SPELLING REFORM. The modification of customary spelling in such a way as to remove, or at least lessen. the divergence of orthography from pronunciation. (For the origin, character, and practical results of this divergence, particu larly in English, see SPELLING.) Complete re form of this sort involves: (1) The elimination of superfluous letters (e.g, in English. of two of the equivalent letters c (hard), k. and q): the enlargement of the alphabet by the addition of enough symbols (letters or digraphs) to rep resent all the significant speech-sounds of the language (in English there are 40 elementary sounds and but 26 letters) ; (3) the use of each letter or symbol to represent but one sound: and (4), in English the use of the letters of the al phabet with their Roman values. Among such (proposed) of the English alphabet the most practical is that adopted by the Ameri can Philological Association and given above in the article on SPELLING. If the above-stated con ditions were fulfilled. orthography and pronuncia tion would be in harmony—that is. spelling would be essentially phonetic. While, however, such completeness is the aim of the modern spelling, reformer, it has hitherto remained—and is likely long to remain—merely an ideal. The customary spelling is so firmly connected with the habits, the practical interests, and the aesthetic (liter ary) sentiments of its users that such thorough going reform of it is impracticable, changes in the alphabet especially being very hard to intro duce. The practical efforts of the reformers are accordingly now directed almost exclusively toward the simplification of spelling by the re moval of irregularities which can he eliminated without radically changing the forms of words, aml by the omission of silent letters which are phonetically useless (that is, do not determine the value of another letter, as does the silent c of English hate). Changes of this sort have occurred sporadically at every period in every European language: the spelling reformer at tempts merely to make this familiar process more general and systematic. Rules for such simplifi
cation were adopted in 1883 by the American Philological Association and the British Philo logical Society, and in 1886 a list of amended spellings, based upon them. was adopted by the Philological Association and published in its Transactions. It has since been republished in (and approved by) the leading American diction aries. While simplification of this sort would not, alone, produee phonetic accuracy. it would greatly enhance the phonetic character. uniform ity. and simplicity of English spelling. to the present time, however, spelling reform. even in this restricted sense, though persistently urged by special associations and by persons of high scientific and literary authority. has made but little headway. Certain of the recommendations of the philological societies have been put into practice by a few individuals and journals, and by some scientific societies, but no general ten to adopt them has been evident. Perhaps the most important step in this direction was the adoption by the American National Education Association in MS of the twelve simplified spell ings: Program. tho. altho, thorn. thorofare, thru, thruout, catalog, prolog., decalog. dema gog, pedagog.
In France. where the peculiarities of orthog raphy give spelling reform a practical importance second only to that which it has in English speaking countries, much interest in this subject has long existed. but little has been accomplished. the French being in matters of orthography al most as conservative as the English. The reform has also been active in Geimany. and something has been done there, partienlarly in the omission of silent letters (tat for ihat, etc.). Spanish and Italian spelling are so simple and so largely phonetie that the practical reasons for reform have relatively little application to them.