Introduction

    Numerous suggestions have been made concerning how to reform the spelling of the English language. What almost all of them have in common is that they recognize the inconsistent nature of English spelling, and they try to remedy that problem by developing a spelling system that is consistent. Below is a proposed spelling system designed not only for consistency, but also for the preservation of the Teutonic cultural heritage of the English language.

    Modern English is a mutant language. It is a Teutonic language in which the Teutonic pronunciations have been discarded, though the spelling has remained the same. The perpetrators here likely include the Norman Conquest, the Great Vowel Shift, as well as other absurdities. The following spelling system atempts to rectify this phenomenon by mapping Teutonic orthography to current pronunciation.

    Furthermore, the Roman alphabet, which was designed for Latin, contains only 5 vowels. This is adequate for Latin, since it has only 5 vowel sounds (|a| |e| |i| |o| |u|). However, 5 vowels are insufficient for the Teutonic languages because they have more than 5 vowel sounds. Therefore, it would have been preferable for the Teutonic peoples to have continued using their original runic alphabet instead of using the Latin alphabet concurrent with the imposition of Christianity onto them. However, what's done is done, so now the Teutonic languages accommodate the number of vowel sounds either by combining vowels or by using diacritical marks. The following spelling system can use either, based on the preference of the individual user.
 

Vowels

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Ae ae  -  Ä ä

- Long A.

- Examples:

    state = staet = stät

    lake = laek = läk

    wait = waet = wät

    play = plae = plä
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Oa oa  -  Å å

- Used for words in which A, AU, AW, or OU are pronounced more like an O.

- Examples:

    walk = woak = wåk

    fault = foalt = fålt

    law = loa = lå

    thought = thoat = thåt

- Note: In some American dialects, this vowel sound is virtually identical to the vowel sound in "father". Nevertheless, this orthography will distinguish the two sounds, as most English speakers would make this distinction. Those who wish to pronounce "A" and "Å" identically can continue to do so.
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A a

- Used for all other types of A.

- It is necessary to use this letter to represent several different sounds because national and regional variations make it impossible to reflect every pronunciation of A uniformly.

- Examples:

    In some dialects, the words "bath", "cat", and "mad" feature 3 different vowel sounds, while in other dialects, they feature the same vowel sound.
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E e

- Short E.

- Examples:

    when = wen

    measure = mezher

- E will also be used to represent the schwa.

- Examples:

    animal = animel

    button = buten

- In certain words, when the vowel is combined with an R, it makes a unique sound (i.e. the O in "word" is different from the O in "torn"). This sound will be represented by E.

- Examples:

    word = werd

    shirt = shert

    turn = tern
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Ea ea - É é

- E, Ea, Ai, or Ae when they precede an R in some instances.

- This is less relevant to American speech than it is to British or Australian speech. This is because in American speech, the E in "where" sounds nearly identical to the A in "state", whereas in other dialects they are different.

- Examples:

    where = wear = wér

    bear = bér

    fair = fear = fér

    stare = stear = stér
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Ee ee  -  Í í

- Long E.

- Examples:

    green = green = grín

    team = teem = tím

    happy = hapee = hapí
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Y y

- Used as it is in the conventional orthography in words such as "yes" or "yet", but never as in words such as "fly" or "style".
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I i

- Short I.

- Examples:

    will = wil

    symbol = simbel

    women = wimen
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Ie ie  -  Ï ï

- Long I.

- Replaces instances of vowel combinations in which the combination can either be pronounced as a diphthong (|ah| + |ee|), as a long E, or as a short I. This is because of pronunciation variations among dialects. For example, in the word "strychnine" the "...nine" is pronounced /neen/ in some dialects and /nain/ in other dialects. Also, in the word "either", the "ei" is sometimes pronounced |ee| and sometimes pronounced |ai|. This combination can also be pronounced as a short I in some dialects. For example - the word "futile" in which some pronounce the "ile" as |ail| while some pronounce it as |il|.

- Examples:

    strychnine = striknien = striknïn

    either = iedher

    futile = footiel = footïl
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Ai ai

- |ah| + |ee| as a diphthong.

- Used wherever long I is universally pronounced in this manner.

- Examples:

    fly = flai

    style = stail

    time = taim

    high = hai

    lie = lai
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O o

- Short O.

- Examples:

    clock = klok

    rotten = roten
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Ow ow  -  Ó ó

- Long O.

- Examples:

    go = gow = gó

    snow = snow = snó

    old = owld = óld

    hoax = howks = hóks

    nose = nowz = nóz
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U u

- Short U (type 1).

