Re: English notation

Why not, just abandon all the dialects and pronounce as written?

On Fri, 29 Jun 2001, BP Jonsson wrote:

> 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.
>
> In practice these mean that at least in stressed syllables each grapheme
> has only one pronunciation, and in most cases each phoneme has only one
> spelling, except where this conflicts with (3).
>          That accented vowels and some other special letters are
> reintroduced; it should be noted that "eth" has a different phonetic value
> from the ones it had in Old English -- I would prefer the use of "yogh"
> here, but it will have ti do with "eth" where "yogh" is unavailable.
>          That some distinctions are disregarded in the interest of (3);
> this is mainly the case with /&/ and /A/, /T/ and /D/.  Those who have
> merged /A/ and /Q/ in their speech may use "o" for /A/ even in words like
> _foþr/fohtr_.  The distinction of /Ng/ and /N/ as "ng" and "q" is
> optional.  I think little is gained by maintaining it.  Perhaps "q" could
> be used for /g/, "g" for /dZ/ and "eth" for /Z/.
>          In the interest of (4) unstressed "e" is for the most part
> omitted, and certain very common words are written with a single
> (consonant) letter.  This principle of not writing /@/ could probably be
> brought farther.
>          If available /aw/ could be written as "u" with a ring above and
> /oi/ as "y" with a ring above.
>          The plural ending is always written "z", the past ending is
> written "'d" and the genitive ending is written "'z/z'".  The first word of
> a sentence is not capitalized.
>          Stress may be shown by writing a grave accent over unaccented
> vowels, or replacing the acute accent with a circumflex accent.
>
> There is a set of digraph spellings for use when special letters or
> diacritics are unavailable.
>
> The main new spellings are as follows, with keywords:
>
>      KIT     i               NEAR    ér/eer
>      DRESS   e               SQUARE ár/aar
>      TRAP    a               START   ar
>      LOT     o               FATHER  a/o (à)
>      STRUT   y               THOUGHT å/oa
>      FOOT    u               NORTH   or
>                              CURE    ýr/yyr
>      FLEECE  é/ee            NURSE   yr
>      FACE    á/aa
>      PRICE   í/ij            THIS THING      þ/ht
>      CHOICE  oi              CHURCH  c
>                              JUDGE   ð/dg
>      GOOSE   ú/uw            SHIP    x
>      GOAT    ó/oo            PLEASURE        zý/zj/zx
>      MOUTH   ou              RING FINGER     ng/q
>      MUTE    ý/yy            YEAR    j
>
> The traditional example text:
>
> Þ Ðetisbyrg Adres
> Ðetisbyrg, Pensilvánia
> Nóvembr 19, 1863
>
>
> får skor & sevn jérs ago our faþers bråt forþ on þiz kontinent, a ný néxn,
> koncév'd in libyrti, & dedikát'd t þ proposixn þat ål men ar kréátid ékwol.
>
> now w ar engáð'd in a grét sivil wår, testing hweþr þat néxn, or eni néxn
> só konsév'd & só dedikát'd, kan long endýr. w ar met on a grét batl-féld v
> þat wår. w hav kom t dedikát a porxn v þat féld, as a fínl resting plás for
> þóz hú hér gav þár lívz þat þat néxn mít liv. it z åltuðeþr fiting & propr
> þat w xud dú þiz.
>
> byt, in a larðr sense, w kan not dedikát -- w kan not konsekrát -- w kan
> not halló -- þiz ground. þ bráv men, living & ded, hú strugl'd hér, hav
> konsekrát'd it, far abyv our púr pour t ad or détrakt. þ wyrld wil litl
> nót, nor long rémembr hwat w sá hér, byt it kan nevr forðet hwat þá did
> hér. it z for ys þ living, raþer, t b dedikát'd hér t þ ynfinix'd work hwic
> þá hú fåt hér hav þys far só nóbli advans'd. it z raþr for ys t b hér
> dedikát'd t þ grét task rémáning béfor ys -- þat from þéz honor'd ded w ták
> inkrés'd dévóxn t þat kås for hwic þá gáv þ last ful mezýr v dévóxn -- þat
> w hér híli résolv þat þéz ded xal not hav dí'd in ván -- þat þiz néxn, yndr
> god, xal hav a ný byrþ v frédom -- & þat gyvrnment v þ pépl, bí þ pépl, for
> þ pépl, xal not perix from þ yrþ.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Ht Hgetisbyrg Adres
> Hgetisbyrg, Pensilvaania
> Noovembr 19, 1863
>
>
> foar skor & sevn jeers agoo our fahters broat forht on htiz kontinent, a
> nyy neexn, konceev'd in libyrti, & dedikaat'd t ht proposixn htat oal men
> ar kreeaatid eekwol.
>
> now w ar engaahg'd in a greet sivil woar, testing hwehtr htat neexn, or eni
> neexn soo konseev'd & soo dedikaat'd, kan long endyyr. w ar met on a greet
> batl-feeld v htat woar. w hav kom t dedikaat a porxn v htat feeld, as a
> fijnl resting plaas for htooz huw heer gav htaar lijvz htat htat neexn
> might liv. it z oaltuhgehtr fiting & propr htat w xud duw htiz.
>
> byt, in a larhgr sense, w kan not dedikaat -- w kan not konsekraat -- w kan
> not halloo -- htiz ground. ht braav men, living & ded, huw strugl'd heer,
> hav konsekraat'd it, far abyv our puwr pour t ad or deetrakt. ht wyrld wil
> litl noot, nor long reemembr hwat w saa heer, byt it kan nevr forhget hwat
> htaa did heer. it z for ys ht living, rahter, t b dedikaat'd heer t ht
> ynfinix'd work hwic htaa huw foat heer hav htys far soo noobli advans'd. it
> z rahtr for ys t b heer dedikaat'd t ht greet task reemaaning beefor ys --
> htat from hteez honor'd ded w taak inkrees'd deevooxn t htat koas for hwic
> htaa gaav ht last ful mezyyr v deevooxn -- htat w heer hijli reesolv htat
> hteez ded xal not hav dij'd in vaan -- htat htiz neexn, yndr god, xal hav a
> nyy byrht v freedom -- & htat gyvrnment v ht peepl, bij ht peepl, for ht
> peepl, xal not perix from ht yrht.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> /BP 8^)>
> --
> B.Philip Jonsson mailto:bpX@netg.se (delete X)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__
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>
-------ferko
Ferenc Gy. Valoczy

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