The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-22

and labor it cost us to learn to spell The child Is taught that b-e-d spells bed and immediately he applies an- alogy and spells head he'd. Indeed the word was once spelled that way He is immediately in conflict with au- thority. He is told that it IS only printed 'h-e-a-d' but not so pronounc, ed Then he essays 'b-e-a-d, ana sounds it as though it were bed Agaln he Is wrong, for he must call 1t heed. The short e.. as in met and the al in said furnish illustrations Of the same sound with different signs.
 German is now practically a pho netic language and it furnishes an ex ample of what may be done towar perfecting speech. In Germany the spelling is q matter of royal decree Children in the schools become aecus- toned to new spelling. and when they leave school the new forms do not seem strange to them. When l learn ed German I remember that the verb meaning to do was spelled t-h-u-n' Now the accepted spelling. except m poetry. Is rapidly becoming t-u-n' or thography is not fastened on the peopIe. It Is not regarded with rev. erence.
 Tt is the contention of those who oppose any change tht language would be cut off from its past If any revision of spelling were made. The ltatians have no character 'ph and consequent- ly they represent 1t by f, yet tt IS not likely that the fact would become lost that the original word was from the Greek. when we speak of words which are used in philosophy. In Mill ton I find the word 'tisic.' Modern us- age requires that 1t be spelled 'phth- isic.'
 old Spellings Changed.
 ,-t1 aValn If false etymology introduced by those who were modifying English spelling to suit their own idea Is the word fland' It was originally an Anglo Saxon word and the r denoted water Some one thought 1t was derived from the Latin 1nsula' and put in an g.. The spelling of the word scent is another example. for 1t was derived from the Latin verb 'sentire.' The interpola- ton of the e is without authority. One of the most absurd spelings is comp troIler' for controller Some one imagined that controller was con- i nected with the French verb comp ter to count. which Is not the fact. l It is derived from the Latin and means l there are idiots who persist in con- meeting this word with a French verb
 How about words which would have | the same spelling under the absolute iy phonetic method?" Professor Louns- bury was asked. Would there me no | confusion?"
 Not at all." was the reply. 'Ts any one likely to confuse the words bear meaning an animal; the verb 'hear,' meaning to carry. and the adjective bare meaning devoid of clothing? Here are similar words used in vari- 1 ety of senses. yet the context always shows their meaning despite the simi- larity in form and sound"
 Do you think that spelling reform | will succeed?"
 q do not think the final spelling should diverge much from an ultimate phonetic result. But who can say? When was a boy I was told that sla- very would never be overturned, or that if it was. 1t would be a matter of centuries. Yet there was cata- clysm and 1t went all at once. If the reformed spelling ever does succeed 1t will be through the English and not through the Americans. It takes the English a long time to get started. but once they get a grip they do not let go. The English scholars already rec ognize the desirability of the change and I think that much progress will be made toward the desired end