Imatges de pàgina
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Be this, however, as it may, the preceding instance tells us that there are cases where "England for the English" is not an absolute rule. It leads, however, into further complications: for it enlarges the sphere of the system to which every new letter may have to adapt itself. In an alternative, for instance, between two signs, the constructor who holds that, if one letter has a certain currency in certain important languages, while another has not, the latter should go to the wall, there is much to be said on both sides. For what are the languages which are of sufficient importance to demand this abatement of the original rule ? Is the practice of the French, the Italian, the Spanish, the Portugese, and, above all, the Latin on one side, sufficient to outweigh that of the German, the Dutch, the Danish, the Swedish, the Icelandic, and the Greek on the other-supposing that cork be the letter in question? We know that on this point doctors have disagreed; and, individually, I have a strong opinion that the decision in favor of k is the right one. But the question is a complex one. Now the more comprehensive and more ambitious a reformer's view may be, the greater the amount of the complications that embarrass him. No one doubts as to the advantages of a Universal Alphabet-optandum magis quam sperandum. Other things, then, being equal, the spelling that favors it should prevail. For the present purpose, I am neither comprehensive nor ambitious; but, if I were so, I should certainly be perplexed in more cases than one, as to my choice of a sign or letter.

Then there is another complication. It seems to be a matter of almost instinctive unanimity that vowels within the same degrees of longness and shortness (so called) should be represented by signs of some appreciable similarity. No one would propose a letter like the Greek xi (E5) for a vowel. How far is this principle to extend ?-for it is a principle, though no definite reason for its existence or its limitations has been given with any adequate exposition. What are we to do with sounds like the th in thin and in thine? Are they to be t and d with a difference?-for such is the phonetic relation: or are they to be as unlike as fand p, vandb? I can only say, that though it is not upon any a priori principle at all that this or that sign will be constructed, the very suggestion of a principle of any kind suggests a corresponding choice of alternatives.

Again-and as I am only writing for the sake of illustration, and that for the third and last time, -what are we to do with our superfluous letters, such as c, x, and q, which even the ordinary grammarians admit to be redundant? Are we to eliminate them altogether, or are we to use them up-utilise them as the word isas old signs with a new import?

"Utilise them, by all means," says A, "because it will save the excogitation of a new letter."

"Fling them away off-hand, and have done with them," says B, "because the new power will give us the trouble of unlearning the old one."

Who will decide on the comparative value of these two recommendations and the two reasons by which they are accompanied ? Surely, then, if from one point of view the construction of an alphabet is a light matter, it is, from another, a very grave one. But all this may, possibly, be got over; for every one of the preceding questions can be reasoned on. So can certain points connected with the forms of the several letters. A printer may decide that one of a pair is better for the press; a copyist that it is better for the pen ; a reader may say whether it is or is not sufficiently distinct. But what are we to say to the Strange-appearance objection? We have already said that next to nothing can be said about it by any third party. The common sense of the body of readers must decide upon it; and the decision cannot be delivered extempore.

An alphabet must have had a certain amount of existence, must have lived so long, must have been submitted to so much trial, must have undergone so much wear and tear before a single vote can be given either in confirmation or condemnation of it. The inference from this is self-evident. We must take the best working alphabet as we find it. To wait for one which will, on mere inspection, satisfy all the world is to wait, like the clown at the river, till the water becomes, of its own accord, and for his special accommodation, dry land.

On the

This is, naturally, the introduction to what follows, viz., the prelude to the only working alphabet, that, lying ready for us, precludes us from any excuse for waiting till some other alphabet which shall please everybody is constructed. To wait for this is to fold our hands and live in expectancy sine die. It was not extemporised. contrary, it is the result of much consideration and practice extending over a quarter of a century. It does not pretend to be a construction which, by mere inspection, satisfies every inspector upon every point. And this the constructors tell us implicitly; for they say with truth that the test is to be found in the attempt to make a better one. It is needless to say that the primary details of the analysis of sounds is complete, and that there is no room whatever for improvement in this matter. Of the rest the reader must judge for himself. It is perfectly impossible for one reader to say how such or such a character may strike the eye of another. He has only to urge three cautions in the criticism of the general character of the alphabet as it is about to be presented to him; or, rather, he has to repeat (and the caution will bear repetition)-(1) the difficulty of improvement; (2) the fact of the alphabet being not only ready-made to his hands, but in actual use; and (3) the simple fact of novelty and unfamiliarity; which has nearly as much to do with what is called the Strangeness of Appearance, as the individual forms of the several new letters themselves.

THE PHONETIC ALPHABET.

The phonetic letters in the first column are pronounced like the italic letters in the words that follow.

column contains the names of the letters.

The last

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DIPHTHONGS: Hį, Uų, OU ou, ΟΙ oi.

as heard in by, new,

now,

boy.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.

The writer of the following letter, which appeared in the School Board Chronicle for 2nd September, 1871, is Mr Edward Jones, master of the Hibernian Schools, Liverpool.

