Re: BP's & my reformed English spellings (was: RE: English notation)

BP:
> My scheme for reform of English spelling seeks to achieve four goals:
>
> 1) greater regularity,
>
> 2) greater similarity to Old English (this being mainly an aesthetic goal),
>
> 3) avoiding reliance on any single accent,
>
> 4) graphic brevity, wherever possible.
My recently revised scheme is strikingly similar (as can be seen in the
line-by-line comparison below). The main differences are that my scheme
is less historical, more abbreviatory, and optional for classical
borrowings.

Once my son started learning to read, and I observed how English spelling
is causing him a largely unnecessary 18 months of travail and depriving
him of an extra 18 months of reading time, I became a firm convert to
spelling reform. My scheme represents my ideal reform, a balance of
ease & learnability + brevity + needful etymologicality, but it is too
radical to catch on, so I would follow John in supporting Regularized
English as a more sellable reform.

In brief, my scheme is thus:

I. I-spelling ("italic spelling")
1. Italics are reserved (a) for spelling unassimilated borrowings in their
native orthography, and (b) for spelling words borrowed directly from Latin
(or via French, when the passage through French has not distorted the stem)
in Latin orthography (tho optionally with both <j> and <i> and both <v>
and <u>). Words borrowed from Greek are treated as if they'd been borrowed
via Latin, and hence are treated as (b). For words that could be given
"italic-spellings", it is at the writer's discretion whether to spell these
words with italic-spelling or native-spelling. I-spelling is avoided in
books for young children, would be used sparingly in popular journalism,
and used maximally in learned writing.
For emphasis, small caps or extra spacing are used. For mention, various
kinds of quotation marks are used. Italics are reserved for i-spelling alone.

II. N-spelling ("native spelling"
The conflicting and unreconcilable goals are:
1a. Spelling-to-pronunciation should be unambiguous.
1b. Pronunciation-to-spelling should be unambiguous.
1c. There should be a one-to-one correspondence between letters and phones.
    (This is to help children learning to read.)
1d. One orthography should work for all dialects.
2. Brevity is maximized.
3. The glyph inventory should be minimized.

The solution:
There are regular and irregular spellings. Brevity is one ingredient of the
system for regular spellings and the overriding ingredient for irregular
spellings. Only closed-class words may receive irregular spellings, and
it must not be possible to erroneously read an irregular spelling as
regular. Books for very young children may respell irregulars with
regular spelling.
  The orthography reflects only those phonological contrasts that occur
in the majority of dialects. This leads to violations of Goal 1a for
minoritarian contrasts, but there are not many such violations. There
are many more serious violations of Goal 1b, but this is unavoidable if
Goal 1d is to be maintained, and at least the burden of these violations
is borne fairly equally by different dialects.
  In the case of words affected by interdialectal differences of phoneme
incidence, the words are spelt according either to the writer's dialect
or to the dialect of the majority of the readership. In the text below
the examples of this are: _poor_, _advanced_, _task_, _last_.


Here is my version of the G.A.:

ð Getizburg adres
Getizburg, Pensilveynia
nvembr 19, 1863

4 skor & 7 yirz ao ar faaðrz broot fþ on ðs continent, n nyw nation,
knsiyvd i liberti, & dedicatd t ð proposition þ l men r creatd equal.
  na wi r ingeyjd i n greyt civil wor, testng wð ðt nation, o ei nation
sw knsiyvd & sw dedicatd, kn long indywr. wi r met on n greyt batl-fiyld
v ðt wor.  wi hv kum t dedicat n portion v ðt fiyld, az n final restng
pleys fr ðwz hu hr geyv ðer layvz þ ðt nation mt liv.  it iz ltgð fitng
& proper þ wi xd d ðs.
  b, i n larjr sens, wi kn nt dedicat -- wi kn nt consecrat -- wi kn nt halw
-- ðs grawnd.  ð breyv men, livng & ded, hu strugld hr, hv consecratd it, far
bv ar por [pwr] pawr t ad o detract.  ð wurld wl ll nowt, nr long rmembr
wt wi so hr, bt it kn nv frget wt ðe dd hr.  it iz fr us ð livng, rð, t bi
dedicatd hr t ð unfinixd wurk wc ðe hu foot hr hv þs far sw nobly advaansd
[advansd].  it is rð fr us t bi hr dedicatd t ð greyt taask [task] remanng
bfr us -- þ fm ðyz honord ded wi teyk increscd devotion t ðt caus fr wc ðe
geyv ð laast [last] fwl mezxr v devotion -- þ wi hr hy'ly resolv þ ðyz ded
xl nt hv dy'd i veyn -- þ ðs nation, nd god, xl hv n nyw burþ v friydm --
& þ guvrnmnt v ð piypl, by ð piypl, fr ð piypl, xl nt perix fm ð urþ.


