An Argument for English Orthography Change

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An Argument for English Orthography Change

• By Mario Piergallini, Doug Whitfield, and
  Adrienne Edwards

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The Princess Begins

• aka Adrienne

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History of Traditional Orthography

• English was one of the first non-Latin, non-Greek
  languages to develop an independent writing
  system
• After the Norman Conquest of 1066, French was
  adopted as the official language of England.
  Within a century, English was only spoken by the
  lower classes.

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History, Continued

• The English language was resurrected in 1399 when
  the English-speaking Henry IV inherited the
  British throne and made his native tongue the
  official language once more.
• By the time Henry IV became king, the language
  had dropped many Latin grammar rules and acquired
  many French spellings.
• During the advent of the printing press in the
  15th century, press operators were paid by the
  line and often added letters to the text to earn
  more money.

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History, Continued

• In the 16th century, English adopted many Greek
  and Latin words which kept their own spelling,
  further complicating the language.
• In 1755, Johnsons dictionary was published,
  which created a number of significant problems
  that we face today. He chose his preferred
  spellings and sometimes assigned different
  meanings to different spellings of the same
  phonetic word. (ex. there, their)

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English Orthography Today

• Traditional orthography was standardized in 1750,
  long before it was regularized.
• The English language has not systematically
  updated its spelling in 1000 years and is so
  outdated now that it is now impeding literacy.

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English Orthography Today

• There is also a huge dichotomy between the
  written and spoken language.
• At least 3500 common words do not follow the 90
  basic spelling patterns.
• 50 of the words in the English language cannot
  be spelled without memorization.

This information gathered from the Simplified
Spelling Society.
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• Success in the modern world depends on literacy,
  yet English spelling is so disordered that after
  ten or more years of schooling, many people still
  only have a shaky command of it, and millions are
  functionally illiterate.
• Masha Bell, Simplified Spelling Society

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Need for Orthography Change

• Upon finishing high school, only half of all
  English speakers are largely accurate spellers.
• Approximately 7 million British adults and 40
  million American adults are functionally
  illiterate.

This information gathered from the Simplified
Spelling Society.
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• Revising the English orthographic system would
  help by
• Improving communication amongst English speakers
  worldwide.
• Improving literacy.
• Making English education vastly easier.

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Now its Luigis turn (aka Doug)
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• So, English Spelling Sux.
• What R the issues involved with the spelling
  revolution?

Used without Permishan www.coveralia.com
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1. Language, Nationalism and War

• Is it possible Americans, English, Irish,
  Scottish, Martian, and whoever else decides they
  speak English could wind up blowing each other
  up????

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Probably not.
Subtle use of Photoshop ?
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We come from the land down under.The problems
with British vs. American vs. Australian

• The one Australian I could find involved with the
  issue, Valerie Yule, is a part of the British
  Simplified Spelling Society http//www.spellings
  ociety.org/

• Comitty meetings, sumtimes with speekers, ar
  held in London in Januery, April (AGM), July,
  October. Members and vizziters ar welcum.
• Yule is also part of ACSION (Australian Centre
  for Social Innovations) not sure where the on
  on the end came from, I presume Innovati-ON

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What did the Brits ever do for us? The problems
with British vs. American vs. Australian

• The American Literacy Council is the American
  analogue and predecessor of the Simplified
  Spelling Society. It supports both spelling
  reform and better teaching of traditional
  orthography. http//pages.prodigy.net/aesir/link.
  htm

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Americans cooperating with otherswhat is the
world coming to??

• While spectators and judges inside the Grand
  Hyatt Hotel will be pondering the spellings of
  obscure words, and admiring the efforts of
  contestants, outside on the street some members
  of the American Literacy Council (ALC) and the
  Simplified Spelling Society (SSS) will be trying
  to convince passers-by that English spelling is a
  problem that needs fixing.

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What about North/South American dialects?

• Generally, the southern dialects of American
  English carry a lower prestige, at least among
  northerners who will assume that a person
  speaking a southern dialect is less intelligent
  and less educated than they are. Some educated
  southerners even feel this way and will "correct"
  their speech to meet northern standards.

Given this, I doubt there will be a lot of
discontent in the South.
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2. Economics

• What would it cost (initially) and why??

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stuph

• Computer keyboards would need to be replaced if
  new letters were introduced into the orthography.
• Road signs would have to be changed (more on this
  later)

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Got Books?

• Books would have to be reprinted and eventually
  old orthography would be un-readable.

Top Google hits for universities with Old English
programs were UVA, Toronto, Calgary, Arizona and
Georgetown.
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What about here at UNC??