Durin de diskofonz whig presided de pasin ov de Elementari Edukefon Akt, de Rit On. W. E. Forster, Vis-Prezident or de Edukefon Department, med de folrin stetment az tu whot gildren ov de workin populeson at tu bi tot in primari skulz befor enterin spon a lif ov lebor :

It me bi teken for granted dat wi ot not tu rest until in dis įland ov ourz everi Inglif çild haz an elementari eduksjon. Hát minz ridin se dat hi kan onderstand whot hi ridz, and fink about it, rit so dat it kan bi red, and sįferin so dat de figurz kan bi ov som us. diz ar nesesitiz. den der ar de komforts ov edukefon: som nolej ov gramar, som nolej ov de ert on whig wi liv, and som nolej ov de histori ov our on kantri. Goin a litel førder, tu whot me bi kold biznes, do diz olse wil bi kold nesesari, som nolej ov politikal ekonomi, som nolej ov de rudimentari prinsipelz ov siens, som nolej ov de langwej nekst most usful tu ourz-de Freng. Hen it wud bi a pur skal in whig der woz not som tiçin ov atenson tu industri, dilijens, obidiens, order, and politnes; and, mor important dan diz, a nolej ov rit and ron, and de motivz tu di rit and tu avoid ron.

His woz Mr Forster'z estimet ov de standard ov eduksjon whig sud bi emd at in primari skwlz.

In de report or de Edukefon Department for last yir, whig berz de signaturz ov Mr Forster and Lord Ripon, de folerin akount ov de atenments ov de gildren in inspekted skulz iz given :--" If wi apli tu de gildren atendin our skwlz eni test ov der atenments at ol properfond tu der respektiv ejez, wi fal find dat de rezults ar far bele eni standard dat kan bi aksepted az satisfaktori." He report prosidz tu giv de numberz ov gildren huu past de ekzaminefon in de verios gredz. de nomber hu past de Sikst Standard, in whig de pupilz ar rekwįrd tu rid a fort pasej from a nuzpeper and tu rit de sem wid korekt spelin, iz given at 28,000-emitin de od numberzwhig iz olmost identikal wit de nomber ov masterz, mistresez, and pupil-tigerz emploid. Hát iz tu se, de tigerz nou emploid in inspekted skulz ar ebel tu torn out won pupil apis per anom ebel tu rid an ordinari pasej from a nuzpeper wit fer intelijens, and tu spel de sem wid akurasi. Wel me Mr Forster and Lord Ripon ekspres der dissatisfakson wit diz miger rezolts!

Whį ar diz rezolts se unsatisfaktori? Mog, doutles, iz ein tu de broken atendans ov de gildren and de erli ej at whig de ar witdron from skwl; bot dis wil not akount for ol de defifensi.

Ol tigerz ar agrid, houever, in tresin tu de irregularitiz ov de ortografi veri mog ov de bakward stet ov edukeson in our skuilz. Her Majesti'z Inspekterz from tim tu tim point tu dis az a sors ov de gretest perpleksiti tu lernerz. In de report jost poblist, Dr Morél riiterets de oft-repited komplent on dis subjekt; and it wud bi izi tu fil a volum ov protests agenst de anomaliz ov Inglis spelin bį meni ov de mest eminent riterz in de langwej. He inditment ov de Prim Minister iz perhaps de most emfatik or ol de garjez whig hav bin leveld agenst de ortografi. Mr Gladston, in won ov hiz spigez, sed :

I am afred our langwej boderz a forener dredfuli.ofen fink dat if i wer a forener and had tu set about lernin tu pronouns Inglis į sud go mad. onestli kan se į kanot konsiv hou it iz dat a forener lernz hou tu pronouns Inglis, when į rekolekt de total absens ov rul, metod, sistem, and ol de okziliariz whig pipel jenerali get when de hav tu akwir samtin dat iz difikult ov atenment.

Hiz difikultiz, ov kors, most bi enkounterd bi ol Inglif çildren in lerniŋ tu rid and tu rit and spel der netiv ton, and de ar not les formidabel tu dem dan tu de "intelijent forener."

Meni atempts hav bin med tu provid a remedi for dis ivil, whig iz universali felt, til de publik ar olmost wirid wit de kwestion; and yet in eni edukesonal efort dis irrepresibel difikalti olwez krops sp,. houever onwelkom and houever insolubel de problem me apir tu bi. Nou wi apir tu hav kom tu a ded-lok, eduksjonali spikin, for if wi komper de jdial ov Mr Forster, kwoted at de komensment ov dis peper, wit de rial stet ov fiņz az fon in de last report ov de Department over whig Mr Forster se ebli prezidz, wi si der iz a gret golf betwin de tú; and dis wil giv as an idia ov de magnitud ov de task whiç liz befør os az tigerz, and memberz ov Skul Børdz, and de frendz ov edukɛfon jenerali.

Akordin tu de report ov de Rejistrar-Jeneral, it apirz dat about 400,000 gildren pas from de skal ɛj tu de work ej anyali-tát iz, from de ej ov fertin tu førtin. Ov diz, 30,000 enli, akordin tu de last report ov de Edukefon Department ar tot tu rid a nuzpeper and tu spel wit akurasi in de Government skulz trwout de kontri.

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