| Show Ii Changing the Alphabet i By DR FRANK CRANE At the English language congress in Philadelphia It t was proposed to arbitrate change enlarge and otherwise alter the alphabet to make mako it more simile aim sim pIe lle ile and representative This Thia is one one of tim the dictates of f common sense which however r will probably go godown godown down own before beCore the inertia ot of custom There have han been man many efforts s to alter the English En gush glish language by Esperanto J Ido etc to o make the written speech conform more closely to the tho spoken These efforts however er have not been markedly suc sue The trouble is Js that language is custom It It is not reason nor is it controlled by reason Its destiny lies in the habits habits' or off the tho common man Anyone who thinks that the world o lct is looking for a a. reform and to have things made different is mistaken The majority ma ma- of ot the world want things thing's to go on as th they y have been They are used t to them We Va know what Is the difficulty with things that we have and use uso and we do not know what the will vIll be with something new v Xo No amount of ot argument by learned men can induct the common man to change chango unless he feels lik it H. He lie wants change only when the hc change chango is grad gradual al and ond easy and natural The 1 proposal to use a sign for the word the has some somo probability of adoption This word is said Mid to occupy seventh one of ot the tho space on a page By Dy the use of at a a. symbol vast quantities of ot Ink and paper may be saved every year To adopt a a. symbol t for r this word might be feasible When the tho Normans conquered England they were to force torce their speech upon the Saxons and you ou can still trace the influence of the two peoples in our language Things out doors and nd in the fields such as sheep cows etc retain their Saxon names but when they are served up upon n the thc table for tor gentry to eat they are given Norman names like beef bee and mutton The Influence of or the two classes of ot the population population population tion their habits and customs has lasted longer than the Influence of any professors of ot language might have lasted We Ve still sUli retain our pounds shillings and pence in England and our pounds and ounces throughout t the speaking English world in defiance of at the logical metrical system We Ve still hold to our old and wobbly calendar containing con con- months of ot various lengths and will not fiat adopt a a. sensible calendar of ot thirteen months Ever Evel since a a. man has appeared upon the planet ho has been busy at devising ways to record his spoken utterances in visible symbols From the tho In Influence Influence In In- fluence of provincialism and isolation there thero have been formed many languages There will probably never be a a- anew new one because transportation and IntercOmmunIcation intercommunication intercommunication inter Inter- communication are gradually but slowly welding the world into but one unit If lt there is ever a a. universal language it must come como about b by growth and come up from Cram the bottom like Uke the adoption of or slang terms into elegant speech It cannot be imposed upon the world from tram the tho top for Cor no matter how much you tell teU a n. man that nite Is the tho way to spell night he ho will go on spelling it night because he is used to it IL RIchard Grant White quoted a a little couplet to illustrate how the tho English language Is pronounced lie gives seven ways was of ot pronouncing the tho combination of at letters o 0 u ugh g h. h The Tho couplet J i Is Though the he tough cough and hiccough plough me through Oer O'er lifes life's dark lough my way I will pursue All AU you OU have to do to observe how absurd this combination is is to pronounce every ough as it Is in hiccough ough It would then read the tup cup cap and hiccup mo me Oer O'er lifes life's dark lup my way I will pursue Every J student of ot a new new language realizes that logic and reason and system h have er very little to do with mth forming a tongue ton Copyright Newspaper Syndicate |
