Italian will be spoken by 53,370,000
French will be spoken by 72,571,000
German will be spoken by 157,480,000
Spanish will be spoken in
Europe, by 36,938,338
South America, by 468,347,904
Total: 505,286,242
English will be spoken in
Europe, by 178,846,153
United States, and British Dependencies, by 1,658,440,000
Total: 1,837,286,153
But I shall say no more on this, for as it is, I know I shall never hear
the end of it, and shall go down to posterity, if for nothing else, at
least for this the most suicidal folly in a student of languages; a folly
comparable only to that of Leibniz, who actually conceived the possibility
of one universal language.
To return, however, to the problem to the solution of which Mr. Pitman has
devoted the whole of his active life, let me say again that my interest in
it is purely philological; or, if you like, historical. The problem which
has to be solved in England and the United States of America is not a new
one, nor an isolated one. It occurs again and again in the history of
language; in fact, it must occur. When languages are reduced to writing,
they are at first written phonetically, though always in a very
rough-and-ready manner. One dialect, that of the dominant, the literary,
or priestly character, is generally selected; and the spelling, once
adopted, becomes in a very short time traditional and authoritative. What
took place thousands of years ago, we can see taking place, if we like, at
the present moment. A missionary from the island of Mangaia, the Rev. W.
Gill, first introduced the art of writing among his converts. He learned
their language, at least one dialect of it, he translated part of the
Bible into it, and adopted, of necessity, a phonetic spelling. That
dialect is gradually becoming the recognized literary language of the
whole island, and his spelling is taught at school. Other dialects,
however, continue to be spoken, and they may in time influence the
literary dialect. For the present, however, the missionary dialect, as it
is called by the natives themselves, and the missionary spelling, rule
supreme, and it will be some time before a spelling reform is wanted out
there.
Among the more ancient nations of Europe, not only does the pronunciation
of language maintain its inherent dialectic variety, and fluctuate through
the prevalence of provincial speakers, but the whole body of a language
changes, while yet the spelling, once adopted in public documents, and
taught to children, remains for a long time the same. In early times, when
literature was in its infancy, when copies of books could easily be
counted, and when the _norma scribendi_ was in the hands of a few persons,
the difficulty of adapting the writing to the ever-varying pronunciation
of a language was comparatively small. We see it when we compare the Latin
of early Roman inscriptions with the Latin of Cicero. We know from Cicero
himself that when he settled among the patricians of Rome, he had on some
small points to change both his pronunciation and his spelling of Latin.
The reform of spelling was a favorite subject with Roman scholars, and
even emperors were not too proud to dabble in inventing new letters and
diacritical signs. The difficulty, however, never assumes serious
proportions. The small minority of people who were able to read and write,
pleased themselves as best they could; and, by timely concessions,
prevented a complete estrangement between the written and the spoken
language.
Then came the time when Latin ceased to be Latin, and the vulgar dialects,
such as Italian, French, and Spanish took its place. At that time the
spelling was again phonetic, though here and there tinged by reminiscences
of Latin spelling. There was much variety, but considering how limited the
literary intercourse must have been between different parts of France,
Spain, or Italy, it is surprising that on the whole there should have been
so much uniformity in the spelling of these modern dialects. A certain
local and individual freedom of spelling, however, was retained; and we
can easily detect in mediæval MSS. the spelling of literate and illiterate
writers, the hand of the learned cleric, the professional clerk, and the
layman.
[A style of spelling will now be introduced which has received the name of
Semiphonotypy. It requires no new letter: “[D] [p]” for the vowel in
_but_, _son_, are made from “D p” by a pen-knife. The short vowels,
diphthongs, and consonants are all written phonetically, except an
occasional “n” = “[n]” before _k_ and _g_, and “th” = both “[t]” and
“[dh]” leaving only the long vowels in the old spelling. Six syllables out
of seven are thus written as in full phonotypy. The italic and script
forms of “[P [italic form] ]” are “[p [italic form] ]” (a turned italic
“_a_”) and [P p [script form] ].]
