A Minniature ov Inglish Orthoggraphy

Excerpt

1. INTRODUCTION.

Hwen evvery oddher language, and at last our own, haz been reduced to' science; rendered accountabel to' natives, and accessibel to' straingers; hwence iz it, dhat our practice, growing daily more a contrast dhan an exemplificacion ov our theory, tempts ignorance to' speak, az blind habbit spels; raddher dhan to' dream ov spelling, az propriety exhibbits her unremitted harmony, hweddher in word or writing? For propriety, hwarevver herd, can be seen onely in her picture: nor can dhis be duly drawn, but from dhe oridginal; or dhe likenes long prezerved, in dhe coppies ov vulgarrity.

Scarce creddibel doz it seem, to' dhe anallogists ov oddher diccions, dhat hiddherto', in Inglish exhibiscion, evvery vowel and evvery consonant ar almoast az often falsifiers az immages ov dhe truith. Hetteroggraphy indeed, or false litterary picture, can arize onely from won, or a combinacion, ov foar cauzes: redundance, defiscience; mischoice, or misarraingement.

It iz not now new, dhat evvery Inglish vowel haz, not onely a longuer and shorter, but even a different sound, az open or shut by a consonant; dho A braud, open and shut, differ but in quantity. Nor iz it yet a secret, dhat certain mutes, or silent letters, (espescially vocal quiescents,) ar named serviles; rendering essencial az vizzibel service, boath to' vowels and consonants. Hware such gards ar wanted, dhey doutles wil attend; and, hwen dhey proov superfluous, az reddily widhdraw. Dhus dhe open vowel ov dhe simpel shuts, and dhe serviles vannish, in dhe penultimate ov dhe compound: shake, Shakspear; chear, cherfool; vine, vinyard, and dhe like. So formatives: stare and stair, starling; steer, sterling; shere, sherrif; child, children; kind, kindred; know, knollege; and dhe rest.

Evvery open ear must allow dhe aspiracion (h) to' articculate iniscially dhe braud vocal licquid (w); nor longuer imadgine dhat wh, apparent, can becom hw real; or dhat what, whale, wheels, can rascionally paint dhe power ov hwat, hwale, hweels. Dhe braud licquid (w) haz no place in hoal, total; or in hore, prostitute; distinct alike, to' dhe eye, from hole and hoar. But wh, iniscial, may wel prommise hw; if le and re, boath final, may picture el and er: az we admire, not onely on dhe little theatre, but in dhe centre ov dhe battle! Dho a tutch ov Rezons wand wil restore dhe buty ov truith; at wonce to' dhe littel theater, and to' dhe center ov dhe battel; az such buty beamed in dhe former century.

Dhe French table, chambre, ancien, danger, ar dhe unexcepcionabel parents ov dhe Inglilh tabel, chaimber, aincient, dainger; hoo ar too apt scollars, not to' lern from parental exampel, to' show dhemselvs hwat dhey ar; widhout wondering, dhat won tung iz not anoddher, or dhat each must hav her own essence and semblance; and dhat in ours, az in oddher picturage, an open vowel must not appear a shut won. Indispensabel dhen az dhe servile (i) in dhe three last exampels, iz it in aingel, dho inadmissibel in angellic; in evvery ainge and ainger, like rainge and rainger; az wel az in caimbric and Caimbridge; dho nedher in Cam nor Cambray....