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11-a simplified alphabet-第1章

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A SIMPLIFIED ALPHABET





(This article; written during the autumn of 1899; was about

the last writing done by Mark Twain on any impersonal subject。)





I have had a kindly feeling; a friendly feeling; a cousinly

feeling toward Simplified Spelling; from the beginning of the

movement three years ago; but nothing more inflamed than that。

It seemed to me to merely propose to substitute one inadequacy

for another; a sort of patching and plugging poor old dental

relics with cement and gold and porcelain paste; what was really

needed was a new set of teeth。  That is to say; a new ALPHABET。



The heart of our trouble is with our foolish alphabet。  It

doesn't know how to spell; and can't be taught。  In this it is

like all other alphabets except onethe phonographic。  This is

the only competent alphabet in the world。  It can spell and

correctly pronounce any word in our language。



That admirable alphabet; that brilliant alphabet; that

inspired alphabet; can be learned in an hour or two。  In a week

the student can learn to write it with some little facility; and

to read it with considerable ease。  I know; for I saw it tried in

a public school in Nevada forty…five years ago; and was so

impressed by the incident that it has remained in my memory ever

since。



I wish we could adopt it in place of our present written

(and printed) character。  I mean SIMPLY the alphabet; simply the

consonants and the vowelsI don't mean any REDUCTIONS or

abbreviations of them; such as the shorthand writer uses in order

to get compression and speed。  No; I would SPELL EVERY WORD OUT。



I will insert the alphabet here as I find it in Burnz's

PHONIC SHORTHAND。  'Figure 1'  It is arranged on the basis of

Isaac Pitman's PHONOGRAPHY。  Isaac Pitman was the originator and

father of scientific phonography。  It is used throughout the

globe。  It was a memorable invention。  He made it public seventy…

three years ago。  The firm of Isaac Pitman & Sons; New York;

still exists; and they continue the master's work。



What should we gain?



First of all; we could spell DEFINITELYand correctlyany

word you please; just by the SOUND of it。  We can't do that with

our present alphabet。  For instance; take a simple; every…day

word PHTHISIS。  If we tried to spell it by the sound of it; we

should make it TYSIS; and be laughed at by every educated person。



Secondly; we should gain in REDUCTION OF LABOR in writing。



Simplified Spelling makes valuable reductions in the case of

several hundred words; but the new spelling must be LEARNED。  You

can't spell them by the sound; you must get them out of the book。



But even if we knew the simplified form for every word in

the language; the phonographic alphabet would still beat the

Simplified Speller 〃hands down〃 in the important matter of

economy of labor。  I will illustrate:



PRESENT FORM:  through; laugh; highland。



SIMPLIFIED FORM:  thru; laff; hyland。



PHONOGRAPHIC FORM:  'Figure 2'



To write the word 〃through;〃 the pen has to make twenty…one strokes。



To write the word 〃thru;〃 then pen has to make twelve strokes

a good saving。



To write that same word with the phonographic alphabet; the

pen has to make only THREE strokes。



To write the word 〃laugh;〃 the pen has to make FOURTEEN

strokes。



To write 〃laff;〃 the pen has to make the SAME NUMBER of

strokesno labor is saved to the penman。



To write the same word with the phonographic alphabet; the

pen has to make only THREE strokes。



To write the word 〃highland;〃 the pen has to make twenty…two

strokes。



To write 〃hyland;〃 the pen has to make eighteen strokes。



To write that word with the phonographic alphabet; the pen

has to make only FIVE strokes。  'Figure 3'



To write the words 〃phonographic alphabet;〃 the pen has to 

make fifty…three strokes。



To write 〃fonografic alfabet;〃 the pen has to make fifty strokes。

To the penman; the saving in labor is insignificant。



To write that word (with vowels) with the phonographic

alphabet; the pen has to make only SEVENTEEN strokes。



Without the vowels; only THIRTEEN strokes。 'Figure 4'  The

vowels are hardly necessary; this time。



We make five pen…strokes in writing an m。  Thus:  'Figure 5'

a stroke down; a stroke up; a second stroke down; a second stroke

up; a final stroke down。  Total; five。  The phonographic alphabet

accomplishes the m with a single strokea curve; like a

parenthesis that has come home drunk and has fallen face down

right at the front door where everybody that goes along will see

him and say; Alas!



