Alternative Spelling Proposals

Foreword
See the leaf 'Anglish Spelling' for the latest in historically grounded Anglish spelling reform, as settled upon by the fellowship. This is a showcase and index of other spelling proposals which have not been fully accepted by the wider community.

English Spelling Sample Text


The following is an Anglish translation of 'The North Wind and the Sun.' Grounded on the English language version published in the 1999 IPA Handbook, and translated into Anglish by users on the Anglish Discord.

"The North Wind and the Sun were which was the stronger, when a came along wrapped in a warm . They  that the one who first  in making the  take his  off should be  stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew, the more  did the  fold his   him; and at last the North Wind gave up the . Then the Sun shone out warmly, and  the  took off his . And so the North Wind was  to  that the Sun was the stronger of the two."

CarlArchon7's Simplified New English Spelling
This spelling prioritizes pronounceability over recognizability. Not all spellings are grounded in historical conventions and are instead grounded in what Carl thinks looks good. This form is mainly intended for personal use by Carl. Further reading at Simplified New English Spelling.

A snippet from "To Build a Fire", by Jack London: "Dey had bråken cold and grey, dredfully cåld and grey, hwen þe man went aside frum þe mein Yukon bywey and climed þe hig erþ-staþ, hwær a dim and littel-trodden bywey led westward þro þe fat efergrene timberland. It was a stepe staþ, and he stopped for a breaþ at þe top, sparing þe dede to himself by lòking at his wâc. It was nine. Þær was nå sun nor hint of sun, þå þær was not a clude in Þe hæfens. It was a håder dey, and yet þær lòked a scadowy scrude ofer þe sigt uf þings, a smaul glome þat made þe dey dark, and þat was åd to þe derþ of sun. Þis trewþ did not wirry þe man. He was at håm wiþ Þe lack uf sun. It had ben deys sins he had seen þe sun, and he cnew þat a few mår deys must gå by befor þat bliþe baul, bæring suþe, wòeld but pepe abuf þe uteline and dip forþwiþ frum sigt."

Edwin Spelling
Edwin Spelling is an alternate spelling for English with the goal to create a more native English variant of the current system. However, Edwin-spelling is an independent effort and is more influenced by its creator's personal taste in spelling than Hurlebatte's Anglish Spelling. Spelling is primarily etymological, and ignores post-ME vowel changes, as Modern English: ⟨oan⟩/⟨åne⟩ /wʌn/, ⟨cude⟩ /kʊd/, ⟨rume⟩ /ruːm/. There are two forms, roughly: one which is mostly akin in appearance to Modern English, and one which goes much further and adds many Old- and Early-Middle English style spellings. The original divergence between Hurlebatte's spelling and Edwin-spelling had to do with the spelling of English ⟨nowiki⟩/uː/⟨/nowiki⟩ and /iː/, from Old English ē and ō; while the former mostly leaves them intact, Edwin-Spelling puts them in the V_e "magic E" set of vowels. See Edwin Spelling for further reading.

Example: (from this wiki's translation of the Gospel of John) "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his wolder, the wolder as of the oanly begotten of the Father), estey and trewthful. John bare witness of him, and rard, saying: This was he of whome I spake, He that cummeth after me is my better: for he was before me. And of his fullness haf all we reaped, and este for este."

The following are a set of anti-French changes which might make things a bit too unreadable, but are cool nonetheless. Writing with all these would be "deepest" Edwin spelling. Considerations will be made about what to do about OE "g"

Example: "And þe Word was made flæsc, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his wolder, the wolder as of þe ånely begotten of þe Faþer), estey and trewþful. John bare witness of him, and rard, saying: Ðiss was he of whome I spake, He þat cummeþ after me is my better: for he was before me. And of his fullness haf all we ræped, and este for este."

Frith Spelling
This is an Anglish spelling reform that I hope will get wide use. I disagree with the philosophy of zero use of innovation used by Yose and Hurlebatte, as I think it creates an artificially archaic system with a mixture of older systems (in our timeline replaced by a foreign system) that likely would have been replaced by another native system without foreign influence. As such, I add in a small number of innovations to create a highly elegant symmetrical system. Nevertheless, it is fairly similar to Hurlebatte's and Edwin's systems. A variant I find interesting is replacing ee with é_e and oo with ó_e (or e_e and o_e, with ea and oa becoming æ_e/ä_e and å_e instead). See Frith's Plot for an Anglish Spelling for further reading.

