The American Philological Association has recommended the following "Rules
for New Spellings":
1. Drop ue at the end of words like dialogue, catalogue, etc., where the preceding
vowel is short. Thus spell demagog, epilog, synagog, etc.
2. Drop final e in such words as definite, infinite, favorite, etc., where the preced-
ing vowel is short. Thus spell opposit, preterit, hypocrit, requisit, etc.
3. Drop final te in words like quartette, coquette, cigarette, etc. Thus spell cigaret,
roset, epaulet, vedet, gazet, etc.
4. Drop final me in words like programme. Thus spell program, oriflam, gram,
etc.
5. Change ph to ƒ in words like phantom, telegraph, phase, etc. Thus spell alfa-
bet, paragraf, filosofy, fonetic, fotograf, etc.
6. Substitute e for the diphthongs œ and œ when they have the sound of that letter.
Thus spell eolian, esthetic, diarrhea, subpena, esofagus, atheneum, etc.
The National Educational Association has recommended for use in its official
documents the following:
tho for though
thru 66 through
altho " although
thoro" thorough
program for programme
thruout "throughout
thorofare "thoroughfare
catalog catalogue
prolog for prologue
demagog" demagogue
decalog "decalogue
pedagog " pedagogue
The International Dictionary has been taken as the standard for pronunciation
and spelling in this book, though the above recommendations are cordially approved.
The great difficulty in the way of reform in spelling is that most people have been
taught to recognize words by their forms only, not by what their letters say. Thus, it
would be difficult for them to read such words as thru, gazet, fotograf, filosofy, etc.
Children taught by the Pollard Method are prepared to read any spelling governed by
phonic law. The letters in a word speak, and the child will get the pronunciation,
and hence the meaning, as readily from the spelling thru, with which he is not
familiar, as from the spelling through, which he knows; whereas, to a child taught
to recognize words from form alone, an unfamiliar symbol, as thru, is not a "sign of
an idea."
THE PUBLISHERS.
Copyright, 1897, by WESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE.