54 Transactions. — yiiscclta)ieous. 



only a question of teaching the teachers. The mind of the 

 child is a blank board, ready to take in whichever sound is 

 given ; and if the teachers knew their business, there would be 

 no difficulty with the children. 



It is much to be desired that the Americans should go hand- 

 in-hand with the English in a reform of the spelling of the 

 language. It will be a misfortune if the two nations diverge in 

 their orthography. The English are more in contact with 

 foreign nations, and therefore, in this respect, more favourably 

 placed for effecting a reform. On the other hand the Americans 

 have a large German population ; and if they would humble 

 themselves to admit the defect in ear, which they have in 

 common with the English, and call in some Germans to their 

 help, they might lead the way, and the English would be 

 obliged to follow. They have also got Mark Twain, and if he 

 took the matter up he would carry it to successful issue. His 

 observations on the defects of German grammar show that he 

 would be equally alive to those of English orthography. In the 

 meantime the American attempts at reform are possibly mis- 

 chievous, and certainly useless, and as much may be said of 

 many of the English propositions. I would advise the Ameri- 

 cans to spell Ohio and Iowa, as Ohaio and Aiowa. This would 

 point to the direction in which reform should go. 



The objects that should be aimed at are : — 



1. The language should be thrown into gear with those of 

 Northern, Central, and Southern Europe. 



2. English, being a Teutonic language, should, as far as 

 possible, be brought into accord with German and Dutch, as 

 also Scandinavian. 



3. As a preliminary step in the reform, the classical lan- 

 guages, particularly Latin, should be pronounced as in German 

 and Italian, &c. 



t. Scriptural names should be pronounced as on the Conti- 

 nent, and the spelling left unchanged. 



And now a few remarks with regard to the deterioration of 

 th< Maori language may not be amiss. This language has been 

 ret iced to a correct orthography ; but emigrants arrive from 

 Ei^land who know nothing of it, and who have been taught 

 La in in the English style. They at once begin to spoil the 

 naues of places. Thus 77 nui, the big ti or cabbage tree, be- 

 comes Tenui, literally the big, which is senseless. Pit.<mr, or 

 Pito-one, the end of the beach, becomes Petom, without meaning. 

 Titahi, bay, becomes Tetai, Taitai, sometimes Teti. Ohiro be- 

 comes Ohairo, and so on. 



Apart from mispronunciation or mis-spelling of Maori, the 

 English dialect that is developing in Australasia is not satisfac- 

 tory. The tendency is to a modification of Cockney. Thus we 

 generally hear " / seen him " for " J saw him," which is certainly 



