International English Spelling:how systematic repair is possibleA conceptual breakthru to impruve English spelling sistematically
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A set of seven principls can remove the disadvantages of present spelling and enhance its advantages, with minimum change in its familiar appearance. 'Interspel' operates on three levels to facilitate transition. 'Top-down' 'Spelling for reading without traps' makes minimal change in the familiar appearance of spelling. 'Bottom-up' initial sound-simbol spelling for learners is also a dictionary pronunciation gide. This is modified by systematic 'morfemic' principls to become 'Spelling for riting without traps', which acomodates both 'reading by iy and riting by ear'. Thirty or so very common irregular words and suffixes remain unchanged. A first start can be simply to cut out surplus letters in words when they serv no purpos to indicate meaning or pronunciation. Since 56% of literat adults cannot spell accommodate, spell it as acomodate insted. This monograf is also available as pdf Other web-pages on spelling and writing systems explain principles for spelling reform, Contents of this page
Appendices
Summary of the seven principls
These seven principles are a feasible way to prevent English spelling remaining a barrier to literacy. They change only around 2.6% of letters in everyday text, so present readers are hardly inconvenienced, and result in a more predictable relationship to the spoken language for international users, learners and spellers. Its more consistent visible relationship of related words regularises the 'Chomsky' feature of English spelling to assist faster automatic visual recognition in reading for meaning, keep our heritage of print accessible, and improve not lose, visible relationships with international vocabulary in other languages. These all call for experiment and investigation. |
INTRODUCTIONMost modern languages have implemented major or minor reforms of their writing systems in the past 150 years. English spelling alone has not been improved. Yet orthography requires the same human-engineering research and development as the rest of modern communications technology, since it is an essential tool (Yule, 1986). The challenge is to retain the advantages of present spelling but take out its difficulties, rather than more sweeping change. This policy has many practical advantages in retaining backwards compatibility and costs of implementation. Present spelling has useful features that suit the English language and its users, and that are overlooked by proposers of new systems or plain phonemics. There is a basic underlying system that can be made consistent by applying principles rather than ad hoc series of rules, which has been another approach. The assumptions against improving English spelling can be turned into ways to improve it. For example, Noam Chomsky’s work on deep phonology (Chomsky & Halle, 1968, and Carol Chomksy, 1970) is still misinterpreted as a key argument against spelling reform, to his expressed distress. The way to go is to apply ‘Chomsky’ to improve spelling. Do not let your hackles rise against any changes, at least for ten minutes. Any change in a long-learned habit is affected by psychologist Gordon Allport’s insight that we can stand our own spit but other people’s spit is revolting. Spelling is like spit. Your own misspellings are OK to you but anyone else’s altered spellings can seem to you - well, spittable. That is, until they are familiar and you become used to them. We no longer spell develop with an e on the end, and Frenzy with a ph - but that took us over a hundred years, and there are still doughty diehards fighting these changes.Yet while dictionary English spelling is static, informal spelling is in flux if not chaos, as is everywhere observed - from Text Messages on mobile phones, decisions to stop marking down undergraduates’ exam papers for spelling errors, advertising spelling, and linguist Vivian Cook’s revelations in his little book about broccoli in the graveyard that is spelling (Cook, 2004). PRINCIPLE 1. Retain half of everyday text unchanged. The rationale for this conceptual breakthrough is simple. Only one hundred common words make up about half of everything you read, and only thirty-one of these ubiquitous words are irregular. If thirty-one words are given to learners to acquire explicitly as ‘tricky sight-words’ for rote-learning, that is not too many even for beginners, who are capable of learning up to forty words from flash-cards without decoding, and who can then be assured that the rest of English spelling will be manageable. Contrast the present burden. Suggested ‘sight-words’ are: PRINCIPLE 2 Continue to regard spelling as a standardized convention, as it is now, but systematized and the simpler the better - for example banana for banana, despite its three different ‘a’ sounds. Dog can be read by anyone as saying dog, regardless of how you say dog. That is, spelling representation is like a line sketch of a man that is recognized for such the world over, rather than a photograph, that is, of a specific man. The traditional aim of phonemic reform, spelling as you speak, comes to grief in decisions over choice of dialects, as if spelling were to be like the photograph. Instead, the standardized representation of words would simply be taken from present standard UK and American