New-York tribune., 1901-09-01
SPELLING PFFOPV

The letter of Mr.. d. O.. Porter OF Waterbury.
Conn. in favor of altering the English Ian
guage, which we published few days ago sug-
gests some pertinent reflections upon the various
methods which are proposed for deforIning
speech. One serious objection 10 the plans OF
spelling reformers" has been that they are not
at all agreed among themselves 10 what
should be done. One wants one system Of ''re-
form" and another wants another. Mr.. Porter,
probably without desiring II, but surely not I'M
consciously confirms this objection in a strik-
ing manner. Ostensibly approving the agitation
of the spelling reformers" he shows himself
10 be al variance with them by declaring him
self to be in favor OF revolutonzing not the
spelling only. but also and indeed primarily the
pronunciation of the language. He would not
he contented with having words spelled they
are now pronounced. He would have the pro-
nunciation changed so as to conform with GER
tain arbitrary rules of analogy. Thus, since
obey" Is pronounced "obay," he would pro-
nounce "obedient' "obaydlent." In brief his
system of reform would begin with the alphabet
Itself Instead of calling the first three voweIs
by their long" sounds, as at present, he would
call "ah." cay" and / "ce," somewhat after
the fashion of some Continental languages of
Europe Truly, to change the pronunciation of
the language, and then to spell It according to
that changed pronunciation, would be reform"
with a vengeance!
We cannot see the force of Mr. Porter's CON
tenton. The Irregularities in pronunciation as
in etymology, may initiate against the sim
plicity OF the language. But simplicity is not
the only virtue nor the supreme one and if It
were, the English language would not De soil
tary in lacking it. In French and other modern
languages, as well as in Latin and Greek. the
Irregularities Of etymology ere legion. and as
for pronunciation, the English language will
compare favorably with other modern tongues
AS to the demand for changing the names of
the vowels we have yet to perceive n convinc-
ing reason for 1t. The example of other ma
tions? But ours is the English alphabet and
not another and there is more reason for
making ii conform with others than for making
others conform with it. Because the other
sounds Of the vowels are more commonly used
than the "long" ones which now give them
their names? That is open to dispute. Mr. Por-
ter makes the surprising declaration that the
vowel n almost never sounds 'ay except where
at is final in a syllable not final unless It is
"artificially assisted" Has he forgotten the nu-
merous classes of monosyllables such as bay
and may, and sake and take, and name and
sane, and their dssyllabic or pOlysyllabic com
pounds? There are many other cases in which
a has the long sound, and there are also many
I'm which and | have their long sounds. In
deed. the giving to them these sounds is one
of the salient characteristics of the English
language, one of the things which give this
language its individuality. Why should we rob
our speech of it's individuality and transform it
into what one of it's greatest masters called
bastard Latin"
Two other points in Mr.. Porter's letter should
perhaps receive passing notice. One is his fling
at the English language as having been formed
by "an intensely ignorant and stupid peas
antry" II may be beitting modesty not to
boast of our ancestors, yet we cannot help
thinking that the oldtime people OF England
We're on the whole no more ignorant and stupid
than. let us say. the "Jacks" of France And
we are not sure that the ignorant classes of the
one country had bit more to do with the for
nation of the language than those of the other
As TO Mr. Porters Characterization OF English
as "a language which large majorities of the
'people can never hope to reduce to correct
written form, and under which probably nine
'tenths OF them all must be content to be or TO
"seem illiterate," we must regard il as an un-
warranted depreciation of popular intelligence
But, IL IL were true, the obvious answer would
be that the vast majority of errors In current
speech are not those Of spelling or pronunca-