Phonetic Spelling Saves Time and Effort Through Fewer Letters

Simplified spelling means shorter spelling. Of the 32 Rules printed in Part 3 of this Handbook, 27 drop letters from words as now speld; 3 involv trans- positions of letters to reconcile conflicting analogies; and 2 involv substitutions of one letter for another, with the same object. In no instance has the Board recommended a change involving the addition of a let- ter to a word. Further simplifications wil result in fur- ther abbreviations. A completely fonetic sistem of notation, indeed, would cause some words to be speld with more letters than at present such, for instance, as those that now represent the sound of a difthong by a single caracter. By and bind ar examples, y and i respectivly representing a difthong that would be indi- cated fonetically By the two vowels composing it a (as in artistic) and i (as in it).

Even with such exceptions, a fonetic spelling would save the writing and printing of many letters, and would permit the use of a greater number of words on the written or printed page. Estimates made with various experimental fonetic alfabets indicate a saving of at least 15 per cent. This would not only mean great economies of time and effort, and correlativly of ex- pense, in writing, tipe-writing, and tipe-setting ; but corresponding economies in paper, ink, and all other materials used in correspondence and in printing. It would effect reductions in the total cost of preswork, binding, and distribution (handling, postage, and ex- press) of printed matter. The saving in newsprint paper alone would be enormous a saving, moreover, that, to the convenience of the reader, would hav to be made by reducing the size rather than the number of pages, unless newspaper publishers wer redy to for- go printing f ul-page and fractional-page advertizments.

The simplifications so far proposed by the Board and used in this Handbook would effect an economy of only about 1.5 per cent; but if all the unnecessary letters used in our current spelling should be dropt, the sav- ing would amount to about 5 per cent.

On this basis, and using data obtaind in the census of 1900, Mr. Henry Holt, the publisher, a member of the Simplified Spelling Board, made a painstaking calculation of the mony that would hav been saved that year in the United States thru the adoption of such a degree of simplification in English spelling.

The total was in excess of $35,000,000. In the pres- ent year (1920) it would be a great deal more. In 1900 the use of a really fonetic spelling would hav ef- fected a threefold larger saving, or one of more than $100,000,000.