- Examples:

    truck = truk

    money = muní

    of = uv

    love = luv

    blood = blud
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Ue ue  -  Ü ü

- Short U (type 2).

- Examples:

    look = luek = lük

    book = buek = bük

    put = puet = püt

    pull = puel = pül
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Oo oo  -  Ú ú

- Long U.

- In some words (such as "music"), this vowel sound is preceded by a slight Y sound. In certain words, this sound is pronounced in some dialects, but not others. For example, in English speech, the slight Y sound exists before the U in "stupid", while it does not exist in the American pronunciation of that word. In this orthography, the slight Y sound will not be represented by a letter, but can still be pronounced as is appropriate for a particular word or particular dialect.

- Examples:

    music = moosik = músik

    stupid = stoopid = stúpid

    clue = kloo = klú

    rude = rood = rúd

    food = food = fúd

    few = foo = fú
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Au au

- |ah| + |oo| as a diphthong.

- Examples:

    out = aut

    mouse = maus

    clown = klaun

    town = taun
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Consonants

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B, D, F, H, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Z

- As they are pronounced in the traditional orthography.
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Ng ng

- Represents a single sound, without an extra G sound. Therefore, the word "singer" would stay the same, but "finger" would be spelled "fingger". Also, "think" would be spelled "thingk".
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G g

- Always hard (as in the word "get").

- Never pronounced |dsh| (as in the word "general").
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Sh sh

- Pronounced /sh/.

- Examples:

    show = shó

    machine = mashín

    nation = näshen
--------------------------------

Tsh tsh

- Pronounced /tsh/.

- Examples:

    chance = tshans

    itch = itsh
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Dsh dsh

- Pronounced /dsh/.

- Examples:

    jump = dshump

    general = dshenerel

    edge = edsh
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Th th

- Pronounced as TH (type 1) in the traditional orthography.

- Examples:

    think = thingk

    with = with
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Dh dh

- Pronounced as TH (type 2) in the traditional orthography.

- Examples:

  the = dhe

    weather = wedher
--------------------------------

Zh zh

- Pronounced like a French J.

- Examples:

    measure = mezher

    vision = vizhen
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Ph ph

- Not used. Use F instead.

- Examples:

    phone = fón

    graph = graf
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C, J, Q, X

- Not used.

- Examples:

    cell = sel

    jet = dshet

    quick = kwik

    ax = aks
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Notes

- Plurality is stll shown by adding S. This is because it would be unnecessarily difficult to use S for some words, while using Z for others, even though in some plural words, the S in pronounced |s| (cuffs, parks) while in other words the S is pronounced |z| (cars, houses). That the S is sometimes pronounced |z| is a consequence of following a vowel or a voiced consonant. Therefore, the orthography does not need to indicate the |z| sound with a Z. The same applies to indicating possession with 'S.
(Examples: cuffs = kufs, parks = parks, cars = kars, houses = hauses)

- If you prefer to use vowels with diacritical marks (i.e.: "ä" instead of "ae"), Microsoft Windows includes 3 options for their implementation:

1.    Use the Character Map program.
2.    Use key combinations (i.e.: pressing ALT+0228 results in "ä").
3.    Use combinations (such as "ae") then using the "find and replace all" feature from the menu, replace "ae" with "ä".

Some typewriters and word-processors may also include a feature for using diacritical marks.

- This orthographic proposal does not suggest new pronunciations for existing English words. It is simply a spelling reform that does not assume any particular national or regional accent.
 

Example Sentences
 
 

Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream. - Malcolm Muggeridge	Never forget dhat ónlí ded fish swim with dhe strím.
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. - Chinese Proverb	Beter tú lait a kandel dhan tú kers dhe darknes.
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. - Oscar Wilde	Fashen iz a form uv uglínes só intolerabel dhat wí hav tú ålter it evrí siks munths.

 
 
 

Here is part of the United States' Declaration of Independence in the conventional orthography of the English language:

    "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

And hír it iz in ríformd orthografí:

    "Wen in dhe Kors uv húmen events, it bekums nesesarí for wun pípel tú dizolv dhe politikel bands witsh hav konekted dhem with anudher, and tú asúm amung dhe Pauers uv dhe erth, dhe sepret and íkwel stäshen tú witsh dhe Lås uv Nätsher and uv Nätsher's God entaitel dhem, a dísent ríspekt tú dhe opinyens uv mankaind rekwairs dhat dhei shüd deklér dhe kåzes witsh impel dhem tú dhe separäshen."

© 1999 Brian Nolfi