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APPENDIX.
years that have elapsed since Messrs. Ellis and Pitman
first began to work a phonetic alphabet, practically every¬
thing has been changed, especially within the last ten
years. The labours of Messrs. Bell and Ellis have given
us a thorough analysis of the sounds of English, the
history of English pronunciation has been fully inves¬
tigated by Mr. Ellis, and a variety of spellings have been
practically tested.
It is now possible from an examination of these various
systems to deduce certain general principles, by which all
reform must be guided. If there were no such principles,
the problem would be a hopeless one. Nothing can be
done without unanimity, and until the majority of the
community are convinced of the superiority of some one
system, unanimity is impossible.
No one is qualified to give an opinion on spelling
reform who has not studied these general principles, and
has at least an elementary knowledge of the formation of
the sounds of the English language and their relations to
one another.
The present remarks are intended to supply the neces¬
sary information in as clear and untechnical a form as
possible, so as to enable the general reader to form an
independent judgment without having to search through
an indefinite number of scattered publications.