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Article THE PROPOSED SPELLING REFORM. ← Page 2 of 2
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The Proposed Spelling Reform.
There is on many points and topics a great amount of restlessness just UOAV amongst us—a sort of febrile excitement—which portend no good to society generally , and which often , in particular cases , can only be productive alike of absurdit y and incongruit y , in this system or that , if persevered in—can only result in inconvenience to Society , and in retrogression , not advance , to mankind . We confess that Ave look upon the proposal to alter our " spelling system" as one of those needless suggestions of change which ivill inflict the greatest amount of general inconvenience , with no corresponding -good or useful
results , and Avhich assumes the appearance of a " craze " or a monomania . We do not for one moment seek to contend , indeed , that our present system is perfect or ivithout some anomalies , neither do ive deny that many of those AVIIO promote and favour this spelling reform are actuated by a sincere desne to improve , " ' not to destroy—to reform , not to revolutionize . Far be it from us , as Freemasons , to make any such intolerant remarks , or any such unfair imputation ! But having studied the question itself carefully for many years , and understanding , as ive hope , alike the English Grammar and the English Language we feel bound , as honest journalists , to express our humble opinion on the subject .
The present system of spelling maybe termed the "literal" one , governed by certain customary pronunciations , Avhich are all eventually made the " outcome , " so to say , of the spoken language . Tins system has some defects and many shortcomings , as Ave before remarked , and Avhich no doubt are felt much by foreigners , A . ho complain of ivhat often appears to them as a most arbitrary setting at naught of the very first principles of literal pronunciation ; and Avho can deny that there is a quasi arbitrariness and license in our Avontecl pronunciation , ancl Avhich are also subject to special modifications ivMch cannot be
positively or actually defended . But be this as it may , it Avill he , in our opinion , A'ery difficult to set up a better system , as any change to such as that Avhich has been termed the Euphonious system , can only land us in a morass of ridiculous alterations—a climax , in fact , of absurdity—ivMch the " fantors " and advocates of the present moA'ement do not certainly contemplate or even reabse . The only effect of the proposed change must be to barbarize the English language spoken and ivritten , and throw us back into the epoch of unpohsked utterance and uncivilised chirography .
Let us take as a specimen of ivhat the English of the future is bkely to be if this childish mania proceeds , according to our contemporary , Truth , as quoted recently and s easonably in the Times , and let us carefully note and digest it : " The Lundttii Skool Bored iz stil ingajed in discussing the qAvestyuu ov spelling reform , At the last meting uv the Bored , Mr . Firth , who apearz tu be ivon ov the fu membiuz pozest Ov kommun sensendevurd tu get rid ov the ridikelus ajitashun hi mooring that no further
, akshun be taken in the matter . Az uzual , hoAvever , the debate woz ajurnd . Bi thus kountinansing the folic ov the ate members who past the orijinul rezolushim , the nu Bored iz bringing upon itself a share ov the ridekule Avith Avhich Professur Gladstone ' s propoaul haz been jeneruby reseved . When the Bored sent rownd itz surkular last Novembur everybody thaAvt it AVOZ a joke . The hair noshun of a Eoyl Kummishun tu inquire intu the praktikabflity ov introdtising Avhot we ma kaivl the Josh Billingsgate stile ov orthogrufty ivoz suffishunt
to eksite laftur whenevur it AVOZ menshund . But tho the publik laft , and the nuapapurz snered , the Bored AVOZ sereus . The memburz , or at leest sum ov them , Avisht tu signulize the klose ov thare laburz bi an akt in harmunny Avith thare preveyus prosedingz , and Professur Gladstone ' s rezolushim AVOZ adopted ivitk the veiv ov akompushing that ohjikt . So far , no dowt , tha ivere suksesful ; but the nu Bored Avud hav dun wizely tu let the matter drop , leving the late Bored tu be anscrabl for itz one absurditiz . "
We ask our readers ) one and all , who have perused this specimen of a so-culled spelling reform , can such a conclusion of the matter be either advisable or acceptable to the great mass of our connections and Avorking tvorld , and above all the common language and common seise of England ?
