SR1
Spelling Reform 1 or Spelling Reform step 1 (more commonly known as SR1) is an English spelling reform proposal advocated by British/Australian linguist Harry Lindgren. It calls for the short /ɛ/ sound (as in bet) to always be spelt with E. For example, friend would become frend and head would become hed. SR1 was part of a 50-stage reform that Lindgren advocated in his book Spelling Reform: A New Approach (1969).
Spelling Reform 1 had some success in Australia. In 1975, the Australian Teachers' Federation adopted SR1 as a policy,[1] although the Federation dissolved in 1987.[2] However, there is no evidence outside this text that the system was "adopted widely".
Examples:
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The following short poem is an example of SR1:
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Stage 1
Using SR1 as a starting point, the Simplified Spelling Society (SSS) created a five-part reform proposal called Stage 1.[4] The proposals were first printed in the November 1983 edition of the society's newsletter.[4] In April 1984 they were adopted as the 'house style' of the SSS at its yearly meeting.[4] The SSS said that the reforms could be used either together or individually (as a step-by-step change).[5]
Their four extra proposals are:
- DUE
DUE stands for "Drop Useless Es". This proposal would remove the letter E from words where it is unneeded or misleading. This would mean dropping the E at the end of have but not at the end of behave, because the E makes the A sound longer (see "magic e").
- Thus: are→ar, were→wer, give→giv, have→hav, some→som, because→becaus, gauze→gauz, leave→leav, freeze→freez, sleeve→sleev, valley→vally, achieve→achiev, examine→examin, practise→practis, opposite→opposit, involve→involv, serve→serv, heart→hart.
- ph
Change 'ph' to 'f' when it is sounded as /f/ .
- Thus: photo→foto, telephone→telefone, physical→fysical.
- augh
- Shorten ‘augh’ to ‘au’ when it is sounded as /ɔː/.
- Thus: caught→caut, fraught→fraut, daughter→dauter.
- Change 'augh' to 'af' when the sound is /f/.
- Thus: laugh→laf, draught→draft.
- ough
- Shorten 'ough' to 'u' when it is sounded as /u/.
- Thus: through→thru.
- Shorten 'ough' to ‘o’ when it is sounded as /əʊ/.
- Shorten ‘ough’ to ‘ou’ when it is sounded as /aʊ/.
- Thus: bough→bou, drought→drout, plough→plou.
- Change 'ough' to ‘au’ when it is sounded as /ɔː/.
- Thus: bought→baut, ought→aut, thought→thaut.
- Change 'ough' to 'of' or 'uf' (depending on the pronunciation) when there is the sound /f/.
- Thus: cough→cof, enough→enuf, tough→tuf.
See also
References
- Lindgren, Harry. Spelling Reform: A New Approach. Alpha Books, 1969.
- ↑ "Spelling Reform 1 - And Nothing Else!". Simplified Spelling Society Newsletter.
- ↑ Australian Teachers Federation (1937 - 1987). Australian Trade Union Archives.
- ↑ Newsletter: Winter 1982 (part 1). Simplified Spelling Society.
- 1 2 3 "The Society's 1984 Proposals". Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society (February 1988).
- ↑ "Tough Though Thought - and we call it correct spelling!". Simplified Spelling Society (1984).