The great event hwich formz a deseisiv epok in the histori ov speling iz
the introd[p]kshon ov printing. With printed buks, and partikiularli with
printed Beibelz, skaterd over the k[p]ntri, the speling of w[p]rdz bekame
rijid, and universali beinding. S[p]m langwejez, s[p]ch az Italian, wer
more fortiunate than [p]therz in having a more rashonal sistem ov speling
tu start with. S[p]m, agen, leik Jerman, wer abel tu make teimli
konseshonz, hweil [p]therz, s[p]ch az Spanish, D[p]ch, and French, had
Akademiz tu help them at kritikal periodz ov their histori. The most
[p]nfortiunate in all theze respekts woz Inglish. It started with a Latin
alfabet, the pron[p]nsiashon ov hwich woz [p]nseteld, and hwich had tu be
apleid tu a Tiutonik langwej. After this ferst fonetik kompromeiz it had
tu pas through a konfiúzd sistem ov speling, half Sakson, half Norman;
half fonetik, half tradishonal. The histori ov the speling, and even ov
the pron[p]nsiashon, ov Inglish, in its pasej from Anglo-Sakson tu midel
and modern Inglish, haz lateli been st[p]did with great s[p]kses bei Mr.
Ellis and Mr. Sweet. Ei m[p]st refer tu their buks “On Erli Inglish
Pron[p]nsiashon,” and “On the Histori ov Inglish Soundz,” hwich kontain a
welth ov il[p]strashon, almost bewildering. And even after Inglish reachez
the period ov printing, the konfiuzhon iz bei no meanz terminated; on the
kontrari, for a teim it iz greater than ever. Hou this kame tu pas haz
been wel il[p]strated bei Mr. Marsh in hiz ekselent “Lektiurz on the
Inglish Langwej,” p. 687, _seq_.(69) Hwot we nou kall the establisht
sistem ov Inglish orthografi may, in the main, be trast bak tu Jonson’z
Dikshonari, and tu the stil more kaprishus sway ekserseizd bei larj
printing ofisez and p[p]blisherz. It iz true that the evil ov printing
karid tu a serten ekstent its own remedi. If the speling bekame
[p]nchanjabel, the langwej itself, too, woz, bei meanz ov a printed
literatiur, chekt konsiderabli in its natiural growth and its dealektik
vareieti. Nevertheles Inglish haz chanjed sins the invenshon ov printing;
Inglish iz chanjing, though bei imperseptibel degreez, even nou; and if we
kompare Inglish az spoken with Inglish az riten, they seem almost leik two
diferent langwejez; az diferent az Latin iz from Italian.
This, no dout, iz a nashonal misfortiun, but it iz inevitabel. Litel az we
perseive it, langwej iz, and alwayz m[p]st be, in a state ov fermentashon;
and hwether within hundredz or thouzandz ov yearz, all living langwejez
m[p]st be prepared tu enkounter the difik[p]lti hwich in Ingland starez us
in the fase at prezent. “Hwot shal we do?” ask our frendz. “Ther iz our
hole nashonal literatiur,” they say, “our leibrariz aktiuali b[p]rsting
with buks and nuizpaperz. Ar all theze tu be thrown away? Ar all valiuabel
buks tu be reprinted? Ar we ourselvz tu [p]nlern hwot we hav lernd with so
much tr[p]bel, and hwot we hav taught tu our children with greater
tr[p]bel stil? Ar we tu sakrifeiz all that iz historikal in our langwej,
and sink doun tu the low level ov the _Fonetik Nuz_?” Ei kud go on
m[p]ltipleiing theze kwestionz til even thoze men ov the w[p]rld who nou
hav onli a shrug ov the shoulder for the reformerz ov speling shud say,
“We had no eidea hou strong our pozishon reali iz.”
