List of language reforms of English
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For centuries, many people have called for language reforms of English, which vary in approach from the radical (completely overhauling existing conventions) to the conservative (preserving most while removing irregularities).
Phonetic alphabets limited to English do not belong here. See Category:Phonetic alphabets.
Spelling reforms
Summarize
Perspective
Spelling reforms are attempts to regularize English spelling either by reducing the number of irregularities or by making it completely phonemic. This may be done using the existing basic English alphabet (basic), by extending it (extended) or by replacing it entirely (replaced). Such historical proposals include:
| Name of work | Date completed | Creator(s) | Alphabet |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language | 1806 | Noah Webster | Basic |
| A New English Grammar | 1662 | James Howell | Basic |
| A Plea for Phonetic Spelling | 1848 | Alexander John Ellis | Extended |
| Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet | 1768 | Benjamin Franklin | Extended |
| Booke at Large for the Amendment of English Orthographie | 1580 | William Bullokar | Extended |
| Cut Spelling | 1992 | Christopher Upward | Basic |
| Deseret alphabet | 1847–1854 | Board of regents of the University of Deseret | Replaced |
| The English Grammar | 1633 | Charles Butler | Extended |
| Handbook of Simplified Spelling | 1920 | Simplified Spelling Board | Basic |
| Interspel | 1986 | Valerie Yule | Extended |
| Logonomia Anglica | 1619 | Alexander Gill | Extended |
| Ormulum | c. 1150–1180 | Orrm | Extended |
| Regularized Inglish | 1959 | Axel Wijk | Basic |
| Robert Bridges' Literary Alphabet | 1913 | Robert Bridges, David Abercrombie and Stanley Morison | Extended |
| SaypU (Spell As You Pronounce Universally) | 2012 | Jaber George Jabbour | Extended |
| Shavian alphabet (revised version: Quikscript) | 1960 | Ronald Kingsley Read | Replaced |
| Simpel-Fonetik method of writing | 2012 | Allan Kiisk | Extended |
| SoundSpel (previously Classic New Spelling, New Spelling, World English Spelling) | 1910–1986 | Various | Basic |
| SR1 (Spelling Reform step 1) | 1969 | Harry Lindgren | Basic |
| The Global Alphabet | 1944 | Robert L. Owen | Replaced |
| The Opening of the Unreasonable Writing of Our Inglish Toung | 1551 | John Hart | Extended |
| Traditional Spelling Revised (TSR) | 2021 | Stephen Linstead | Basic |
| Unifon | 1950s | John Malone | Extended |
Subsets
Subsets are reforms that use a restricted wordlist and grammar. English subsets include:
- Attempto Controlled English
- Aviation English
- Basic English
- ClearTalk
- Common Logic Controlled English[1]
- E-Prime
- Gellish Formal English
- Globish
- Learning English
- Logical English[2]
- ModeLang[3]
- Newspeak (fictional)
- Plain English
- Processable English (PENG)[4]
- Seaspeak
- SBVR Structured English
- Simplified Technical English
- Specialized English
Vocabulary reforms
Vocabulary reforms seek to reform English by changing or restricting its words without changing its grammar.
- Anglish: the use of native (Germanic) words only, and spellings of such without foreign influence—a form of linguistic purism
References
External links
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