English Spelling Reform 
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        Spelling Reformers typically want to write with a dictionary pronunciation guide rather than traditional English spelling.  They want the spelling system to be nearly 100% alphabetic instead of 40%.  English spelling is hard because there are too many orthographic options (Hanna, 1962).  Typically there are 14 different ways to spell a particular sound (Dewey, 1971).  This means that a simple word such as scissors /sizerz/ can be spelled 14x14x14x14x14x14 ways. Ellis calculated this and it came to over a half million. (Dewey, 1971)  Only one of the 500,000 ways to spell /sizerz/ is lexically correct.  In Spanish, or any highly phonemic writing system, there is usually only one way to spell a pronunciation.
 
 
Speling Reformers tipicaly wont to riet with a dicshunairy pronunsiaeshun gied rather than tradishunal English speling. Thay wont the speling sistem to be neerly 100% alfabetic insted of 40%. English speling is hard becauz thair ar too meny orthografic opshuns (Hanna, 1962). Tipicaly thair ar 14 diferent ways to spel a particuelar sound (Dewey, 1971). This meens that a simpl werd such as sizors /sizerz/ can be speld 14x14x14x14x14x14 ways. Ellis calcuelaeted this out and it caem to oever a haf milyon (Dewey, 1971). Oenly wun of the 500,000 ways to spel /sizerz/ is lexically corect. In Spanish, or eny hiely foneemic rieting sistem, thair is uezhualy oenly wun way to spel a pronunsiaeshun.  
 
 
 Below:  Same passage converted to the more systematic and compact Chekt Speling
Speli3 r'formrz tipikli want tu ryt with a' dik5uneri pra'nu.nsiei5n gyd ra.xr xan tra'di5nl I3gli5 spel3.  Xei want x spel3 si.stm tu bi nirli 100% alfa'betik insted 'v 40%.  I3gli5 spel3 iz hard bicoz ther ar tu meni ortho'grafic op5nz.  Tipikli ther ar 14 difrnt weiz tu spel a' partikiulr saund.  Xis minz xat a' simpl w'rd su.ch az si.zrz /sizerz/ ca.n bi spelt 14x14x14x14x14x14 weiz.  Ellis calkiuleitd xis aut 'nd i.t keim tu o'vr a' ha.f mi.lia'n.  Onli wn a'v x 500,000 weiz tu spel /sizerz/ is lexikli ka'rekt.  I.n Spani5, or eni hyli fonimi.k ryti3 si.stm, ther iz iuza'li o'nli wn wei tu spel a pra'nnsiei5n.
History & Humor
 
First Steps -  
Cut redundancy 
Eliminate superfluous letters		 Reduce the number of orthographic options 
Positional Spelling Systems
Cut Spelng Leaflet A short introduction to a notation that retains the "look and feel" of traditional English orthography.  This reform is mostly limited to cutting out silent letters. 
 
 		 ALC  Fonetic 
also called American Spelling 

sample
Interspel  International Spelling looks at how pidjins have simplified English spellings and suggests similar broad diaphonic renderings for all English writing. Reilly's Positional Spelling Proposal 

[ highly = hyly ] in the terminal position, the sound associated with y changes
 
 
 
Systematic attempts to reform English spelling can usually be classified as Euro / IPA notations or variations on New Spelling - a notation promoted by the Simplified Spelling Society in the early 1900's.

New Spelling was the foundation of the ITA - Initial Teaching Alphabet (ca. 1970).
ITA was the last in a long line of experiments with ITM (initial teaching media).  All of them clearly demonstrated the superiority of a systematic spelling system over a chaotic one.   First graders quickly learned how to write and spell using their entire 10,000 word vocabulary rather than just the few hundred words introduced using a "look-say" approach.  (see Death by Spelling)

 
 
High - Closed Jaw - Close 
f 
r 
o 
n 
t
i 
is 
i.z 
i: 
ease 
iz 
iu 
use 
iuz
u' 
put 
pu't 
u:  
ooze 
uz 
b
a 
c 
k 
e  
edge  e.j 
e: 
age 
ej 
^ a' 
u.p a'go' 
ou 
owes o'z 
o: 
awes oz 
ae 
as 
a.z 
ai 
eyes yz 
a: 
alms amz 
au 
owls aulz 
o 
oz 
o.z 
Low - Open Jaw - Open 
 		 A vowel chart with 15 english vowel phonemes based on Daniel Jones' vowel quadrilateral.   