But with all that, the problem remainz [p]nsolvd. Hwot ar peopel tu do
hwen langwej and pron[p]nsiashon chanje, hweil their speling iz deklared
tu be [p]nchanjabel? It iz, ei believ, hardli nesesari that ei shud prove
hou kor[p]pt, efete, and [p]terli irrashonal the prezent sistem ov speling
iz, for now[p]n seemz inkleind tu denei all thát. Ei shal onli kwote,
therefor, the j[p]jment ov w[p]n man, the late Bishop Thirlwall, a man who
never uzed ekzajerated langwej. “Ei luk,” he sez “[p]pon the establisht
sistem, if an aksidental k[p]stom may be so kalld, az a mas ov anomaliz,
the growth ov ignorans and chans, ekwali rep[p]gnant tu gud taste and tu
komon sens. B[p]t ei am aware that the p[p]blik kling tu theze anomaliz
with a tenasiti proporshond tu their abs[p]rditi, and ar jel[p]s ov all
enkroachment on ground konsekrated tu the free play ov bleind kaprise.”
It may be useful, houever, tu kwote the testimonialz ov a fiu praktikal
men in order tu show that this sistem ov speling haz reali bek[p]m w[p]n
ov the greatest nashonal misfortiunz, swolowing [p]p milionz ov m[p]ni
everi year and bleiting all atempts at nashonal ediukashon. Mr. Edward
Jones, a skoolmaster ov great eksperiens, having then siuperintendens ov
the Heibernian Skoolz, Liverpool, rote, in the year 1868:
“The G[p]vernment haz for the last twenti yearz taken ediukashon [p]nder
its kare. They diveided the subjekts ov instr[p]kshon intu siks gradez.
The heiest point that woz atempted in the G[p]vernment Skoolz woz that a
piupil shud be abel tu read with tolerabel eaze and ekspreshon a pasej
from a niuzpaper, and tu spel the same with a tolerabel amount ov
akiurasi.”
Let [p]s luk at the rez[p]lts az they apear in the report ov the Komíti ov
Kounsil on Ediukashon for 1870-71:
Skoolz or Departments [p]nder separate hed teacherz in Ingland and Walez
inspekted diuring the year 31st August, 1870, 15,287
Sertifikated asistant, and piupil teacherz emploid in theze skoolz,
28,033
Skolarz in daili averej atendans throughout the year, 1,168,981
Skolarz prezent on the day ov inspekshon, 1,473,883
Skolarz prezented for ekzaminashon:
[P]nder ten yearz ov aje, 473,444
Over ten yearz ov aje, 292,144
Total: 765,588
Skolarz prezented for Standard VI.:
[P]nder ten yearz ov aje, 227
Over ten yearz ov aje, 32,953
Total: 33,180
Skolarz who past in Standard VI.:
1. Reading a short paragraf from a niuzpaper, 30,985
2. Reiting the same from diktashon, 27,989
3. Arithmetik, 22,839
Therfor, les than w[p]n skolar for each teacher, and les than two skolarz
for each skool inspekted, reacht Standard VI.
In 1873 the state ov thingz, akording tu the ofishal ret[p]rnz ov the
Ediukashon Department, woz m[p]ch the same. Ferst ov all, ther ought tu
hav been at skool 4,600,000 children between the ajez ov three and
therteen. The number ov children on the rejister ov inspekted skoolz woz
2,218,598. Out ov thát number, about 200,000 leav skool aniuali, their
ediukashon beïng supozed tu be finisht. Out ov theze 200,000, neinti per
sent. leav without reaching the 6th Standard, eighti per sent. without
reaching the 5th, and siksti per sent. without reaching the 4th Standard.
The report for 1874-75 showz an inkreas ov children on the buks, b[p]t the
proporshon ov children pasing in the vari[p]s standardz iz s[p]bstanshali
the same. (See “Popiular Ediukashon,” bei E. Jones, B.A., an
eks-skoolmaster, 1875.) It iz kalkiulated that for such rezults az theze
the k[p]ntri, hwether bei taksashon or bei voluntari kontribiushonz, payz
nearli £3,500,000 aniuali.
