The Washington times., 1906-07-22

~ Twain. and other leaders Of the
y agitat tion IN the United states In
favor OF phonetic spelling viii
be glad 10 hear that they have an ally
on the other side Of the water IN the
person Of Prof. W. W Skeat. Of Cam
bridge University who is undoubtedly
one Of the greatest living authorities on
the English language Up % now the
American suggestions regarding the re-
form OF spelling have been subjected 20
wholesale ridicule In this country, but
possibly some OF the writer's who made
merry over them will conclude TO change
1eir tune after reading the vigorous
address in support Of the American ar
rumeuts which was delivered by Prof.
Skeat last evening before a gathering
q The British Academy held at Bur
lington House
Besidos being professor Of Anglo
Saxon et Cambridge, DR.. Skest Is the
founder and president OF the English
Dialect Society, and the titles OF his
works on English literature occupy
something Ike ten pages in the cata-
lcS,.4 of the British Museum Library.
So II was rather striking 70 find him
beginning his address 10 the British
academy by declaring that all OF what
he called the scientific arguments
were on the side of those who want
10 reform the spelling OF English. and
that dense ignorance was the chief
characteristic Of those who opposed IL
Etymology and phoneucs, Prof. Skeat
said. were the two sciences which the
British press IN particular could not IN
cerstsnd To be such. and he went on 10
assert that the English language. as at
present spelt. was full OF the most alb
surd contradictions, warranted neither
by history nor by common sense.
Then he proceeded TO give a number or
examples Of useless letters in spelling,
and declared that the final ''e" IN have,
live. solve. adze, awe, and RXe-wOrds
that he would spell hav. liv, solv, ADJ.
aw. and ax-was the chief delinquent. II
had. Prof. Skeat said. no right 20 its
place II had been introduced at the
end Of have" at the time when that
word was speIt ''haue," and its purpose
then was 10 distinguish the otherwise
undistinguishabie and V. Again. the
letter CO. IN comfort, which historically
should be "cumfort''-in donkey, which
should be "dunkey" and in money.
which should be "muney" was another
unjustifiable innovation. called into be-
ing because in script the Normans did
not Ike an IN" or IN" TO follow a u
because OF the want Of legibiIity.
Professor Skeat also provided a sur
prise BY ridiculing the idea that the
shortening * 'labour" TO ''labor' was
IN American innovation. Labor he
said. Ia found in the 5o4th line OF The
Pearl" which was written before
Columbus discovered America. and, in
,.eed. before he was born. Similarly,
bA wont On there were the best OF
pathological reason for spelling arrive
With only one ?: snaiT-whiCh was the
French A falre-with only one Z; at
tack as "atak': commence without It's
double m and lamb. limb and plumber
without their b. In conclusion the pro-
fessor showed by pathological science
that the spelling OF language was
altered originally 70 conform with
phonetic utterance and contended that
We ought TO reform and alter it now
according to the same principle. Thus,
he said. a race gradually would spring
up which would perceive that the best
spelling for a given word was that
which gave mos reasonably the sound
Of -
Apropos. another interesting question
of spelling suddenly has come up, and
that in connection with Mark Twain 5
recent gift OF the manuscript Of his
magazine article on Joan OF Arc" "a
the municipal museum At Rouen, the
ancient town in which the French hero
inc met her death II Is demanded by
a weIl-known English antiquary why
both British and American writer's spell
the Maids name as Joan dare -
when, as he points out, we have the
authority OF Michelet, the historian,
of Dean Kitchen. and other historians.
that the young womans name was
actually Jeanne Dare. Not only" says