no JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



extending constituency of persons the reasonableness of a system 

 of language representation based on phonetics. 



The Phonetic Society of Great Britain, with a membership of 

 over five thousand persons, is doing much to promote spelling re- 

 form. A large number of those composing the association are 

 familiar with shorthand, to whom the question has presented itself, 

 ' Why should not a system of spelling by sound, which has been 

 employed so successfully in stenography for fifty years, apply in a 

 like manner to our longhand ? Why should not science on the one 

 hand meet practice on the other ? ' 



An alphabet to answer all practical purposes should consist of 

 thirty-six letters, representing as many vowels and consonants, which 

 might, if desired, be extended to forty, to include four diphthongs. 

 " Every single sound should be represented by a distinct and unvary- 

 ing sign, and no sound should be represented by more than one 

 sign. Changes in speech should be followed by changes in spell- 

 ing " Pronuncialion changes according to fixed laws and to prevent 

 spelling becoming archaic, as at present, where we spell in the 

 fashion of Elizabeth but speak in the fashion of Victoria, it would 

 be necessary to follow such changes. 



If we are to accept the advice of Herbert Spencer, given no 

 later than November of last year, a complete phonetic system is the 

 only desirable one to introduce, as a partially phonetic or consist- 

 ent method of spelling would stand in the way of a complete phonetic 

 system. Spelling reformers are, however, constrained to make the 

 transition from the present mode to that advised by the eminent 

 Englishman, by steps. Without doubt the full recognition of dis- 

 tinct signs for all the elementary sounds of our language meets with 

 the hearty approval of all phoneticians, but if this were insisted upon, 

 doubtless there would be a longer postponement of the consumma- 

 tion of their hopes than some persons continue to believe even 

 under the present condition of affairs. 



A general adoption of the following rules would simplify Eng- 

 lish spelling to such an extent that a further step in the right direc- 

 tion would, in the time to come, be comparatively easy to take. To 

 posterity we may, however, leave that matter. What the members 

 of the Phonetic Society are laboring for to-day is the following : — 



