PHONETIC ENGLISH

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 18 January 1935, Page 8

PHONETIC ENGLISH

ASSISTANCE TO COMMERCE.

AID TO LANGUAGE STUDY. The need for phonetic English to aid commerce and to make the study of the language easier was stressed by Dr. A. G. Butchers, Wellington, a noted educationist, who delivered his first lecture to the Teachers’ Summer School at New Plymouth yesterday. After mentioning that there were 500 ways ot‘ representing the 42 sounds of the British language, Dr. Butchers said that the spelling used was illogical, inconsistent and misleading. He pointed out that when the missionaries came to New Zealand they reduced Maori to writing and avoided the mistakes perpetuated in the English language. Ju 1880 it was deemed advisable that the Maori should he taught English, and he then had to face all the difficulties of the English language. A change to the new phonetic system would he a universal benefit to the children. One could mention ways by which time now occupied in teaching difficult spelling could he devoted to more profitable subjects. The argument of etymology would not stand. One should spell as one spoke. English was spoken by thousands of people in England, America and oil the Continent. It would naturally become the common language of India. The phonetic system would obviate the necessity for people to seek the aid of a dictionary to learn how to pronounce a word. Only a section of the English language was spoken—the portion that could be spoken with confidence. The remaining section could he spoken by some, hut the majority had not the necessary confidence. Commerce and trade would greatly benefit from a phonetic system of spelling. said Dr. Butchers. If the Government had given the country a phonetic system of spelling last year it might have offset to a large degree the curtailment of child education. English was a. cosmopolitan language, its vocabulary was elastic and its grammar ai-| most gone; in short, it was the ideal; language for international trade. Yet it was damned by its peculiar spellings He believed sincerely that one of the | greatest hindrances to the cause ofj world peace would be removed once! the spelling of English was placed onj a rational basis.