English Simplified Spelling

English Simplified Spelling

I love the English language. I would recommend it to anyone as a second language. Like any language, it has its problems. But it has one great fault: It has one of the worst spelling systems of any language using an alphabet. Many people have tried to improve on it, with little success. And it is likely that I won't do any better. But I have to try! So here is a collection of ideas that attempt to find a balance between ease of learning and some resemblance to traditional spelling. I hope you like it.

Vowels

	IPA	as in...	ESS
a	[æ]	cat	cat
á, -a	[a]	father, ha	fáther, ha
ar	[ar/a:]	car	car
ai, -ay	[ei]	bait, say	bait, say
air	[eir/er/ɛr/ɛə]	air	air
au, -aw	[ɔ:]	caught, law	caut, law
e	[ɛ]	bet	bet
er	[ər/ə]	worker	wurker
é, -e	[i:]	beet, me	bét, me
i	[ɪ]	bit	bit
ir	[ir/ɪr/ɪə]	beer	bir
í, -i	[ai]	kite, hi	kít, hi
ír	[air/aɪə]	fire	fír
o	[ɒ/a]	cot	cot
or	[ɔr/ɔ:]	or	or
ó, -o	[ou/əu]	coat, no	cót, no
oi, -oy	[ɔi]	coil, boy	coil, boy
oo	[ʊ]	cook	cook
oor	[ur/ʊr]	boor	boor
ou, -ow	[au]	out, cow	out, cow
u	[ʌ]	cut	cut
ur	[ɜr/ɜ:]	burn	burn
ú, -u	[u:]	coot, boo	cút, bu
eu, -ew	[ju:]	cute, few	keut, few
eur	[jɜr/jɜ:]	pure	peur

a, e, i, o, and u are pronounced [ə] in many unaccented syllables

Consonants

	IPA	as in...	ESS
b	[b]	bib	bib
c	[k/s]	cat, Cecil	cat, Cécil
ch	[tʃ]	church	church
d	[d]	dad	dad
f	[f]	fluff	fluf
g	[g]	giggle	gigel
h	[h]	hi	hi
j	[dʒ]	judge	juj
k	[k]	kick	kik
l	[l]	lock	lok
m	[m]	mom	mom
n	[n]	nun	nun
ng	[ŋ/ŋg]	ring, finger	ring, finger
nk	[ŋk]	think	think
p	[p]	pop	pop
qu	[kw]	quick	quik
r	[r]	roar	ror
s	[s]	sat	sat
sh	[ʃ]	shush	shush
t	[t]	tot	tot
th	[θ/ð]	thin, then	thin, then
v	[v]	verve	vurv
w	[w]	win	win
x	[ks/gz]	extra, exact	extra, exact
y	[j]	yes	yes
z	[z]	zigzag	zigzag
zh	[ʒ]	vision	vizhon

Concessions to tradition

The vowels á, é, í, ó and ú, are written a, e, i, o, and u at the end of a word or before another vowel. This rule makes the diacritic a great deal less common, which should make critics of diacritics happier.
Ai, au, eu, oi, and ou are written ay, aw, ew, oy, and ow when final or when followed by a vowel, e.g. lay, law, lawyer, few, fewer, cow, cower. This is true even when followed by a suffix such as -z or -d (e.g. cowz, layd), or when in a compound such as cowboy.

C is used before a, o, u, and consonants. K is used before e , i, and finally. K remains k before suffixes such as -s or -t (e.g. kiks, kikt), or in compounds such as kikbox. C is used with the value [s] only in proper nouns (e.g. Cinderela) and in the name of the letter (ce).
Qu is used in place of cw.
X is used in place of ks and gz, except in the case of suffixes such as -s and -z (e.g. maiks, egz) and in compounds such as quiksand.

Notes

In order to maintain peace among the many dialects, we must make a few compromises. In General American (GA), r after vowels is pronounced [-r] or [^-r] (lightly pronounced r). In British Received Pronunciation (RP), it tends to be pronounced as a lengthening of the vowel, or the vowel with an [-ə] off-glide. Retain the r.
Ir is pronounced [i:r]or [ɪr] (etc.) depending on dialect.
Oor is pronounced [u:r] or [ʊr] (etc.) depending on dialect.
Some dialects pronounce Mary the same as merry and marry. The distinctions of pronunciation are retained and should be written as Maire, mere, and mare.

A, e, i, o, and u tend to be pronounced [ə] in unstressed syllables. Retain original traditional vowel, if possible.
A is always used for final [ə] in unstressed syllables, as well as in tha and a. Er is usually used for [ər]. Ur is usually used for [ɜr]. Exceptions occur when some forms of the word are spelled with other letters representing other pronunciations.
Words ending in [-ən], [-əm], or [-əl] keep original traditional vowel.
Final -le and -re in traditional spelling are changed to -el and -er.
Traditional ai pronounced [ə] is spelled a, and traditional ou pronounced [ə] is spelled o.
Endings involving /ə/ are to be spelled consistently, e.g. -abel, -are, -ale, -at, -ent, -ens.
When a letter could be pronounced long (with an accent) or short or as [ə] in different dialects or circumstances, use the letter without the accent. This is common with certain prefixes, e.g. re- as in respect.

