The Problem Of Spelling Reform Classic Reprint

Excerpt from The Problem of Spelling Reform I Suppose I may assume that the British Academy will at all times be ready to consider questions that relate to general education; and I am personally of opinion that there are few subjects of general interest and importance that are more deserving of attention than the often debated one of Phonetic Spelling. I do not propose to waste the time of those who are so kind as to listen to me, by stating or recommending any views that I have formed for myself, during the many years in which this subject has never been far from my thoughts; my object is rather to review the present state of the question, and to consider what progress, if any, has been made in the direction of its solution. Notwithstanding all that has been said and written upon the subject during the past forty years, I fear it must be admitted that we are still in very much the same position as we were at the beginning of the discussion; at any rate, as far as relates to the attainment of any practical results in this country. But as regards the theory of it, something has been achieved. The labors of Dr. Ellis and Dr. Sweet have by no means been lost; and, in order to see what advances have been made, a slight sketch of the history of the movement may prove useful. When it was first proposed to improve our modern system of spelling, it soon dawned upon all serious enquirers that the first step was to examine the meaning of the symbols which we employ for the purpose of representing the spoken language. There was a difficulty at the very outset; for the first impression which the very look of the written language is apt to produce - the impression, indeed, which it actually produces upon the minds of a vast multitude amongst us - is that the whole matter is inexplicable, and is not likely to be capable of explanation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from English Spelling and Spelling Reform The subject Of spelling reform is not, strictly Speaking, a soul-stirring one, nor is any possible treatment Of it likely to contribute to the gayety Of nations. If any Of the chapters contained in the present volume be Of the slightest in terest in itself, that on the orthographic situa tion is assuredly not the one. On the other hand, if there be anything Of value in the work, that same chapter has, as I look at it, far the most value. There is in it, indeed, nothing original. The numerous facts it contains are to be found scattered up and down the pages Of various volumes - particularly in the intro ductions to the larger dictionaries, and in orthographic and orthoepic essays produced at various periods. But SO far as I know, this is the first attempt ever made to collect and com bine and, above all, to put in a form, easily com prehensible by the general reader, the widely scattered facts which go to Show the precise character and characteristics Of English orthog raphy, and to bring out with distinctness the real nature Of the deep-seated disease under which it labors. At all events, Whether or not I have been anticipated in the presentation Of these facts. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Spelling Reform: From an Educational Point of View It appeared to me desirable to form some estimate on trustworthy grounds, and to look carefully as an educationist into the other arguments that might be advanced, either for or against the simplification of our orthography. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Excerpt from The Spelling Reform: A Revision and Enlargement of the Author's Pamphlet Published by the U. S. Bureau of Education in 1881 A revision and enlargement of the author's pamphlet published by the U. 8. Bureau of Educa tion in 1881. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Principles of Spelling Reform In all these cases any attempt to conform the spelling to the established pronunciation of these words would not only be impractical, but would nul lify the effect for which the suffixes have been created. Invariability of form and of the suggested meaning teaches the mind to neglect the sound and depend upon visual impression alone for the thought. This has created a definite consciousness of the meanings of visible word elements, and the mere general form of the suffix is sufficient to indicate to the reader the particular sense conveyed by the word. This is one of the most extraordinary phases of the developments of modern English. The classification, in lists, of suffixes and prefixes in the schoolbooks for the teach ing of language has become nearly universal, and the child is taught that a certain group of letters occurring in a word indicates a certain idea or group of ideas. The consciousness of this may become so definite that we write of isms, doxies, ologies, and anas. But it is not alone suflfxes and prefixes that vary in pronunciation while the form and sense remain the same. Whole compound words so vary. Thus, in the word geography the o in the accented syllable is distinctly o as in not; but in the derivative geog graphical, the 0 assumes a new value. Yet the consciousness of this alteration is entirely absent in reading; and any calling of the attention to it would undoubtedly interfere with the intelligibility of the word as a symbol of an idea. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Our Language: A Journal of Spelling Reform and Other Language Topics; April, 1891, to March, 1894 It must not be forgotten that Latin under lies the whole fabric of English literature and the whole structure of English thought, inso much that its abandonment az a means of mental training would produce a breach of continuity, so to speak, between the past and the future of learning, and would effectually detach coming generations from the wisdom of our ancestors.' About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.