dictionaries, but applied in spelling as in formal speech-making, not slurred as in casual talk, for example, indescrìbabl rather than, say, ‘ndscribbl, independant not indpendnt, pictùr not pikcha. When you say words like spesial or qestion quickly, they sound like speshl and kweschn. (For present purposes the definition of a phoneme is a speech sound that discriminates words in a language.) This clear representation of the full structure of words would help to keep global Englishes similar in pronunciation rather than drifting into further dialects and slurrings. National Englishes would maintain their individuality in their vocabulary development, which can be shared with the world too, as well as in our distinctive accents, which are inevitable, and indeed charming, unless global broadcasting homogenizes us all. In my own multicultural Australia, the diversity of the pronunciation of English, and our tolerance of this, demonstrates how faint now is the possibility of a global closely phonemic spelling system - broadband is essential. There are already several thousand words with alternative but similar spellings in dictionaries. This flexibility would be extended, especially during transition, but not to the extent of disturbing automatic visual recognition in reading. PRINCIPLE 3The original base of English spelling, the alphabetic principle that letters represent sounds, is the base in its systematic repair. Beginners start with direct sound-symbol correspondence, it is used dictionary pronunciation keys, and acceptable for informal writing. Vowel letters a e i o u represent both long and short vowels, a massive simplification, but long vowelscan have a grav accent as diacritic when needed, or be given the ‘silent e’ treatment - the latter chiefly to enable recognition reading of present spelling, not required for memorizing or writing. The details here are tentative.a. Consonants. As in i. Morfemic: Final /ss/ for single nouns and adjectives, as in iii. RR distinguishes a short vowel when needed as in carrot corral currant. (Contrast car, coral cur.) b. Vowels. Vowel spellings are based on existing dominant spelling patterns. a e i o u as in mat pet bit not cut A E I O U as in màt pèt bìt nòt cùt or, in transition, as in mate, pete, bite, note, cutear er air or au as in car perturb (ur is stressed) hair fort taut ow oy oo oo as in round boil boot ?buuk At present there is no distinctiv spelling for the sound as in wolf could put book. What is the solution? wlf cd pt bk? wwlf cwd pwt bwk? wulf cud put buk? Sequences of vowels are very simply represented. Accents for lerners are optional. a - bazaar pàella dàis (paid) càos taute - idèa, (year) (meet) bèing crèol hidèusi - dìal dìet flìing ìota pìus o - òasis, (boat) pòet gòing(boil) Zoo/zòolojy out u - dùal sùet flùid dùo inocùus For reading, seven additional one-way vowel spellings can be recognized in present spelling, but need not to be learned for writing - ai, ea, ee, igh, oa, ew, ir. Each of these spelling patterns is pronounced only one way, not many ways as now, and nobody has to learn these spelling patterns to use themselves. Details of three considerations that apply are discussed in appendices below that are summarized here: 1. The English primary vowel system rather than ‘Continental’. i. The English short vowels a e i o u are used in the English language far more often then the Continental sounds as in pasta, ballet, police, depot tabu, so changed spellings would be fairly drastic. ii. In English vocabulary the toggling of short and long vowels in many word families gives great advantages when both long and short vowels are spelled with a e i o u , the long vowels being distinguished when necessary by diacritics, as with à è ì ò ù. The visual representation of word families is greatly enhanced (the Chomsky line). Spelling reform thinking to date has overlooked this advantage. iii. In latin-alfabet languages of the world a great deal of shared English and classically-derived vocabulary is visually similar when the English versions keep their present spelling/sound relationship. 2. The effects of commonality of visual representation of long and short vowels for reading for meaning. 3 The concept of an initial learning spelling. The advantages when an initial phonemic learning spelling modifies rapidly and systematically into adult text that also allows reading of present spelling. Exampl - a passage from Don Quixote in beginners spelling with a fonemic base, consistent spellings for final vowels, plus 31 very common irregular words learnt as ‘sight words’. In a vilaj in La Mancha in Spàn, of which I cannot remember the nàm, ther livd not long ago an òld-fashond jentlmen, who was never without a lanss upon a stand, an òld shèld, a thin horss and a grayhound. He àt bèf mor than muton; and, with minsd mèt on mòst nìts, lentils on Frìdays, and a pijon on Sundays, he consùmd thre-quorters of his income. The rest was spent on a plush còt, velvet briches, with velvet slipers for holidays; and a sùt of the best hòmspun cloth, which he gàv himself for wurking-days. The master was nearly fifty years òld, with a helthy and strong complexion. His body was long and his fàs was thin. He was an erly rìzer, and a luver of hunting. 4. Morfemic principlesVisual representation of units of meaning promotes fast automatic recognition of meaning, and give clues to vocabulary and grammar.
