Page:A plea for phonotypy and phonography - or, speech-printing and speech-writing (IA pleaforphonotypy00elliiala).pdf/28

24 Taking these as the values, let us endeavour to pronounce an English sentence. We give the following to our readers, written in phonotypy, premising that it is a real English sentence, in which, having first spelt it in the ordinary method, we have substituted for each heterotypic letter a corresponding phonotype, as shown by the above comparison; we leave the reader to pronounce and guess the meaning of the sentence:—

The precision of the phonotypic alphabet in representing sounds of "unknown tongues" is very well exemplified in the above passage, which, though, very uncouth, is perfectly pronounceable.

But we are told by some "learned Theban," that "we have been making a great fuss about nothing; that all the difficulties of which we complain are due to our own gross ignorance, and that nothing could be more barbarous than the letters which we propose; that if we change the orthography of the language, we shall lose its etymology; and that if we had only learnt a little Latin and Greek, we should have found no difficulty either in reading or writing English, as far as its spelling is concerned, while our sense of propriety would have been irrevocably shocked by the mere proposal of the slightest change."

It is worth while answering this argument, not from any merit of its own, but because it is advanced by people who, upon other matters, possess real knowledge, and who stand high in the world's esteem.

First, let the argument hold to the full;—let us suppose that the knowledge of Latin and Greek, such a knowledge as is acquired at a public school, is sufficient to do all that is ascribed to it, while the parties who advance this argument necessarily admit that, without such a knowledge, it is not possible to acquire the spelling of the English language easily, or to see its beauties. How monstrous and preposterous the idea!! In order to learn to write and read our own modern living language, which we have spoken from childhood—in order to appreciate the system employed in representing it upon paper, we are to acquire a considerable knowledge of two foreign ancient dead languages, the pronunciation of which no one knows, and all dispute about!! By what means the boy is to acquire Latin and Greek, is not generally mentioned, but it must be assumed to be entirely by oral instruction; for, as in order to read and write English, the boy must have already known Latin and Greek, there are no books which could be put into his hand

Now the population of England only, in 1844, was 15 millions. Of these, a certain number had independent means, some were employed in miscellaneous pursuits, others in commerce, agriculture, labour, servitude,