• I. The English Language
• II. English Literature from the Beginning to 1485
  
• III. English Literature from 1485 to 1660
  (including Milton)
• IV. English Literature from 1660 to 1789
• V. English Literature from 1789 to 1900
• VI. American Literature to 1900
• VII. American Literature from 1900 to the Present
  
• VIII. British Literature from 1900 to the Present
  
• IX. Critical Theory and Cultural Studies
• X. Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy
• XI. African American Literature
• XII. Southern Literature
• Section 1 offers 38 (History of the English
  Language), 237 (Old English), 238 (History of the
  English Language), and 250 (Old English
  Literature Beowulf prerequisite 237).
• Section 2 is committed to studying literature in
  its broad cultural and historical context, to
  working with texts in their original languages,
  and to developing skills in reading and using
  manuscripts.

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So, really, what are the costs?

• Well, no one has really teased out the details
  (and believe me, I spent PLENTY of time
  researching it) and theres no way this Comm/Bio
  undergrad is taking the task of an Economics
  grad, but here are some thoughts

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• When changing a governor,
• The message plays on a touch-screen DVD program
  at two state welcome centers, and changing the
  DVD will cost 2,000, according to Caryn Gresham,
  spokeswoman for the West Virginia Division of
  Tourism. The Mountaineer State hopes by the end
  of February to replace posters with the
  governors photo at eight welcome centers, at a
  cost of 2,800, and switch governors photos as
  17 kiosks along the roadways at a cost of 500,
  said Division of Highways spokeswoman Carol
  Melling.

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More Governor Quotes

• Still to be decided is the fate of 100 worth of
  plastic Band-Aid dispensers and cupholders
  covered with McGreeveys name. Those and 10,000
  travel guides displaying the McGreevey family
  photo are stacked up in storage awaiting
  instructions from Codeys administration.

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One more

• Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) earned
  points for being fiscally conservative when she
  instructed her staff to use up outgoing
  Republican Gov. John Englers stationery when she
  took office in January 2003, according to the
  Lansing State Journal. Staffers crossed out
  Englers name and typed in Granholms. The
  governors order had one exception new
  stationery was to be used for press releases to
  avoid confusing the media.

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And not every road sign has to be changed with a
new governor

• Their men working sign comes in 24, 30, and 36
  squares and sells for 43, 62, and 90
  respectively and a 30 square flagman picture
  reflective sign costs 62. They have both left
  and right arrow detour markers in 30x24 and
  60x24 rectangles which are available for 72
  and 52. Their left or right lane closed signs
  measure 36 square and sell for 90. 36 square
  road closed 1000 feet and road construction 1000
  feet (other distances available on request) also
  cost 90. As a relief to motorists, a 60x24 end
  construction sign is available for 105. Finally,
  you can have a custom-worded orange sign made to
  fit your particular needs. For these signs, they
  will layout the wording in the best possible way
  unless you specify something specially. The signs
  can accommodate up to four lines and thirty-five
  characters (spaces are not included in this
  total) and measure 24 or 30 square. The smaller
  size runs around 45 plus a 40 setup fee (there
  is one fee per order, so you will not have to pay
  again to buy in bulk) and the larger is 70, with
  setup costing 55.

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And this translates too

• Well, Im not exactly sure, but I do know NCs
  DOT appropriations were/are 2,275,617,232 in
  03-04 and were/are 2,337,780,698 for 04-05.
• This covers ferrys, airports, trains, etc. and
  while there 7 pages of that money being
  partitioned, I saw nothing that said road
  signs.
• For comparison the states budget for UNC-Chapel
  Hill (minus the med school/hospital) was
  323,498,253 in 03-04 and 325,235,791 in 04-05.

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3. Loss of some good things about English spelling

• What, are you crazy, good things about English
  spelling??

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Whitfield's Believe It Or Not

• According to Dr. Richard Venezky, the fact that
  we do try to preserve word meanings, common
  roots, keep the same spelling as far as we can,
  means that at a visual glance its easier to
  recognize the word and its meaning. If we
  changed the A in sane when we went to sanity, a
  bigger load would be placed on comprehension.

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Other examples of freak usefulness

• Extreme
• Supreme
• Nature

• Extremity
• Supremacy
• Natural

Of course, all four of these examples use the
ending e diacritic and the e is not there
on the second version. (see handout for other
examples)
However, we do sometimes change the spelling for
related words, which of course brings us back to
the anarchy of English spelling. Example Ride
vs. rode
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Conclusions on Problems

• In fighting is not really a problem.
• Neither is erasing good English spelling

• What is a problem is initial cost.
• It is also a problem that no one has figured out
  exactly how much it would cost.
• With the education gains and saved printing cost,
  in the long run an orthography change should be
  beneficial economically.
• Now its Marios turn

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Youve got problems,weve got answers
Ladies and Gentlemen, we love stealing
pictures http//www.breckenridgetexas.com/
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Reform in Other Languages

