The first book of Phonetic Reading. London, Fred. Pitman,[168] Phonetic
Depot, 20, Paternoster Row, 1856, 12mo.
The Phonetic Journal. Devoted to the propagation of phonetic reading,
phonetic longhand, phonetic shorthand, and phonetic printing. No. 46.
Saturday, 15 November 1856. Vol. 15.
I write the titles of a couple out of several tracts which I have by me.
But the number of publications issued by the promoters of this spirited
attempt is very large indeed.[169] The attempt itself has had no success
with the mass of the public. This I do not regret. Had the world found that
the change was useful, I should have gone contentedly with the stream; but
not without regretting our old language. I admit the difficulties which our
unpronounceable spelling puts in the way of learning to read: and I have no
doubt that, as affirmed, it is easier to teach children phonetically, and
afterwards to introduce them to our common system, than to proceed in the
usual way. But by the usual way I mean proceeding by letters from the very
beginning. If, which I am sure is a better plan, children be taught at the
commencement very much by _complete words_, as if they were learning
Chinese, and be gradually accustomed to {82} resolve the known words into
letters, a fraction, perhaps a considerable one, of the advantage of the
phonetic system is destroyed. It must be remembered that a phonetic system
can only be an approximation. The differences of pronunciation existing
among educated persons are so great, that, on the phonetic system,
different persons ought to spell differently.
But the phonetic party have produced something which will immortalize their
plan: I mean their _shorthand_, which has had a fraction of the success it
deserves. All who know anything of shorthand must see that nothing but a
phonetic system can be worthy of the name: and the system promulgated is
skilfully done. Were I a young man I should apply myself to it
systematically. I believe this is the only system in which books were ever
published. I wish some one would contribute to a public journal a brief
account of the dates and circumstances of the phonetic movement, not
forgetting a list of the books published in shorthand.
A child beginning to read by himself may owe terrible dreams and waking
images of horror to our spelling, as I did when six years old. In one of
the common poetry-books there is an admonition against confining little
birds in cages, and the child is asked what if a great giant, amazingly
strong, were to take you away, shut you up,
And feed you with vic-tu-als you ne-ver could bear.
The book was hyphened for the beginner's use; and I had not the least idea
that _vic-tu-als_ were _vittles_: by the sound of the word I judged they
must be of iron; and it entered into my soul.
The worst of the phonetic shorthand book is that they nowhere, so far as I
have seen, give _all_ the symbols, in every stage of advancement, together,
in one or following pages. It is symbols and talk, more symbols and more
talk, etc. A universal view of the signs ought to begin the works. {83}