Arizona republican., 1912-12-03
Difficulties of Simplified Spelling
CNeW York Sun)


 There are few rebukes more aalng than those administered ii hy accident the of conversation where hutchered quotation t false quantity is allowed t. pass. and then cas- ualy rentroduced few minutes later in revised form b1 the who knows. But when the Nyu Spelers have established tnelr system the "ppor- tunities such rcbGAes will be more frequent and much telling uniess common pronun- citation can be established as readily as a common orthography.
 Professor Walter Rippman one of the most scholarly the refouners and the author of treatise The sounds of Spoken English" has already aroused great deal of opposition by some of his practical demonstrations rational spelling. Professor Rippmann is Lopdoner and we might expect opposition to his decisions in this country. His warmest opponents, however are Americans at alI but countNmen of his own and Scotsnen. who charge him with f;lvorine local pronunciations' and "cockneyisns" For instance Professor Rippmann. like the rest of the EnaNsh reformers. turns such words answer. .aftcr," and grass intd ''aanser." 'aaft,r and -graas" etc. the double "a in the new spelling of course, representing the "a" in father. This will down in New York in IIdin- burgh. in Dublin. It is essentially southern English. and Professor Rippmann remarks that as people sensitive matters of pronunciation. those who correct him often dc so with t measure irritation must be said that he accepts these rebuLes with good nature. admitting that the pronunciation chosen by him and the other Eng fish reforIners is not universal. All he has f" sa% for it is that is well a century old. and that intrinsically the sound "aa" is as re"s- ing "a
 But many other spelings have been querieI The Nyu Spelers call the fourth day of the weel "Wenzdai." but outsider protests that he never heard it called by educated man "" agree with Professor Rippmann that this c;itlc have a peculiar circle of acquaintances, bat however that may be he insists ''WedenZdIi Perhaps, says the professor, our critic inS'tS pronouncing the q in handkerchief, and t ot often and castle. These pedantiC spelling accommodations that have not general accep- tance like others. such fault, soldier, in which pronounce the T.. verdict, perfect. in which the C. is pronounced" No doubt in the words the sounding of e. is comparative lN fashion. Certainly 'Vardy." according to swift and Addison. seems have been the fashionable pronunciation of "verdct" in the eight eenth century. and probably the '1" not sound ed in fault, ,'-"faut" by the way is quite common in Ireland to this day.
 Another objected to by Professor Rpp- mann's critics $ 'tordz" for towards" Who heard it pronOunced?' asks who evidently splits it into syllabes. It appears that the the professor replies: II write langwij because I regard the second vowel short f' I quite willing to correct my pronunciation if it is shown to be faulty If is a short what is it?" That question is easily answered. The professor need only apply to his fellow reformer. William Archer. who insists on 'langwaiJ and "cottaj.' But questions of pronunciation are the most difficult in the world to settle. and it is unlikely the reformers will establish system o spelling that will satisfy everyone every period. The cockneNs today with the rest of world in calling their "Lundon," but Thomas Fullers remark is worth recahing-that in day but pedants called it anything but "Lunnon"-New York Sun