á, o, and au are pronounced [a], [ɒ], and [ɔ] respectively in RP. In GA, however, [ɒ] does not exist, and o is usually pronounced [a]. In other words, "father" and "bother" rhyme.
However, o is usually pronounced [ɔ] in GA when followed by g, ng, s, r, or f. For example, -og (hog, log, fog...), -ong (song, long, tong...), -os (bos, hos, tos, los, cost...), or (cor, corner, oranj...), and of (of, ofen, soft...) are all usually pronounced with [ɔ]. Follow RP traditions here.
Note that -al- pronounced [ɔ] is always spelled au: aul, taul, tauk (just like taut, auk, caul...).
The use of [ju] varies between GA and RP. Therefore, two forms of words are allowed, for example, new, teuzday and nu, túzday.

Th is used for both [θ] and [ð]. Confusions are rare (e.g. thigh and thy are both spelled thi). Likewise, ng is used for both [ŋ] and [ŋg] and x for both [ks] and [gz].
Medial t is often pronounced with a glottal stop or, in GA, as a tapped d. Retain the t in these cases.

The -s used in traditional spelling for plurals, possessives, and third person singulars is usually written -z, but is -s after unvoiced consonants and -ez after s, z, sh, ch, and j.
The -ed used in traditional spelling for the past tense and past participle is usually written -d, but is -t after unvoiced consonants and -ed after t and d.
The -ing used for the present participle is spelled -ing in all cases (though pronounced [in] in some dialects).
The article the is spelled tha, but is the before vowels.
The article a is spelled a, but is an before vowels.
I and you are spelled I and yu.

Hamlet's Soliloque -- William Shakespeare

Tu be or not tu be, that iz tha queschon:
Wether tiz nóbler in tha mínd tu sufer
Tha slingz and aróz uv outraijos forchún,
Or tu taik ármz agenst a se uv trubelz,
And bi opózing, end them. Tu di, tu slép -
No mor, and bi a slép tu say we end
Tha hart-aik and tha thouzand nachural shoks
That flesh iz air tu; tiz a consúmaishon
Devoutle tu be wisht. Tu di, tu slép -
Tu slép, perchans tu drém - i, therz tha rub,
For in that slép uv deth wát drémz may cum,
Wen we hav shufeld of this mortal coil,
Must giv us pauz; therz tha respect
That maiks calamite uv so long líf:
The ópresorz rong, tha proud manz contúmele,
Tha pangz uv despízd luv, tha lawz delay,
Tha insolens uv ofis, and tha spurnz
That paishent merit uv the unwurthe taiks,
Wen he himself mít hiz quietus maik
With a bair bodkin; hu wood fárdelz ber,
Tu grunt and swet under a wire líf,
But that tha dred uv sumthing after deth,
The undiscuverd cuntre, frum húz born
No traveler returnz, puzelz tha wil,
And maiks us rather ber thoz ilz we hav,
Than fli tu utherz that we no not uv?
Thus conshens duz maik cowardz uv us aul,
And thus tha naitiv hew uv rezolúshon
Iz sikléd ór with tha pail cast uv thaut,
And enterprízez uv grait pich and móment
With this regárd thair curents turn ari,
And lúz tha naim uv acshon. - Soft yu now,
Tha fair Ophelia. Nimf, in thi orizonz
Be aul mi sinz rememberd.

Tha Gettysburg Adres -- Abraham Lincoln

For scor and seven yirz ago, our fátherz braut forth on this continent a nu naishon, consévd in liberte and dedicaited tu tha propozishon that aul men ar creaited équal. Now we ar engaijd in a grait sivil wor, testing wether that naishon or ene naishon so consévd and so dedicaited can long endeur. We ar met on a grait batelféld uv that wor. We hav cum tu dedicait a porshon uv that féld az a fínal resting-plais for thóz hu hir gaiv thair lívz that that naishon mít liv. It is aultúgether fiting and proper that we shood du this. But in a larjer sens, we canot dedicait, we canot consecrait, we canot halo this ground. Tha braiv men, living and ded, hu strugeld hir hav consecraited it far abuv our por power to ad or detract. Tha wurld wil litel nót nor long remember wát we say hir, but it can never forget wát thay did hir. It iz for us tha living rather tu be dedicaited hir tu the unfinisht wurk wich thay hu faut hir hav thus far so nóble advanst. It iz rather for us tu be hir dedicaited tu tha grait task remaining befor us - that frum thóz onord ded we taik incrést devóshon tu that cauz for wich thay gaiv tha last fool mezhur uv devóshon - that we hir híle rezolv that thóz ded shal not hav díd in vain, that this naishon under God shal hav a nu burth uv frédom, and that guvernment uv tha pépel, bi tha pépel, for tha pépel shal not perish frum the urth.

Tha Lordz Prayer

Our fáther, hu árt in heven,
halód be thi naim.
Thi kingdom cum, thi will be dun,
on urth az it iz in heven.
Giv us this day our daile bred,
And forgiv us our trespasez
az we forgiv thóz hu trespas agenst us.
Léd us not intu temtaishon,
but deliver us frum évil
For thín iz tha power, tha glore,
and tha kingdom, forever.
Amen.