5. Words that sound the same.Only a handful of sets of words that are ‘homofones’, may need to be spelled differently to avoid confusion, eg possibly too/to (?tu) /two, for/fore/four/ know/no. Most homofones are already spelled the same, and the meaning is automatically directed by context. You can check this up yourself. In the last few paragrafs, homofonic homografs have included second, present, conventions, just, long, short, can, pronounced, fast, base, even, sound, like, letter, and tense. 6. Indicators of irregular stress. Irregular stress in words can cause confusion and even incomprehension for learners, especially foriners. It can be indicated by dubld letters as in comitty, umbrella, and lapell contrasted with làbel; by syllabic consonants when schwa sounds are minimal, as in melncoly ;and with ‘ur’ for the stressed ‘er’ sound, as in perturb. This is a flexibl matter and adult text may simplify, e.g. predicament rather than prediccament, but both acseptabl. 7. Some transitional features, and personal spellings for names and placesSilent initial letters are temporarily retaind to avoid problems with dictionary serches, as with psìcology and knot.The spelling of names of pepl and places are the owners’ responsibility and right.Spellings for French imported words - Most imported words can be given an English spelling, but some, especialy French, are so problematic to respel they may be best left until the pronunciation has ‘englishd’, as with beef, porkand mutton. Lerners can be given a page that lists Continental sounds and untransliterabl forin spelling patterns and pronunciation rules- e.g for bouffant boutique boudoir bouffe bouillon bouquet bourgeois bourgeoisie - rather than attempting, as some have tried, buurzhwaazee or boekai - until eventually such words become mor anglicised in everyday speech, as in perhaps, depo, amatur, cadett? ApplicationsThe result is spelling without traps. As fonts and handwriting can be varied according to purpose, so ‘spelling without traps’ can be adapted to vary according to three purposes – for reading; for reading aloud and showing pronunciation by adding occasional acsents for long vowels, and dubld letters for unexpected stress; and thirdly for writing and initial lerning. 1. Spelling without traps for reading is almost identical to what we now have, is but without traps. The only training required for present readers is to realize that sounds as in the letter names A E I O U can be represented with grav accents as in à è ì ò ù. ii. During this transition, new readers will read some spelling variations, with one-way pronunciation, but new writers will only need one-way spelling. 2. Spelling without traps for reading with pronunciation clues includes grav accents to show long vowels and dubld letters to show unexpected stress. 3. Spelling without traps for beginners and for writing. Writers are not bothered with having to recall alternative spellings. See example above. Investigation and action. Informal change in English spelling should not add more uncòordinated càos, as has happened with some past changes intended to improve. Spelling improvement needs informal experiments by anyone - test out yourself what you like when you like. We can conduct our own experiments on the Net, and rebel at some of the stupidities that for so long have been enforced as a social strategy to keep the hoi polloi off the ladder of social mobility. Anyone could start with cutting out surplus letters that serve no purpose in representing meaning or pronunciation, as in acomodate, delicat, disiplin, gardian, forin. (See Appendix D on surplus letters in words.) In the experimental pilot stages, publications can decide on their own house-styls, which may mix the three levels, or amend present spellings towards them. There may be more trends to ‘spelling pronunciation’ – speaking as it is spelled – as well as the dominant trend to streamline our written words.Minor details such as predictabl conventions for schwa in suffixes can also be sorted out, but there must be research - and official grants for R & D in this neglected branch of comunications tecnology. For some reformers, R & D is a word connoting postponement and expense, but no one can claim that it has not produced amazing practical results in all other areas of modern IT.Once spelling change gets on the way, it can move fast – as it has with text messaging, but it must not move into just other forms of caos. English spelling has been a social oppression, and a global oppression. It needs an International English Spelling Commission, because the English language now belongs to the world, and not to a chosen few. To be passive and not to rise up against these barriers to literacy represents what has been called ‘a failure of the human spirit’. |
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Examples of the many traditional spellings of the long vowels a bake play baby wait raise maize great eight straight dahlias gaols they reign ballet matinees veils bouquets N 17 e we beat chief street police machine please freeze cheese receive people believe key league N14 i hi-fi my die like light sign either dye island guide eyed diamond aisle choir N14 o old float know rogue chauffeur depot mauve brooch shoulder folk though, beau ghost Cologne N14 u music new due refuse you view Hugh beautiful ewe deuce feud juice lieu fugue N14 Appendix C. An initial learning spelling The concept of an initial learning spelling has been around for a long time, as with Pitman’s initial teaching alphabet, i.t.a, which gave learners the shoehorn into how to read, but they had to adapt later to traditional spelling (TO), not all with success, particularly in spelling. In the repaired English spelling that is proposed here, the original alphabetic base first acquired by learners is almost imediatly modified by the further principles, so that even within weeks it is possible to read a spelling system that is ‘traditional spelling cleaned up’, and they can begin to read it almost from the start. Appendix D. Surplus letters in English spelling Up to 6% of letters in words in English text are surplus, serving no purpose in representing meaning or pronunciation, and indeed often mislead. Individuals can make their first step to improve their spelling by dropping letters they clearly see are useless.
