Excerpt from A Plea for Spelling Reform We may further note here that in many other positions where the conventional long sounds of the vowels are supposed to be regularly used we frequently find the short ones. Thus, if we have change and range, we have also flange paste and waste have caste for an ill-assorted fellow bind and pint must keep company with wind and mint; toll and droll with doll; while torn, port, and most are readily confronted with corn, short, and cost. Thus no certain means are provided in thousands of cases to mark whether a vowel-sign represents the conventional long or the short sound, quite different in nature as those sounds are, and the spelling-books only partially surmount the difficulty by adopting a plan of syllabication which is often in conflict with etymology and phonetics. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from A Plea for Spelling Reform: A Series of Tracts Compiled From the Phonetic Journal and Other Periodicals, Recommending an Enlarged Alphabet and a Reformed Spelling of the English Language, as a Means of Placing the Arts of Reading and Writing Within Reach of All Who Speak the English If letters are not meant to express sounds, what is their purpose? If a word - a spoken word - cannot be analysed into its several elements or sounds, and if these sounds are not the letters by which the word is known, such word, when written, is to all intents and purposes a hieroglyph, and we might as well draw some Egyptian hieroglyph, and say, That figure stands for such a word. When we speak the word though we utter two sounds, a vocal th, which I will represent by d, and the vowel 0. Why should we take the trouble to write six letters to re present this word, when two letters would answer the pur pose But our 0 must be a true 0, one that represents the sound it has in though on all occasions. For this long, Open vowel, a slight modification of o is introduced, thus e, and.the old letter is reserved for the sound which it commonly represents, namely, the short vowel in not. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from A Plea for Phonetic Spelling, or the Necessity of Orthographic Reform The Author would feel obliged to any reader who will favour him with remarks upon his work, either to suggest further improvements, or to point out any presumed weakness, or incorrectness, in his arguments. In conclusion, the Author begs most emphatically to state his sincere belief, that the Reform of our Spelling, as here advocated, is wanted, and, therefore, cannot fail of ultimate success. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Pitman's groundbreaking work on the need for spelling reform is as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1868. Arguing that the inconsistencies of English spelling were hindering education and literacy, Pitman offers a concise and compelling case for simplifying the written language. This work remains a vital resource for anyone interested in language and its impact on society. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.