And here's a line by line comparison with BP's:

> Þ Ðetisbyrg Adres
> Ht Hgetisbyrg Adres
ð Getizburg adres

> Ðetisbyrg, Pensilvánia
> Hgetisbyrg, Pensilvaania
Getizburg, Pensilveynia

> Nóvembr 19, 1863
> Noovembr 19, 1863
nvembr 19, 1863

> får skor & sevn jérs ago our faþers bråt forþ on þiz kontinent,
> foar skor & sevn jeers agoo our fahters broat forht on htiz kontinent,
4 skor & 7 yirz ao ar faaðrz broot fþ on ðs _continent,

> a ný néxn, koncév'd in libyrti, & dedikát'd t þ proposixn
> a nyy neexn, konceev'd in libyrti, & dedikaat'd t ht proposixn
n nyw _nation, knsiyvd i _liberti, & _dedicatd t ð _proposition

> þat ål men ar kréátid ékwol.
> htat oal men ar kreeaatid eekwol.
þ l men r _creatd _equal.

> now w ar engáð'd in a grét sivil wår, testing hweþr þat néxn,
> now w ar engaahg'd in a greet sivil woar, testing hwehtr htat neexn,
na wi r ingeyjd i n greyt _civil wor, testng wð ðt _nation,

> or eni néxn só konsév'd & só dedikát'd, kan long endýr.
> or eni neexn soo konseev'd & soo dedikaat'd, kan long endyyr.
o ei _nation sw knsiyvd & sw _dedicatd, kn long indywr.

> w ar met on a grét batl-féld v þat wår. w hav kom t dedikát
> w ar met on a greet batl-feeld v htat woar. w hav kom t dedikaat
wi r met on n greyt batl-fiyld v ðt wor.  wi hv kum t _dedicat

> a porxn v þat féld, as a fínl resting plás for þóz hú hér gav
> a porxn v htat feeld, as a fijnl resting plaas for htooz huw heer gav
n _portion v ðt fiyld, az n _final restng pleys fr ðwz hu hr geyv

> þár lívz þat þat néxn mít liv. it z åltuðeþr fiting & propr
> htaar lijvz htat htat neexn might liv. it z oaltuhgehtr fiting & propr
ðer layvz þ ðt _nation mt liv.  it iz ltgð fitng & _proper

> þat w xud dú þiz.
> htat w xud duw htiz.
þ wi xd d ðs.

> byt, in a larðr sense, w kan not dedikát -- w kan not konsekrát --
> byt, in a larhgr sense, w kan not dedikaat -- w kan not konsekraat --
b, i n larjr _sens, wi kn nt _dedicat -- wi kn nt _consecrat

> w kan not halló -- þiz ground. þ bráv men, living & ded,
> w kan not halloo -- htiz ground. ht braav men, living & ded,
wi kn nt halw -- ðs grawnd.  ð breyv men, livng & ded,

> hú strugl'd hér, hav konsekrát'd it, far abyv our púr pour t ad or
> huw strugl'd heer, hav konsekraat'd it, far abyv our puwr pour t ad or
hu strugld hr, hv _consecratd it, far bv ar por [pwr] pawr t ad o

> détrakt. þ wyrld wil litl nót, nor long rémembr hwat w sá hér,
> deetrakt. ht wyrld wil litl noot, nor long reemembr hwat w saa heer,
_detract.  ð wurld wl ll nowt, nr long rmembr wt wi so hr,

> byt it kan nevr forðet hwat þá did hér. it z for ys þ living, raþer,
> byt it kan nevr forhget hwat htaa did heer. it z for ys ht living, rahter,
bt it kn nv frget wt ðe dd hr.  it iz fr us ð livng, rð,

> t b dedikát'd hér t þ ynfinix'd work hwic þá hú fåt hér hav
> t b dedikaat'd heer t ht ynfinix'd work hwic htaa huw foat heer hav
t bi _dedicatd hr t ð unfinixd wurk wc ðe hu foot hr hv

> þys far só nóbli advans'd. it z raþr for ys t b hér dedikát'd
> htys far soo noobli advans'd. it z rahtr for ys t b heer dedikaat'd
þs far sw nobly advaansd [advansd].  it is rð fr us t bi hr _dedicatd

> t þ grét task rémáning béfor ys -- þat from þéz honor'd ded
> t ht greet task reemaaning beefor ys -- htat from hteez honor'd ded
t ð greyt taask [task] _remanng bfr us -- þ fm ðyz onrd ded

> w ták inkrés'd dévóxn t þat kås for hwic þá gáv þ last ful
> w taak inkrees'd deevooxn t htat koas for hwic htaa gaav ht last ful
wi teyk _increscd _devotion t ðt _caus fr wc ðe geyv ð laast [last] fwl

> mezýr v dévóxn -- þat w hér híli résolv þat þéz ded xal not
> mezyyr v deevooxn -- htat w heer hijli reesolv htat hteez ded xal not
mezxr v _devotion -- þ wi hr hy'ly _resolv þ ðyz ded xl nt

> hav dí'd in ván -- þat þiz néxn, yndr god, xal hav a ný byrþ
> hav dij'd in vaan -- htat htiz neexn, yndr god, xal hav a nyy byrht
hv dy'd i veyn -- þ ðs _nation, nd god, xl hv n nyw burþ

> v frédom -- & þat gyvrnment v þ pépl, bí þ pépl,
> v freedom -- & htat gyvrnment v ht peepl, bij ht peepl,
v friydm -- & þ guvrnmnt v ð piypl, by ð piypl,

> for þ pépl, xal not perix from þ yrþ.
> for ht peepl, xal not perix from ht yrht.
fr ð piypl, xl nt perix fm ð urþ.



-- really, n ms magnificent spiyc, sw utrly american.

--And.