On the other hand, readers take longer to adjust to changed letters in words, and adding letters changes the appearance even more and encounters most resistance. Spelling reformers can check this out with their own proposals. ‘F’ rather than ‘ph’ for the sound /f/ is a welcomed improvement, which has been increasing since 1750, as for example, phrenzy gives way to frenzy. ‘F’ is shorter, it is the modern translation of the Greek original, and we often see it internationally, eg at airports, with ‘telefon’ ‘fotograf’ etc. The Sixteen Word Spelling Test Some or all of these words may be incorrectly spelled.
See The 16-word spelling test for details of findings from this simple test. Most people, even literacy educators, cannot write out all these 16 words correctly. The missing letters are not even missed, or cannot be replaced correctly. Appendix E. Spelling without traps for readers Don Quixote is a suitabl hero to illustrate spelling reform. 'Spelling without traps for readers' retains 31 very comon words with irregular spellings; several different spelling patterns may represent one speech sound, but all are consistent, except for two possible pronunciations for c/ce and g/ge. The five primary vowels may be long or short. Diacritics assist pronunciation when needed. In a village in La Mancha in Spain, of which I cannot remember the name, ther livd not long ago one of those òld-fashond gentlmen, who ar never without a lance upon a stand, an òld shield, a thin hors and a grayhound. He ate beef mor than mutton; and, with minsd meat on mòst nights, lentils on Frìdays, and a pidgeon on Sundays, he consùmed three-quorters of his income. The rest was spent on a plush coat, velvet britches, with velvet slippers for holidays ; and a sùte of the best homespun cloth, which he gave himself for wurking-days. The master was nearly fifty years òld, with a helthy and strong complexion, lean-bodyd and thin-faced, an erly rìser, and a luver of hunting. Some say his surname was Quixada, ie. ‘lantern-jaws’, tho this dus not matter much tu us, as long as we keep strictly to the trùth in every point of this history. References1. A short list to illustrate the range of research alredy available Adams, M J. 1990. Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Bell, M. 2005. Understanding English Spelling. Cambridge, UK: Pegasus Educational. Chomsky, C. 1970. Reading, writing and phonology. Harvard Educational Review, 40:287-309. Fishman, J. (Ed) 1977. Advances in the creation and revision of writing systems. The Hague: Mouton. Frith, U (Ed) 1980. Cognitive processes in spelling. London: Academic Press Lieberman, I. & Shankweiler, D. 1991. On phonology and beginning reading In Rieben, L & Perfetti, C. (Eds.) Learning to read: basic research and its implications. Hillsdale, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Perfetti, C A, Rieben, L & Fayol, M (Eds.) 1997. Learning to spell: Research, theory & practice across languages. Hillsdale, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum associates. Pitman J & St John J. 1969. Alphabets & Reading. London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons. Rieben, L & Perfetti, C A (Eds.) 1991. Learning To Read: Basic Research And Its Implications. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Upward, C. 1996. Cut Spelling: a Handbook. Simplified Spelling Society. 2nd edn. Venezky, R L. 1999. The American way of spelling: the structure and origins of American English Orthography. NY: The Guilford Press. Yule, V. 1986. The design of spelling. Harvard Educational Review. 56: 278-297. Yule, V. 1994. Problems that face research in the design of English spelling. Visible Language. 28: 1.26-47 2. Further examples of research in cognitive psychology and education show that much of the necessary work has already been done and still stands today. However, highly relevant fields such as computational linguistics, artificial intelligence and neurolinguistics are advancing so rapidly that references would soon be outdated. The tasks now are co-ordination, filling in the gaps, and the practical application of spelling improvement. Chall, J. 1967, 3rd edn,1996. Learning to read: The great debate. New York: McGraw-Hill. Clarke, A C. 1962. Profiles of the future. London: Gollancz. (For attitude.) Coltheart, M. 1984. Writing systems and reading disorders. In L. Henderson (Ed.) op. cit. Coltheart, M & Coltheart, V. 1997. Reading comprehension is not exclusively reliant upon phonological representation. Cognitive Neuropsychology. 