The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-22

GODDESS rythum
Erammer sentance
independent seperaJe
Intimate surprise
insistanr william
intellectual
This list could be added to very ma
terially by anyone in the habit of hand.
ling copy submitted for publication or
any examination papers. "Ortho-
graphy,' for instance, is frequently
authography; "interest' is often
''intrust,' and SO on. One might al
most indefinitely expand the list, show
ing that it is not merely matter of
spelling when words are present,
ed in such shape, but that it is total
misapprehension of what the word is
itself. There is a vague idea of sound
with very little judgment as to just how
the letters should be put together to
produce that sound. Nothing but thor
ough drill in the value Of letters and
syllables in the makeup of a word will
lead to right conclusions as to how the
sounds should be represented in the pro-
duction of the word as it should be.
But this IS precisely in what the phonic
method is absolutely ignored, The re-
suit of it is seen in attempts to "cor-
rect" the spelling of the language,
when, in fact, it is not the spelling Of
the language that needs reforming, but
the need is with the student to under.
stand what the word itself is.
There is of course, the science of
etymology altogether aside from this
misunderstanding Of words and their
component parts. That, however, is n
different matter, and one that is never
reached by the ordinary speaker or
writer at all, What we need is not to
get at the science of etymology, the
classification Of words in their relation
to sound or derivation, but a knowl
edge of what the words actually are,
what they mean, and the letters and
syllables by which they are formed. 1t
is idle to talk reform spelling to per-
son who has not any idea of what the
word is; what he needs is drill in
words, their analogies and their mean
ing; this, faithfully pursued, would be
worth a hundred systems Of revised
spelling.
We recall an old spelling book used
in years gone by that we believe
would do more to reform the spelling
of words than all the reform spelling
boards that are in existence or that can
be formed. 1t gave the word, and in
parallel column gave in another single
word the meaning of that word. That
spelling book taught those who studied
it, something worth while. We should
be glad to see copy of that old book
again, and believe that it's resusci-
tation and use in the public schools,
provided that use were general and
thorough, would do away, not only with
all need Of reform spelling and reform
spelling committees, out with all idea
that there ought to be such n thing
as reform spelling; because nobody
would feel the need of anything Of the
kind. The English language, as mat
ter Of fact, is as simple and easy to
learn, to speak, to write, and to spell
as any language is, To pretend other
wise in bumbuggery; TO pretend that
other languages do not have silent let
ters and that there is invariable anal
ogy in any of them between the sound
and letters TO express that sound, is
one of those misleading fallacies upon
which the enthusiasts seek TO beguile
reluctant ones to the support of their
fads.
What Is wanted, as matter of fact,
is thorough drill in English for pu.
pills and students, and perhaps for teach.
ers as well; and not efforts TO find
something that will stand in the stead
Of thorough instruction and well ac-
quired knowledge. The idea of break
ing down established custom and rule
and educational authority in order to
meet the deficiencies Of ll-trained stu
dents and of ignorant persons, may as
well be abandoned now as at any time.
a reasonably degree of accuracy in
spelling is essential TO an educated per
/ SON. There are some changes in spell
ing, to be sure, that are given from
time to time and that receive the ap.
proval of educated persons and good
authority. Such should be fostered and
adopted, and will be admitted by all
who wish to see the language alive and
progressive in place of fossilized and