 1000 adults promlscuously Sc
lected:
Number who can neither read nor spell. 50
Can epelI easy wurds and read little. 100
Can yeac 1olerably well, ont u1lsspell common
s,;seueli most long OF hard words .......- 400
Nisspell hard words quite frequently. 900
pass for pretty good spoilers. 70
Can properly be called good spoilers. ......-.. Is
can spell almost any word. ......--..-. 5
Can Fpell every word ..-.-.-.+.--... q
This estimate is Tor the Northern States,
after q century of free schools. Every one