14 HISTORY of the SOCIETK 



pronounce, but conventionally fpecifying the word which we 

 then render into fpeech. 



The advantages arifing from a ftri(5l adherence to the fcien- 

 tific method of the alphabet, are of two kinds ; one relating 

 immediately to the people who would thus acquire great facility 

 in learning to read and write ; the other relating immediately 

 to the language, which would thus become uniform and fleady, 

 and would avoid corruption. 



If a perfon has learned to write every vocal found, and every 

 articulation which his organs form for the ufe of fpeech, all 

 which are comprifed within the compafs of the alphabet, he 

 has it in his power to write any fpeech which he is able to pro- 

 nounce. He would alfo write that fpeech precifely in the man- 

 ner tliat every other perfon, who has learned the alphabet, mufl; 

 render it again in reading. 



Now, if a language fliould be thus perfectly reprefented in 

 the writing, the perfe6lion of our fpeech might be, in this man- 

 ner, communicated among the learned of the nation, and the 

 improvements of our fpeech would be difperfed with our wri- 

 tings, by means of the improvement of our fcience. 



But if, in writing our language, any other method is pur- 

 fued, which is different from the fcientific analyfis of our 

 fpeech, and elemental charadlerifing of our vocal founds, there 

 will then be no fixed relation between our writing and the pro- 

 nunciation of our language ; and, in that cafe, no literary per- 

 feclion in our education, will have any tendency to improve the 

 language of the nation. 



With regard to a reformation of our prefent method, if, on 

 the one hand, the orthographical pradice of this nation has 

 only deviated from the truth of fcience in a fmall degree, it 

 may be eafily correfled by the exertion of literary men, when 

 they confider the danger of fuch a growing evil. 



Now, that there is truly danger in the cafe, muft appear 

 by coiifidering how little apprehenfion there is in general of this 



error 