• Vietnamese
• Turkish in 1928
• Spanish in 1741, 1763 and 1815

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Turkish Orthography Reform

• Occurred in November, 1928
• At the time, Turkish was written in Arabic
  script, and the literacy rate was about 9
• The reform was meant to make the writing system
  easier, more suited to Turkish, and more
  egalitarian
• The new orthography used the Roman alphabet
  modified with diacritics
• The reform was carried out mainly due to Mustafa
  Kemal Ataturk, who was the current
  (nationalistic) leader of Turkey, but it also had
  popular support
• First schools were set up, books were published,
  etc.
• Laws were passed requiring all government and
  legal documents to be written in the new
  orthography

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Turkish Orthography Reform

• - Opposition
• Feeling that the Koran should not be written in
  Latin characters
• Many thought that using Latin letters meant
  using the French system
• - Factors in the Success
• The low literacy rate meant that there were
  fewer people who would need to relearn how to
  read
• The Arabic script has peculiarities which make
  it less suited to non-Semitic languages
• Government fiat in a government with large
  popular support

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Spanish Orthography Reform

• Occurred in 1741, 1763 and 1815
• The writing system prior represented some
  distinctions which had been lost, and did not
  represent a few new distinctions
• The reform mainly concerned the fricatives and
  affricates of Old Spanish represented in English
  by s, z, sh, zh, ts and dz which had changed into
  s, th and ch (as in Scottish loch)
• These sounds were changed to be written how they
  are now represented
• The reform was carried out by a Spanish language
  academy
• Some archaic rules and letters were maintained
  e.g. softening c and g before i and e, the always
  silent h was retained
• Overall, the modern Spanish orthography is one
  of the most phonemic systems in use, although it
  still retains some obsolete letters and some
  complicating spelling rules

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Reformed orthography doesnthave to look like
this!
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• Ðe Pléj uv Elíjens
• Ay pléj elíjens tú ðe flág
• uv ðe Yúnayted Stéyts uv Emérike
• ánd tú ðe ripublik for hwic it stándz
• wun néyxen, under Gad, indevizebel
• wiþ libertí ánd justis for ol.

• Rowzez ar réd,
• Vayelits ar blú,
• Xóger iz swít,
• Ánd sow ar yú!
• But ðe rowzez ar wilted,
• Ðe vayelits ar déd,
• Ánd ðe xóger iz lumpí,
• Just layk yór héd!

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The Star by HG Wells (excerpt)in Traditional
Orthography (TO)

• It was on the first day of the new year that the
  announcement was made, almost simultaneously from
  three observatories, that the motion of the
  planet Neptune, the outermost of all the planets
  that wheel about the Sun, had become very
  erratic. A retardation in its velocity had been
  suspected in December. Then, a faint, remote
  speck of light was discovered in the region of
  the perturbed planet, At first this did not cause
  any very great excitement. Scientific people,
  however, found the intelligence remarkable
  enough, even before it became known that the new
  body was rapidly growing larger and brighter, and
  that its motion was quite different from the
  orderly progress of the planets.

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The Star by HG Wells (excerpt)in New Spelling 90

• It woz on the ferst dae ov the nue yeer that the
  anounsment woz maed, aulmoest simultaeneusli from
  three obzervatoris, that the moeshen ov the
  planet Neptune, the outermoest ov aul the planets
  that w(h)eel about the sun, had bekum veri
  eratik. A retardaeshen in its velositi had been
  suspected in Desember. Then a faent, remoet spek
  ov lyt woz diskuverd in the reejen ov the
  perterbd planet. At ferst this did not kauz eni
  veri graet eksytment. Syentifik peepl, houever,
  found the intelijens remarkabl enuf, eeven befor
  it bekaem noen that the nue bodi woz rapidli
  groeing larjer and bryter, and that its moeshen
  woz kwyt diferent from the orderli proegres ov
  the planets.

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The Star by HG Wells (excerpt)in Yurabet (Ken
Goodwin)

• It woz on qu furst dey ov qu niw yir qat qu
  anAwnsmnt woz meyd, olmowst simultEynyusly from
  qry obzUrvtrys, qat qu mowxn ov qu planit
  Neptyun, qu awtrmowst ov ol qu planits qat wyl
  abAwt que sun, had bkum very erAtik. A rtardEyxn
  in its vlosity had byn sspektd in disEmbr. Qen, a
  feynt, rmowt spek ov layt woz dskuvrd in qu ryjn
  ov qu prturbd planit, At furst qis did not coz
  eny very greyt eksAytmnt. SayntIfik pypl, hawEvr,
  fawnd qu intElijns remarkabl enUf, yvn bfor it
  bkeym nown qat qu niw body woz rapidly growng
  larjr and braytr, and qat its mowxn woz kwayt
  difrnt from qu ordly prowgres ov qu planits.

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Ðe Éndor iz itÐí Énd?