East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-08-04

The phonteic fad has been revived
in Portland and promises to reach the
schools of the state during the next
school year. The movement to sim
plify the English language is one
which is gaining strength and advo-
Gates every year and an effort will be
made by Portland educators to inter-
est school teachers. superintendents
and educational workers in general in
a convention to be held next year, for
the purpose of starting the reformed
spelling in text books.
w. S. Varnum of Portland is leader
of the movement in that city and in
"fonetic" letter to the Portland Ore
gonian defends the new system In the
following manner:
Portland, Aug. 2.-(Tu Ye Editor.)
If yu will permit, l shud like to as
shur yu dhat l am more dhan willing
tn acsept "half-lof'' If onli | can be
shur dhat it IL half or eni portion of
a "lof." But | du hate tn be offered
"ston" hwen ask for bred.
Thus far dhe policy of casually
dropping a silent letter here and a
resulted in eni material approch tn
dhe ideal of all spelling-a fonetic
representation of dhe elementary
sounds of each word.
Dhe immens majority of such acsi-
dental and desultory changes hav
merely exchanged one unfonetic form
for another equally unfonetic. No
doubt hwen some bold innovator dard
to spell "musicke" dhar were dhoZ hu
shivered as they luct upon dhe ortho-
graphic monstrosity insted of dhe rich
and ornate "musique" hwich clearly
appeals tn all dhoz blest widh literary
taste, feeling or sens"
Forthwith dhe daring iconOclast
was dubbed a "Cranc"-A form of re-
ply hwich however formidable az an
epithet haz certain disadvantages az
an argument, Still, dhar be some
Causes dhat will admit of no NOR fors-
ible reasons!
Dhar are mani hu thine dhat dhe
mere mis-spelling of a word IL equiv
alent tn spelling it foneticalli, among
hum I regret tn see dhe Oregonian!
! Dhe jocing Artemus and WITH Josh
mis-speld meni words, but neither
ever rot singl paragraf "speld az
near foneticalli az our alfabet per-
mits." Dhis letter IL speld az nearly
| fonetic az our veri defectiv-redundant
alfabet will permit, II is speld accord
ing tn rul-tu a Sistem and accom-
plishes all dhat IL possible in dhe way
of fonetics widh our preZent alfabet.
"Miuzic" may be an "orthografic
horror" but dhe Oregonian criticizes
practicalli everi dictionary and ety.
mologist iE dhe langwej hwen it inti-
mates dhat dhe letters du not cor
rectly reprezent dhe fonetic elements
of dhe word.
If 1t wud be an advantej tu save a
| II saving of ten tu twelv per sent in
white paper; If we wud have our nobl
Inglish tongue march cwicli tn its des-
| tined place az dhe world langwej.
dhen a Sistem OF fonetic spelling IL
greatly tu be desired. Widh a gram
mar dhat IL simplsiti itself and a vo-
cabulary facile princeps dhe richest.
our disgraceful lac of eni Sistem in our
method of spelling IL dhe onli real OBJ
stacle dhat prevents 1t pruving its
right tn survive and triumph over all.
No change can ever be propozd dhat
will not jar on dhe sensiblltiz of
some one who thincs dhat he or she
holdz a monopoly on matters of taste
and sens"! But hav no hesitation in
saying dhat | can teach eni child in
dhe Third Grade tn read easily and
accurately all my wild rioting in
dhe photographic enormities of our
current photography" widhln u week
at dhe farthest.
At the same time shall make II
possible for him tn spell correctly not
less dhan fifty per sent of words in
common yus without dhe Spelling Buc.
1t can't be done at prezent. Even az
n child I wondered why It was not
speld h-w-e-n insted of when. Evil
dentli It IL impossible for one tu sound
VIII in dhe order given. Why, dhen
write 1t so!
Finally I may console dhe Editor
by saying dhat I hav asked nearly a
hundred people how tu pronounce
"phthss' and not one cud Civ 1t cor
rectly My conscience will allow les
dhan miuzic. miul, tiun (tune). flu
II rule IL sed tu spell rul or tlue spelz
tuli. Yurs truli & foneticalli,
w. S. VARNUM.