"Ðe Norð Wind and ðe Sun wer scwabbeling abute whitc was ðe stronger, when a weyfarer came along wrapped in a warm shrude. Ðey setteled ðat ðe one ho first ofercame in macing ðe weyfarer tace his shrude off shuld be seen as stronger ðan ðe uðer. Ðen ðe Norð Wind blew as hard as he cood, but ðe more he blew, ðe more tihtly did ðe weyfarer fold his shrude abute him; and at last ðe Norð Wind gafe up þé bid. Ðen ðe Sun shone ute warmly, and at onse ðe weyfarer tooc off his shrude. And so ðe Norð Wind was bund too acnolledg ðat ðe Sun was ðe stronger of ðe two."

Talafolk's Unthawed Spelling
A snippet from "To Build a Fire", by Jack London: "Dey had browken cowld and grey, cowld and grey, when the man asyd from the mein   and clym’d the hy erth-, whear a dim and littel-  led eestwerd thro the far  timmerland. It was a steep, and he  fer breth at the top,  the  ta himself by louking at his watch. It was . Thear was now sun noar hint of sun, thow thear was not a clawd in the . It was a  dey, and yet thear  a   owver the  of things, a  gloom that meid the dey dark, and that was  ta the  of sun. This  did not wurry the man. He was  the lack of sun. It had been days sins he had seen the sun, and he new that a few moar deys must  befoar that ,  sawth, woud but peep abuf the  and dip  from."

Wordwork Spelling
Wordwork has sought steadiness, wordlore, and prettiness in their spellings. It is for fun, and not meant to be an earnest reform. It's built upon Anglish Spelling, with some twists. See Wordwork's User Leaf for an outline on the spelling.

"Þe Norþ Wind and þe Sun wer scwabeling abút hwich was þe stronger, hwen a weiffearer cám along wrapt in a warm schrúd. Þei seteld þat þe wun hwoo first ofercám in macing þe weiffearer tác his schrúd off schood bé sén as stronger þan þe oþer. Þen þe Norþ Wind blew as hard as hé cood, but þe moar hé blew, þe moar títli did þe weiffearer fold his schrúd abút him; and at last þe Norþ Wind gáf up þe bid. Þen þe Sun schon út warmli, and at wunss þe weiffearer tooc off his schrúd. And só þe Norþ Wind was búnd too acnólecg þat þe Sun was þe stronger of þe too."

And without the for the long : "Þe Norþ Wind and þe Sun wer scwabeling abawt hwich was þe stronger, hwen a weiffearer ceim along wrapt in a warm schrawd. Þei seteld þat þe wun hwoo first oferceim in macing þe weiffearer teic his schrawd off schood bee seen as stronger þan þe oþer. Þen þe Norþ Wind blew as hard as hee cood, but þe moar hee blew, þe moar taitli did þe weiffearer fold his schrawd abawt him; and at last þe Norþ Wind geif up þe bid. Þen þe Sun schon awt warmli, and at wunss þe weiffearer tooc off his schrawd. And sow þe Norþ Wind was bawnd too acnowlecg þat þe Sun was þe stronger of þe too."

Vaelkvari's Efthew'd Spelling
"Ðe Norþ Wind ænd ðe Sun wer scwabbling abút hwic was ðe stronger, hwen a weyfærer cám along wræppt in a warm scrúd. Ðey setteld ðæt ðe ån hwoe first óvercám in máking ðe weyfærer ták his scrúd off scoeld bé sén as stronger ðæn ðe oðer. Ðen ðe Norþ Wind blew æs hard æs hé coeld, but ðe mår hé blew ðe mår tíhtly did ðe weyfærer fold his scrúd abút him; ænd æt læst ðe Norþ Wind gáv up ðe bid. Ðen ðe Sun scón út warmly, ænd æt åns ðe weyfærer toek off his scrúd. Ænd so ðe Norþ Wind was búnd to accnowlecg ðæt ðe Sun was ðe stronger of ðe twoe."