When our written m is not the end of a word; but is

otherwise located; it has to be connected with the next letter;

and that requires another pen…stroke; making six in all; before

you get rid of that m。  But never mind about the connecting

strokeslet them go。  Without counting them; the twenty…six

letters of our alphabet consumed about eighty pen…strokes for

their constructionabout three pen…strokes per letter。



It is THREE TIMES THE NUMBER required by the phonographic

alphabet。  It requires but ONE stroke for each letter。



My writing…gait iswell; I don't know what it is; but I

will time myself and see。  Result:  it is twenty…four words per

minute。  I don't mean composing; I mean COPYING。  There isn't any

definite composing…gait。



Very well; my copying…gait is 1;440 words per hoursay

1;500。  If I could use the phonographic character with facility I

could do the 1;500 in twenty minutes。  I could do nine hours'

copying in three hours; I could do three years' copying in one

year。  Also; if I had a typewriting machine with the phonographic

alphabet on itoh; the miracles I could do!



I am not pretending to write that character well。  I have

never had a lesson; and I am copying the letters from the book。

But I can accomplish my desire; at any rate; which is; to make

the reader get a good and clear idea of the advantage it would be

to us if we could discard our present alphabet and put this

better one in its placeusing it in books; newspapers; with the

typewriter; and with the pen。



'Figure 6' MAN DOG HORSE。  I think it is graceful and

would look comely in print。  And consideronce more; I begwhat

a labor…saver it is!  Ten pen…strokes with the one system to

convey those three words above; and thirty…three by the other!

'Figure 6'  I mean; in SOME ways; not in all。  I suppose I might

go so far as to say in most ways; and be within the facts; but

never mind; let it go at SOME。  One of the ways in which it

exercises this birthright isas I thinkcontinuing to use our

laughable alphabet these seventy…three years while there was a

rational one at hand; to be had for the taking。



It has taken five hundred years to simplify some of

Chaucer's rotten spellingif I may be allowed to use to frank a

term as thatand it will take five hundred years more to get our

exasperating new Simplified Corruptions accepted and running

smoothly。 And we sha'n't be any better off then than we are now;

for in that day we shall still have the privilege the Simplifiers

are exercising now:  ANYBODY can change the spelling that wants

to。



BUT YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PHONOGRAPHIC SPELLING; THERE ISN'T

ANY WAY。  It will always follow the SOUND。  If you want to change

the spelling; you have to change the sound first。



Mind; I myself am a Simplified Speller; I belong to that

unhappy guild that is patiently and hopefully trying to reform

our drunken old alphabet by reducing his whiskey。  Well; it will

improve him。  When they get through and have reformed him all

they can by their system he will be only HALF drunk。  Above that

condition their system can never lift him。  There is no

competent; and lasting; and real reform for him but to take away

his whiskey entirely; and fill up his jug with Pitman's wholesome

and undiseased alphabet。



One great drawback to Simplified Spelling is; that in print

a simplified word looks so like the very nation! and when you

bunch a whole squadron of the Simplified together the spectacle

is very nearly unendurable。



The da ma ov koars kum when the publik ma be expektd to get

rekonsyled to the bezair asspekt of the Simplified Kombynashuns;

butif I may be allowed the expressionis it worth the wasted

time? 'Figure 7'



To see our letters put together in ways to which we are not accustomed

offends the eye; and also takes the EXPRESSION out of the words。



La on; Makduf; and damd be he hoo furst krys hold; enuf!



It doesn't thrill you as it used to do。  The simplifications

have sucked the thrill all out of it。



But a written character with which we are NOT ACQUAINTED

does not offend usGreek; Hebrew; Russian; Arabic; and the

othersthey have an interesting look; and we see beauty in them;

too。  And this is true of hieroglyphics; as well。  There is

something pleasant and engaging about the mathemati
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