14.1.167-175. Dewey, G. 1971 .English spelling: Roadblock to reading. Columbia University: Teachers College Press. Ehri, L C. 1989. The development of spelling knowledge and its role in reading acquisition and reading disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 222, 356-365. Ehri, L C. 1991. Learning to read and spell words.In Rieben, L & Perfetti, C. (Eds.) Learning to read: basic research and its implications. Hillsdale, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Gillis, S, & Ravid, D. 2000. Effects of phonology and morphology in children's orthographic systems: a cross-linguistic study of Hebrew and Dutch. In E. Clark (Ed.), The proceedings of the 30th annual child language research forum, pp. 203-210. Stanford, CA: Center for the Study of language and Information. Goswami, U. 2003.How to beat dyslexia.The Psychologist.16.9.462-5. Gottlob, R, Goldinger, S D, Stone, G O. & Van Orden, G C. 1999. Reading homographs: orthographic, phonologic, and semantic dynamics. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance. 25.2. 561-574. Gregersen, E A. 1986. Morphological considerations in the creation of rational orthographies. Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society. 14-17. Hanley, J R, Masterson, J, Spencer, L H. & Evans, D. 2005. How long do the advantages of learning to read a transparent orthography last? An investigation of the reading skills and incidence of dyslexia in Welsh children at 10 years of age. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. Harris & Hatano, G. (Eds.)1999. Learning to read and write: A cross-linguistic perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Henderson, L. (Ed.) 1984. Orthographies and reading. Perspectives from cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and linguistics. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Huey, E. B. 1908/1968. The psychology and pedagogy of reading. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Kavanagh, J F & I. G. Mattingly. I G (Eds.) 1972. Language by ear and by eye. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Kavanagh, J F & Venezky, R L. (Eds.) 1980. Orthography, Reading and Dyslexia. Baltimore: University Park Press. Landerl, K, Wimmer, H, & Frith, U. (1997). The impact of orthographic consistency on dyslexia: A German-English comparison. Cognition, 63, 315-334. Lauder, Afferbeck. 1965. Less Stalk Strine. Sydney: Ure Smith. (A lexicon of Oz Spel as u speak) Mosely, D V & Nicol, C. (undated. circa 1980.) Aurally Coded English Spelling Dictionary. Wisbech, Cambs: Learning Development Aids. Mwaura, P. 2003. Africa stays tied to colonial tongues. Guardian Weekly TEFL supplement, August, p 1. National Reading Panel. 2000. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction, http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/report.htm Paulesu, E, Demonet, J-F, Fazio, F, McCrory, E, et al. 2001. Dyslexia: cultural diversity and biological unity. Science. March 16. 291. 5511. pp 2165-8. Perfetti, C A, Rieben L, & M. Fayol, M. (Eds.)1997. Learning to spell: Research, theory & practice across languages, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Post, Y V, Swank, P R, Hiscock, M, & Fowler, A E. 1999. Identification of vowel speech sounds by skilled and less skilled readers and the relation with vowel spelling. Annals of Dyslexia, 49. 161-193. Rayner, K, Foorman, B R, Perfetti, C A, Pesetsky, D. & Seidenberg, M S. 2002. How should reading be taught? Scientific American, March, 286. 84-91. Rondthaler, E & Lias, E J. 1986. Dictionary of Simplified American Spelling, Scholars' Edn. New York: The American Language Academy. A mine of information. Seidenberg, M S, Waters, G S, Barnes, M A. & Tannenhaus, M K. 1984. When does irregular spelling or pronunciation influence word recognition? Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 23:383-404. Seymour, P H K, Aro, M. & Erskine, J M. 2003. Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies. British Journal of Psychology. 94. 143-174. Shankweiler,D. & Liberman, I. (Eds.) 1989. Phonology and reading disability: solving the reading puzzle. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Snow, C E, Burns, S, and Griffin, P. 1998. Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Stanovich, K E. 2000. Progress in understanding reading. NY:The Guilford Press. Stuart, M. 1998. Let the emperor retain his underclothes: A response to Scholes' The Case Against Phonemic Awareness. Journal of Research in Reading. 213: 189-194. Templeton, S. 1992. New trends in an historical perspective: old story, new resolution - sound and meaning in spelling. Language Arts, 69, 454- 463. Thorstad, G. 1991. The effect of orthography on the acquisition of literacy skills. British Journal of Psychology. 