Akording tu the same authoriti, Mr. E. Jones, it nou takes from siks tu
seven yearz tu lern the arts ov reading and speling with a fair degree ov
intelijens—thát iz, about 2,000 ourz; and tu meni meindz the difik[p]ltiz
ov orthografi ar ins[p]rmountabel. The bulk ov the children pas through
the G[p]vernment skoolz without having akweird the abiliti tu read with
eaze and intelijens.
“An averej cheild,” sez anuthcr skoolmaster, “begining skool at seven,
ought tu be abel tu read the Niu Testament fluentli at eleven or twelv
yearz ov aje, and at therteen or fourteen ought tu be abel tu read a gud
leading artikel with eaze and ekspreshon.” That iz, with seven ourz a week
for forti weeks for feiv yearz, a cheild rekweirz 1,400 ourz’ w[p]rk, tu
be abel tu read the Niu Testament.
After a kareful ekzaminashon ov y[p]ng men and wimen from therteen tu
twenti yearz ov aje in the faktoriz ov Birmingham, it woz proved that onli
4-½ per sent. wer abel tu read a simpel sentens from an ordinari skool-buk
with intelijens and akiurasi.
This apleiz tu the lower klasez. B[p]t with regard tu the heier klasez the
kase seemz almost w[p]rs; for Dr. Morell, in hiz “Maniual ov Speling,”
aserts that out ov 1,972 failiurz in the Sivil Servis Ekzaminashonz 1,866
kandidates wer pl[p]kt for speling.
So much for the piupilz. Am[p]ng the teacherz themselvz it woz found in
Amerika that out ov w[p]n h[p]ndred komon w[p]rdz the best speler am[p]ng
the eighti or neinti teacherz ekzamind faild in w[p]n, s[p]m preiz-takerz
faild in four or feiv, and s[p]m [p]therz mist over forti. The Depiuti
State Siuperintendent deklared that on an averej the teacherz ov the State
wud fail in speling tu the ekstent ov 25 per sent.
Hwot, houever, iz even more seri[p]s than all this iz not the great waste
ov teim in lerning tu read, and the almost komplete failiur in nashonal
ediukashon, but the aktiual mischef d[p]n bei s[p]bjekting y[p]ng meindz
tu the illojikal and tedi[p]s dr[p]jeri ov lerning tu read Inglish az
speld at prezent. Everithing they hav tu lern in reading (or
pron[p]nsiashon) and speling iz irrashonal; w[p]n rule kontradikts the
[p]ther, and each statement haz tu be aksepted simpli on authoriti, and
with a komplete disregard ov all thoze rashonal instinkts which lei
dormant in the cheild, and ought tu be awakend bei everi keind ov helthi
ekserseiz.
Ei nó ther ar personz who kan defend enithing, and who hold that it iz diu
tu this veri disiplin that the Inglish karakter iz hwot it iz; that it
retainz respekt for authoriti; that it d[p]z not rekweir a reazon for
everithing; and that it duz not admit that hwot iz inkonseivabel iz
therefor imposibel. Even Inglish orthodoksi haz been trast bak tu thát
hiden sourse, bekauz a cheild akustomd tu believe that t-h-o-u-g-h iz
_tho_, and that t-h-r-o-u-g-h iz _throo_, w[p]d afterwardz believe
enithing. It may be so; stil ei dout hwether even such objekts wud
justifei s[p]ch meanz. Lord Lytton sez, “A more leiing, round-about,
p[p]zel-heded deluzhon than thát bei hwich we konfiúz the klear instinkts
ov truth in our ak[p]rsed sistem ov speling woz never konkokted bei the
father ov fol·shud.... Hou kan a sistem ov ediukashon fl[p]rish that
beginz bei so monstr[p]s a fols·hud, hwich the sens ov hearing s[p]feisez
tu kontradikt?”
Though it may seem a w[p]rk ov siupererogashon tu bring forward stil more
fakts in s[p]port ov the jeneral kondemnashon past on Inglish speling, a
fiu ekstrakts from a pamflet bei Mr. Meiklejohn, late Asistant-Komishoner
ov the Endoud Skoolz Komishon for Skotland, may here feind a plase.