High and Low refer to tongue positions.  Front and Back refer to the front and back of the mouth.  With a high front vowel, the tongue touches the roof of the mouth closer to the front. 

Each cell displays 
three notations  

  • IPA notation 
  • TO - traditional 
  • CCS - chekt spelng
 
        IPA / European Sound Value Systems
             Long vowels: ei, i:, ai, ou, iu/u:  

        New Spelling Spin-offs
              Long vowels: ae ee ie oe ue/oo

Phoneme Inventory for English Speech    alt. chart  
 
checked extended r-comb. voiced unvoiced syllabic
a. *a.x  a.t a  [aa] *alms ar  *are b  *bi.d/ bid p *pyp l.   .l *l.i.t.l
e. *e.lbow *e.j e  [ei] *ace er  *air j  [dzh]  *juj c [ch]  *c'rc r.   .r  *r.o'r
i.  *i.t, i.n i   [ee] *eel ir   *ear d  *daun t  *tip m.  .m
o. *o.x, o.dd o  [aw] *awe or  *order x  [ð] *the=x + [th] *thin thug n.   .n  *n.m
u. *u.p, hu.t u  [oo] iu ur  iur *your v f  *fyf *fork 3 [ng] *sing
u' *hook  hu'k a'  [shwa] .r   *her k  *ki.k g  *goad go'd h *hu h'rd
o'  *owe  Ø au [.w]*out aur  *our z  *zig za.g s w  &  [hw]
oi  *oil .y  [ai] *ice .yr  *ire 2  [zh] *li2r 5  [sh] *5ip y.  *y.ir
24 Vowels - 12 unmixed 24 Consonants - 22 unmixed
*The asterisk marks a word spelling e.g.,  *teardrop = *tirdrop in CCS.
  Brackets [aw] indicate an alternative phonogram -  o refers to [aw] the sound in *awe
  Chekt vaulz ar markt with a piriod hir but thei cu'd bi markt with a d'bl consonnt: bitt, axx, itt, ...

The phoneme Inventory:  As shown above, there are 34 "pure" or unmixed vowels - 12 vowels and 22 consonants.  Ian Ascott recognizes 35 because he considers e: to be a phoneme.  In the chart, *barely / beeli or be:li would be spelled berli where the r represents a schwa sound.
Wijk and Jones put the minimum number of phonemes for RP* at 21 vowels and 25 consonants (46)
The 12 essential diphthongs were ei, au, ai, ou, oi, ec, ic, oc, uc, plus tsh, dzh, hw ( c = turned e or schwa) 
*RP (received pronunciation) refers to the educated or southern English dialect heard on the BBC.
American  English differs from RP by pronouncing terminal R's (cart=caht) and replacing some /a:/ pronunciations with /ae/. These differences are not recorded in the spelling.  American spelling drops the superfluous U in such words as colour, labour, and catalogue.  These changes have no impact on pronunciation.  (more)

 Mapping other orthographies onto the IPA phonemes

Vowel Phoneme Table for British English (RP) with key words
IPA and SAMPA notation shown for the 21 essential sounds for RP English
(Jones was searching for the minimum number of phonemes and did not include 3 that are listed below)
  6 checked,  6 unchecked,  5 -6 diphthongs, 4 -6 ending with schwa
Chekt - short
Free - long
Difthongs
4 with schwa
ae   { a:   A ai   aI ac a@ | aic aI@
at, ax, ask,  cat alms, want, star  5 eye, ice, bite are, care / ire, fire
e    E c:   @@  3 ei   eI ec   e@   e6
edje get, elbow  3 her, girl, urban ace, ape, vein air, care, there
i     I i: oi i:c    i@
it, in, index, ill eel, east, very oil, boy, loyal ear, fear, deer
o   Q o: turned c  o ou or
ox, cot awe, call, cost oh, oat, low for, four, floor, more
u   W u: ju (yu) uc
hook, put, book ooze, zulu, zoo you, few, fuse your,  sure
^   v c   @ au auc
up, cut ago, sofa, unit out, down our, flower, power
The IPA turned e, turned a, and turned c are unavailable in IPA and Latin-1
 

Grapheme Inventory - Character Sets & Fonts

 
 
 
Checked Spelling 
Spelling Fun 
Simple Spelling 
Bibliography 
Cut Spelling 
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