Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 18.djvu/84

54 only a question of teaching the teachers. The mind of the child is a blank board, ready to take in whichever sound is given; and if the teachers knew their business, there would be no difficulty with the children.

It is much to be desired that the Americans should go hand-in-hand with the English in a reform of the spelling of the language. It will be a misfortune if the two nations diverge in their orthography. The English are more in contact with foreign nations, and therefore, in this respect, more favourably placed for effecting a reform. On the other hand the Americans have a large German population; and if they would humble themselves to admit the defect in ear, which they have in common with the English, and call in some Germans to their help, they might lead the way, and the English would be obliged to follow. They have also got Mark Twain, and if he took the matter up he would carry it to successful issue. His observations on the defects of German grammar show that he would be equally alive to those of English orthography. In the meantime the American attempts at reform are possibly mischievous, and certainly useless, and as much may be said of many of the English propositions. I would advise the Americans to spell Ohio and Iowa, as Ohaio and Aiowa. This would point to the direction in which reform should go.

The objects that should be aimed at are:—

1. The language should be thrown into gear with those of Northern, Central, and Southern Europe.

2. English, being a Teutonic language, should, as far as possible, be brought into accord with German and Dutch, as also Scandinavian.

3. As a preliminary step in the reform, the classical languages, particularly Latin, should be pronounced as in German and Italian, &c.

4. Scriptural names should be pronounced as on the Continent, and the spelling left unchanged.

And now a few remarks with regard to the deterioration of the Maori language may not be amiss. This language has been reduced to a correct orthography; but emigrants arrive from England who know nothing of it, and who have been taught Latin in the English style. They at once begin to spoil the names of places. Thus Ti nui, the big ti or cabbage tree, becomes Tenui, literally the big, which is senseless. Pitone, or Pito-one, the end of the beach, becomes Petone, without meaning. Titahi, bay, becomes Tetai, Taitai, sometimes Teti. Ohiro becomes Ohairo, and so on.

Apart from mispronunciation or mis-spelling of Maori, the English dialect that is developing in Australasia is not satisfactory. The tendency is to a modification of Cockney. Thus we generally hear "I seen him" for "I saw him" which is certainly