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Proposed Spelling Reform.
There is on many points and topics a great amount of restlessness just UOAV amongst us—a sort of febrile excitement—which portend no good to society generally , and which often , in particular cases , can only be productive alike of absurdit y and incongruit y , in this system or that , if persevered in—can only result in inconvenience to Society , and in retrogression , not advance , to mankind . We confess that Ave look upon the proposal to alter our " spelling system" as one of those needless suggestions of change which ivill inflict the greatest amount of general inconvenience , with no corresponding -good or useful
results , and Avhich assumes the appearance of a " craze " or a monomania . We do not for one moment seek to contend , indeed , that our present system is perfect or ivithout some anomalies , neither do ive deny that many of those AVIIO promote and favour this spelling reform are actuated by a sincere desne to improve , " ' not to destroy—to reform , not to revolutionize . Far be it from us , as Freemasons , to make any such intolerant remarks , or any such unfair imputation ! But having studied the question itself carefully for many years , and understanding , as ive hope , alike the English Grammar and the English Language we feel bound , as honest journalists , to express our humble opinion on the subject .
The present system of spelling maybe termed the "literal" one , governed by certain customary pronunciations , Avhich are all eventually made the " outcome , " so to say , of the spoken language . Tins system has some defects and many shortcomings , as Ave before remarked , and Avhich no doubt are felt much by foreigners , A . ho complain of ivhat often appears to them as a most arbitrary setting at naught of the very first principles of literal pronunciation ; and Avho can deny that there is a quasi arbitrariness and license in our Avontecl pronunciation , ancl Avhich are also subject to special modifications ivMch cannot be
positively or actually defended . But be this as it may , it Avill he , in our opinion , A'ery difficult to set up a better system , as any change to such as that Avhich has been termed the Euphonious system , can only land us in a morass of ridiculous alterations—a climax , in fact , of absurdity—ivMch the " fantors " and advocates of the present moA'ement do not certainly contemplate or even reabse . The only effect of the proposed change must be to barbarize the English language spoken and ivritten , and throw us back into the epoch of unpohsked utterance and uncivilised chirography .
Let us take as a specimen of ivhat the English of the future is bkely to be if this childish mania proceeds , according to our contemporary , Truth , as quoted recently and s easonably in the Times , and let us carefully note and digest it : " The Lundttii Skool Bored iz stil ingajed in discussing the qAvestyuu ov spelling reform , At the last meting uv the Bored , Mr . Firth , who apearz tu be ivon ov the fu membiuz pozest Ov kommun sensendevurd tu get rid ov the ridikelus ajitashun hi mooring that no further
, akshun be taken in the matter . Az uzual , hoAvever , the debate woz ajurnd . Bi thus kountinansing the folic ov the ate members who past the orijinul rezolushim , the nu Bored iz bringing upon itself a share ov the ridekule Avith Avhich Professur Gladstone ' s propoaul haz been jeneruby reseved . When the Bored sent rownd itz surkular last Novembur everybody thaAvt it AVOZ a joke . The hair noshun of a Eoyl Kummishun tu inquire intu the praktikabflity ov introdtising Avhot we ma kaivl the Josh Billingsgate stile ov orthogrufty ivoz suffishunt
to eksite laftur whenevur it AVOZ menshund . But tho the publik laft , and the nuapapurz snered , the Bored AVOZ sereus . The memburz , or at leest sum ov them , Avisht tu signulize the klose ov thare laburz bi an akt in harmunny Avith thare preveyus prosedingz , and Professur Gladstone ' s rezolushim AVOZ adopted ivitk the veiv ov akompushing that ohjikt . So far , no dowt , tha ivere suksesful ; but the nu Bored Avud hav dun wizely tu let the matter drop , leving the late Bored tu be anscrabl for itz one absurditiz . "
We ask our readers ) one and all , who have perused this specimen of a so-culled spelling reform , can such a conclusion of the matter be either advisable or acceptable to the great mass of our connections and Avorking tvorld , and above all the common language and common seise of England ?