English-language spelling reform
proposed reforms to English spelling to be more phonetic
Many proposals have been made to change the system of English orthography with the aim of making it more consistent and closer to the spoken language. Common motives for spelling reform include making learning quicker and cheaper, thereby making English more useful as an international language.
Reform proposals vary widely in the scope and depth of their changes. While some aim to uniformly follow the alphabetic principle (occasionally by creating new alphabets), others merely suggest changing a few common words. Conservative proposals try to improve the existing system by using the traditional English alphabet, maintaining the familiar shapes of words and applying existing conventions more regularly (such as silent e). More radical proposals might completely restructure the look and feel of the system. Some reformers prefer a gradual change implemented in stages, while others favor an immediate and total reform for all.
Some spelling reform proposals have been adopted partially or temporarily. Many of the spellings preferred by Noah Webster have become standard in the United States, but have not been adopted elsewhere (see American and British English spelling differences).
History
Modern English spelling developed from about 1350 onwards, when—after three centuries of Norman French rule—English gradually became the official language of England again, although very different from before 1066, having incorporated many words of French origin (channel, tenor, royal, etc.).
“English-language spelling reform” enters the record as proposed reforms to English spelling to be more phonetic. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what English-language, spelling and reform can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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