NEW SIMPLIFIED WORDS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9119, 11 April 1908, Page 7

NEW SIMPLIFIED WORDS.

- We have not heard much lately of the simplified spelling of Mr Carnegie, President Roosevelt, and Professor Brander Matthews, but the reformers have not been idle. The other day the Spelling Board issued a new list of 75 simplifications. Some of the words have a strange look. “Ache” becomes “ake, ” “aisle” “aile,” “ borough” is shortened to “boro,” “cipher” becomes ‘cifer,” and lamb” “lam.” Other new spellings recommended are “agast,” “bild,” “det,” “dettor,” “dout,” “foren,” “gost,” “ile,” “lira,” “sissors,” “siv,” “tung,” “fonetic,” and “sent” (scent). Perhaps the most useful change is from phthisis (a nightmare of a word to the bad ■speller) to “tisis.” It is explained that the “h” in “ghost” was an unnecessary interpolation by Oaxton, .and that the consonant was inserted in agast and gaslty just because .ghostly had it. The Board recommend that in time “ph” be changed to “f” in every word wherq, it has that value. Bedstead loses its “a” for the same reason that led to the .inclusion of “stedfast” in the first list, a spelling which has the sanction not only of Spencer, Milton, Bunyan, and the Bible, but is accepted as an alternative spelling by two modern dictionaries. Choir, which becomes “quire,” is declared to be one of the worst spellings in the English language, being a “blundering mixture’ ’ of the modern French ‘ ‘ choeur’ ’ and the real English spelling quire, which is still retained in the Prayer Book. An American weekly, discussing the new list, says it has found no newspaper approval of ft, despite the reasons which the reformers give for the changes. On the contrary, the is just as hostile as it was when the campaign was opened. The Tribune, one *of the best of the New York dailies, sees in- the 75 novelties, “several infernal machines expressly calculated to blast out a deep chasm between English literature and English dictionaries. ” As it contemplates the 75 revisions in conjunction with the announceaneut that 2),000 writers have sworn allegiance to the Board, “fear and ■ horror are diluted .with curious

speculations over Jthe possibility of witnessing in the near future a confusion of pens more disastrous than the mythical confusion of tongues.”