This may be paralleled by the spelling book of the Meiklejohn series. ‘Spelling with sidelights from history.’ It contains 150 pages, gives many rules, and concludes with one thousand of the most difficult words selected from examination papers.
M. Pitman has done good service in printing and circulating for a very small sum various tracts, and I hope my readers will get some, specially the paper by Prof. Max Müller. Alas, reforms are slow when the opinion of many unthinking persons has to be formed, before they can be carried. It needed a pope to reform the calendar.
The Westminster Review for Sept. 1897 has an article on spelling reform, urging its great importance, if English is to be a world-wide language. The impossibility of getting a new alphabet adopted at least for a long time is urged as a reason for pressing minor reforms, the chief being the omission of all useless letters. Thus we should leve out awl thos perplexing vowels in lev recev decev belev; and thes changes mit posibly be carid with sum slit efort at wuns, if sum popular orthor wood requir his book too be printed foneticaly.
Some defend our spelling for philological reasons, but it is unanimously condemned by philologists; I name those best known in England—Professor Max Müller pronounces it a national misfortune, and has written an article against it—Professor Sayce and Skeat, Ellis and Sweet, Dr Murray, editor of the Etymological Dictionary, condemn it, and amongst linguists, Pagliardini, and scientists, Dr Gladstone.
But the chief reason, that we should press forward this movement is, that only thus does it seem possible to avert the catastrophe foreshadowed in an article on the Queen’s English in the Review of Reviews for June 1897. Dialectic varieties are arising in the English-speaking Colonies, which, if unchecked by phonetic symbols corresponding with speech, will develop into different languages. The longer we delay, the greater will be the difficulty of agreeing on a common notation—at present the differences of opinion between us and our colonies, and even between us and our American cousins are slight, but those who have heard the English of the States spoken by the children of German immigrants, will recognise the danger.
Miss Soames before her death published reading books in phonetic type, and spent much time and money in promoting the teaching of English reading on this system, and in introducing to the notice of English people the alphabet of the Association Phonétique Internationale, 11, Rue de Fontenay, Bourg la Reine (Seine).
Such an alphabet would be better than one suitable for English only, but if Pitman’s is the only one generally available, it is better to use that for elementary schools, and remember the maxim ‘le mieux est l’ennemi du bien’—For teaching the right pronunciation of foreign languages, le Maître Phonétique is very valuable.
Melville Bell’s Visible Speech is a physiological alphabet of marvellous ingenuity—but perhaps too elaborate for general use, and the conclusions at which he arrives are not always endorsed by the chief authorities. All students of phonetics will learn much from reading it.—English visible speech, in 12 lessons 50 cents, Volta bureau Washington, gives the essentials of the system—the large work costs 4 dollars.
Great efforts are being made in France to introduce an international phonetic alphabet.
If all could agree on one alphabet, it would be possible for a foreigner to read at sight any foreign language. It is true there would be certain niceties of pronunciation to be taught Viva Voce, but the pronunciation would be very nearly correct at once.