New-York tribune., 1906-04-02
PHONETIC SPELLING.
Correspondent Submits Sample to
Uphold His Claim.

10 the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: You we're good enough to allow space for NV
communication Of March 1s. which drew from Mr.
Wishard his letter published In your issue OF
March 2s, under the heading: Says Idea That Re-
form Would Destroy Literature Is Absurd I ask
the privilege of pointing out the unfairness OF this
construction OF my statement that TO teach the
children OF the coming generations phonetic spell
ing only would close the TO the present
literature" The literature. OF course. would
main. The means Of access would be destroyed
unless the children taught forms of SPELL
ing. which is not to be thought Of since the very
object OF the scheme is to shorten the time
quired in this important branch OF education Mr..
Wishard speaks so generally that specific treat
ment Is difficult.
You could not afford space 70 open and discuss
the subject phase by phase Therefore ask your
permission to ignore entirely the aesthetic side OF
the question. 'the beauty Of sound in speech and
song" sticking to the severely practical side.
concerns facility and speed OF learning. cannot
catch the analogy OF Mr.. Wlshards statement:
Improve the spelling and the pronunciation will
Improve itself" This would look like eating your
cake before It is made since you must know what
you want to pronounce before you can spell it But
ask the privilege OF protesting against tho of
the word Improve" This word IS too great an
assumption IN the Immediate promises II takes
too much for granted The sentence would be less
Objectionable by using the word change" but this
very substitution to most minds would carry
note of alarm What Mr.. wishard intends 70 say
is not altogether true
The word dog is probably incapable OF further
simplihcation. and vet inside OF two minutes IN
animated discussion by a group OF well educated
New Workers Of the amount spent on tuition means
education) four distinct pronunciations used
Dawg. dahg, dog. dug. What change OF spelling
would be recommended to correct three of these?
About the camel. which Mr.. wishard says have
swallowed. don't feel very clear. but the gnat
which have strained Is the same gnat III which
the English speaking people strained long before
DR.. Franklin introduced his first phonetic alphabet
in 1768, and the old gnat at which the English
and American peoples have been strain1ng during
the last half century, while what is accepted as
the perfected phonetic system OF Sir Isaac Pttman
founder of the Phonetic Institute, of Bath England
| and Mr. A. J. Ellis, Of Cambridge. England, has
/ been struggling for popular recognition.
| One of the first important moves after the COM
pleton OF this system in 1S47 the translation
into phonetics OF the entire Bible, that IN this
change of spelling the danger OF obscurng the base
| of the Christian religion would first OF all be
| guarded against Let me urge again upon your
| readers the fact that the proposed movement ad-
| mittedly having in view phonetic spelling as its
final result. does not contemplate for a single mo-
ment the teaching Of two forms OF spelling. The
| following verses published In 1888 IN the
Fourth Reader" issued by the Phonetic Institute
J OF England. They part OF Bryants famous
poem to America, and written according 10 the
beautiful and fascinating system Of phonetcs II
the sounds are produced by the voice exactly as
| they are indicated by the characters the full
! beauty OF the language is brought out But this
| is not the point are after. respectfully ask
| your readers TO Judge to whether child learn
| ing this form OF spelling. and no other would be
able TO pursue any in English literature in
| It's present form
@, nofer ov q meiti res,
yet l0vi in tei yptful grss
de elder dsmz, fei hOti pjrsA
admeir and het fei blumiD yirzD
wif w5rdz ov fem
and tonz ov skorn ds join fei nem.
For on dei elk de gle iz spred
dat tints fe nernip hilz wif red;
fei step-fe weld dir'z r5slig fit
wi6in fei wddz, IL not NOR fit;
fei hopful ef
Il brett az fein On s5ni skei.
Al, let dem rel, foz hOti w5nz,
.wheil ssf fou dwelest wif fei s5nz y
as du not n6 hou l5vd fou art
hou meni fond and l5vi9 hart
wud reiz tn 4ro
its leif betwin 81 and fei fol
de ne not, in fer het and preid,
Iwhot yertiuE wif dei eildren beid}
hou trQ, hou gud, dei rural medz :
max brett, leik fou'rz, fe vail ledz1
whot jen'rys men
sprin, leik fein ok, bei hill and glen |;