New-York tribune., 1900-04-22
SPELLING REFORM.
PROFESSOR PORTER URGES SOME ARGU-
MENTS IN ITS FAVOR.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

ing reform which 1t is said is being introduced into
some of the public schools OF Chicago; but differing
from the writer of n recent editorial in The Trib-
une consider it matter OF corgratulation on
the part of those who desire, in the interest of the
English speaking and OF all races. to improve
the written expression of the language that some
where and in form the attempt is made Nor
should the statement that half the teachers In
that city write and spell say cor
recty discourage those who are aware that nine
tenths Of the citizens Of glorious Republic are
affected with similar disability.
The distinguished founder of The NewYork Tri5-
wrote that the inability of the people o.
mis- home neghborhood to learn to spell was mat
ter of perpetual astonishment to him. But the
fact of the inability remains. and doubtless
animation of the would show that the true
ground of astonshment the other side.
Noah Webster says in his dictionary that our
orthography is irregular that most tEngsh
speaking) persons learn SPELL The truth
seems TO be that English she is wrote is be-
yond the capacity and opportunity OF the average
American citizen. and unless something be
done to improve the written expression OF the lam
guage largo majority of our people must be
doomed perpetual iteracy
But. of course. attempt at reforming the Ian
guaSe that IS arbitrary or empirical ever sue
ceed or ever ought 10. The true way of reform
would seem TO be to bring the language back
far possible into the line of historic and lin
gustic continuity. that the origin of words and
their relation to similar words in kindred tongues
shall be made palmer rather than obscure.
And, especially, no change of pronunciation should
he tolerated which is not virtually correction OF
a prevalent INSTRUMENTATION. for IT is in mspro-
nunciation that the origin and derivation of words
are obscured more than by any spelling good bad
do not find any argument against improved
spelling in the statement that in the proposed
change rub the history CT the word which
in its photography. Who but philoogsts and
scholars read the history of a word which ap-
pears in its spelling? Not | per cent of the Eng
lish speaking peoples know care have the
ph into IN cllct and hos
who do not dependent a continuance
Of our present spelling for their knowledge. What
advantage would ii be if everybody should know
that the word 'labour'' with the English spelling
came into the language through the Norman
French and that the "u," which never had any
business in the word anyway, by this
inserted? How many of the people Of England
day know the meaning of the supcrfaous letter?
What advantage is 1t TO know that have
lost the 'h' sound in the word honor" and
other words by following the lead Of stupid. lit-
crate peasantry. some Of whose descendants to this
day, as children in the English pubic schools are
singing the words Hail. all hail., as Ale haul
HT ae + 5 hs @S origin Of EassR srene IaS P there is
The confusion of the sounds of the three !eaiing
stupidity Of thGk mouthed and dull cared peas
aantTy to waom the language during the two hun
delivered over absolutely and bodi'y. And it s per
Chicago so stupid as those who 1nisnaned or con
scented to the misna!nne Of these Voweis and lef.
Iangu2ges without any representation in our alpha
I did not see the speech of the Chinese Minister
calling for an improved spelling Of The English
remarks in a tribune editorial not long since ]
positions 1t may be ali rght though seems
little ungracious. TO say The English language Is
ing, races We shall write It as please, and
may take it as they find it leave it alone" This
however Is hardly fair statement of the case,
upon them by the simple power of Ango-saxo
Of ARTIFICIAL gender and useless infection. win some
other advantages IS probably the easiest of all
edse eds gaf"' Of tongues TO acquire speaking k"0"l-
But @ the writing Of , English is very different AZ
+! English speaking races that large majority OF
rectly. And it is in the interest Of these as wen
language. that Improvement in its written ex-
PTe;ssion is ed ZEN howeyfr
OF and i'd m suGh
sentiment by those who are constantly annoyed by
or se4n @ ber re ana 0
practical reasons which are far more important.
appropriated for educational purposes can We az
ford 70 spend in The attempt to do impossible
| of the millions annually paid for typesettng and
less? Such are some of the consderations which
ought to determine the question of improved Eng
on the other side are the force of custom the
tive feeling Which regards thing as ' right Simply
@ has t6ss 6sn % RES SO @ RTnGpe how
| OF that great American photographer Noah Web
Ster should be slow to adopt d. @. PORTER
Waterbury. Conn, April II. 1909.
THE disagreement between Professor Porter
and The Tribune Is more apparent than real
! We have not disputed the need of a certain de-
gree Of spelling reform But we have urged
that it should be effected gradually and accord
ing to natural principles of linguistic evolution
and not arbitrarily and empirically, as men are
now trying TO do it. 1t well enough to
change "muslck' into music" and 'Iabour''
into labor" But it would be a far different
thing to change photograph" into "fotograf'
and business into "biznes,' as is now pro-
posed.-Ed.l