Re: English notation

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.

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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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