82.527-537. A comparison of literacy skills of English and Italian children. Treiman, R. & Cassar, M. 1997. Spelling acquisition in English. In C. A. Perfetti, L. Rieben & M. Fayol (Eds.) op.cit. Upward, C. 1987. Heterographs in English. Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society. 1.18-25. - 1992. Is traditionl english spelng mor dificlt than jermn? Journal of Research in Reading, 82-94. Verrekia, L D. 1996. Orthographic representations of lexical stress in English. Dissertation Abstracts International. 576-A, Dec. 2361. Wimmer, H, & Landerl, K. 1997. How learning to spell German differs from learning to spell English In C A Perfetti, L Rieben & M Fayol, (Eds.) Learning to spell: Research, theory & practice across languages, N. J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Yule, V. Publications on spelling 1973 -2004 include articles in the Spelling Progress Bulletin and the Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society. A further short list below: -- 1988. English spelling and pidgin; examples of international English spelling. English Today. 4.3.29-35. - 1992 Orthography and reading: Spelling and society. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Monash University, Australia. Dissertation Abstracts International. vol 536-A, - 1995. The politics of international English spelling. In D. Myers & N. Walker Eds.The politics of Literacy in Australia and the Asian-Pacific Region. Northern Territory University Press, Australia. - 1995. The politics of spelling. In D. Myers Ed. Reinventing Literacy: the Multicultural Imperative. Brisbane. Phaedrus Press, Australia. - 1996. Take-home video for adult literacy. International Review of Education.. 42.1-3. 187-203. - 2001. How people spelled when they could spell as they liked. Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society. 29. 1.34-37Yule, V. 2001. Why English spelling has resisted reform since 1755. Australian Style. 9.1.4. - 2005. The Book of Spells & Misspells. Lewes, Sussex: the Book Guild. - 2005. OzRead&Spell: Help yourself to read and spell,or find out where you got stuck. Experimental Version 11, DVD. To be published online at OzReadandSpell (in preparation). Earlier versions - ABC GO! 1981, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2003, variously in DVD, VHS PAL video, and CD in PC and Mac formats. - Plus unpublished monographs on improving English spelling, 1997-2004, which contain basic information why spelling needs repair, spelling as comunications tecnology, barriers that prevent improvement, teaching literacy, bringing in the future, games and curiosities, and further references. 3. Fuller bibliographies directly on spelling reform are available in publications on the website of the Simplified Spelling Society, www.spellingsociety.org, and Ozideas Internet pages, examples below. |
Miscellaneous notes The English language does not belong to the English any more. It is a global language. Its writing system, then, also belongs to the world, to be as useful as possible for global comunication.
Without improvement, English spelling will continue to be a screening test that keeps out the poor and disadvantaged. Written Standard English currently unites the English-speaking world. Could it unite it more efficiently, and be more user-frendly than it now is? Our assumptions about it being impossible can be challenged, and turned upside down. It is widely believed that English spelling represents morfemes really well, and this would be lost if there was improvement. Grav accents as in à è ì ò ù can indicate that the five English 'long' vowels (spoken like the names of the letters A E I O U) . 1. Introduction 2 Needs and abilities of users and learners 3. The nature and teaching of English spelling 4. Improving English spelling. Older pages show the development of the spelling project. Spelling improvement. 2002. - /spelimp.html 5. Spelling as an entertainment
Other web pages. Some may become out of date. Please let me know. The Children of the Code is a US reading-related TV project - http://www.childrenofthecode.org With my thanks to all whose comments and criticisms have helped in the development of these ideas. |
Valerie Yule, 57 Waimarie Drive, Mount Waverley, Vic. Australia 3149.
Researcher on literacy and imagination.
Formerly of Melbourne, Monash and Aberdeen Universities,
clinical child psychologist and teacher.
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