Changes

During his presidency, 1901-1909, [[Theodore Roosevelt]] failed in efforts to simplify the spelling of common words. He tried to force government to adopt the system, sending an order to the Public Printer to use the system in all public documents. The reform annoyed the public, forcing him to rescind the order. Roosevelt told his friend, literary critic [[Brander Matthews]], one of the chief advocates of the reform, "I could not by fighting have kept the new spelling in, and it was evidently worse than useless to go into an undignified contest when I was beaten. Do you know that the one word as to which I thought the new spelling was wrong &mdash; thru &mdash; was more responsible than anything else for our discomfiture?" Next summer Roosevelt was watching a naval review when a launch marked "Pres Bot" chugged ostentatiously by. The President waved and laughed with delight.<ref>Pringle 465-7; Brands 555ff</ref>

During his presidency, 1901-1909, [[Theodore Roosevelt]] failed in efforts to simplify the spelling of common words. He tried to force government to adopt the system, sending an order to the Public Printer to use the system in all public documents. The reform annoyed the public, forcing him to rescind the order. Roosevelt told his friend, literary critic [[Brander Matthews]], one of the chief advocates of the reform, "I could not by fighting have kept the new spelling in, and it was evidently worse than useless to go into an undignified contest when I was beaten. Do you know that the one word as to which I thought the new spelling was wrong &mdash; thru &mdash; was more responsible than anything else for our discomfiture?" Next summer Roosevelt was watching a naval review when a launch marked "Pres Bot" chugged ostentatiously by. The President waved and laughed with delight.<ref>Pringle 465-7; Brands 555ff</ref>

The [[Chicago Tribune]] also embarked on its own effort to simplify spelling and make it more phonetic.

 

The [[Chicago Tribune]] also embarked on its own effort to simplify spelling and make it more phonetic.

Today American English is simpler and more phonetic than British English.  Sometimes as an expression of [[anti-American]] sentiment, however, non-Americans will insist that use of British English is exclusively proper English, the implication being that American English is somehow "non-standard", which is obviously untrue as British English itself is not a unified standard either.

Today American English is simpler and more phonetic than British English.  Sometimes as an expression of [[anti-American]] sentiment, however, non-Americans will insist that use of British English is exclusively proper English, the implication being that American English is somehow "non-standard", which is obviously untrue as British English itself is not a unified standard either.

* Mencken, H. L. ''The American Language'' (1936) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Language-H-L-Mencken/dp/1605206237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254397959&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search of abridged edition]

* Mencken, H. L. ''The American Language'' (1936) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Language-H-L-Mencken/dp/1605206237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254397959&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search of abridged edition]

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[[Category:English language]]

[[Category:English language]]

[[Category:United States]]

[[Category:United States]]