“Ther ar therteen diferent wayz ov reprezenting the sound ov long
_o_:—_note_, _boat_, _toe_, _yeoman_, _soul_, _row_, _sew_, _hautboy_,
_beau_, _owe_, _floor_, _oh!_, _O!_”
And agen (p. 16),
“Double-you-aitch-eye-see-aitch is _which_
Tea-are-you-tea-aitch is _truth_
Bee-o-you-gee-aitch is _bough_
See-are-eh-bee is _crab_
Bee-ee-eh-see-aitch is _beach_
Oh-you-gee-aitch-tee is _ought_
Oh-enn-see-ee is _once_
“Or, tu sum up the hole indeitment agenst the kulprit: 1. Out ov the
twenti-siks leterz, onli eight ar true, fikst, and permanent kwolitiz—thát
iz, are true both tu eí and ear. 2. Ther ar therti-eight distinkt soundz
in our spoken langwej; and ther ar about 400 distinkt simbolz (simpel and
kompound) tu reprezent theze therti-eight soundz. In [p]ther wurdz, ther
ar 400 servants tu do the w[p]rk ov therti-eight. 3. Ov the twenti-siks
leterz, fifteen hav akweird a habit ov heiding themselvz. They ar riten
and printed; b[p]t the ear haz no akount ov them; such ar _w_ in _wrong_,
and _gh_ in _right_. 4. The vouel soundz ar printed in diferent wayz; a
long o, for ekzampel, haz therteen printed simbolz tu reprezent it. 5.
Fourteen vouel soundz hav 190 printed simbolz atácht tu their servis. 6.
The singel vouel e haz feiv diferent funkshonz; it ought onli tu hav
w[p]n. 7. Ther ar at least 1,300 w[p]rdz in hwich the simbol and the sound
ar at varians—in hwich the w[p]rd iz not sounded az it iz printed. 8. Ov
theze 1,300, 800 ar monosilabelz—the komonest w[p]rdz, and s[p]pozed tu be
eazier for children. 9. The hole langwej ov k[p]ntri children leiz within
theze w[p]rdz; and meni agrikultiural laborerz go from the kradel tu the
grave with a stok ov no more than 500 w[p]rdz.”
The kwestion, then, that wil hav tu be anserd sooner or later iz this:—Kan
this unsistematik sistem ov speling Inglish be aloud tu go on for ever? Iz
everi Inglish cheild, az kompared with [p]ther children, tu be m[p]lkted
in two or three yearz ov hiz leif in order tu lern it? Ar the lower klasez
tu go through skool without lerning tu read and reit their own langwej
intelijentli? And iz the kuntri tu pay milionz everi year for this [p]ter
failiur ov nashonal ediukashon? Ei do not believ that s[p]ch a state ov
thingz wil be aloud tu kontiniu for ever, partikiularli az a remedi iz at
hand—a remidi that haz nou been tested for twenti or therti yearz, and
that haz anserd ekstremli wel. Ei mean Mr. Pitman’z sistem ov fonetik
reiting, az apleid tu Inglish. Ei shal not enter here intu eni miniút
disk[p]shon ov fonetiks, or re-open the kontroversi hwich haz arizen
between the advokets ov diferent sistemz ov fonetik reiting. Ov kourse,
ther ar diferent degreez ov ekselens in diferent sistemz ov fonetik
speling; but even the w[p]rst ov theze sistemz iz infinitli siuperior tu
the tradishonal speling.
Ei giv Mr. Pitman’z alfabet, hwich komprehendz the therti-siks broad
tipikal soundz ov the Inglish langwej, and aseinz tu each a definit sein.
With theze therti-siks seinz, Inglish kan be riten rashonali and red
eazili; and, hwot iz most important, it haz been proved bei an eksperiens
ov meni yearz, bei niumer[p]s p[p]blikashonz, and bei praktikal
eksperiments in teaching both children and ad[p]lts, that such a sistem az
Mr. Pitman’z iz perfektli praktikal.