Alternative Spelling Proposals

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 wind seeks to strip the wayfarer of his shroud, drawn by Milo Winter in a 1919 Æsop anthology.

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 fliting which was the stronger, when a wayfarer came along wrapped in a warm shroud. They settled that the one who first overcame in making the wayfarer take his shroud off should be thought stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew, the more tightly did the wayfarer fold his shroud about him; and at last the North Wind gave up the bid. Then the Sun shone out warmly, and at once the wayfarer took off his shroud. And so the North Wind was bound to acknowledge 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 cold and grey, hwen þe man went assíd frum þe mein Yókon bywey and clímed þe hig erþ-staþ, hwær a dim and littel-trodden byway led westward þró þe fat æfergrén timberland. It wus a stép staþ, and he stopped for for breþ at þé top. Spæring þe déd to himself by löking at his wátc. It wus nín. Þær wus nå sun nor hint uf sun, þåg þær wus not a clúd in þe hæfens. It wus a håder dey, and yet þær löked a scadowy scrúd åfer þe sigt uf þings, a smaul glóm þat meid þe dey darc. And þat wus owed to þe derþ uf sun. Þis trewþ did not werry þe man. He wus at håm wiþ þe lack uf sun. It had bén deys sinss he had sén þe sun, and he cnew þat a few mor deys must go by béfor þat blíþ baul, bæring súþ, wöld but pép abuf þe útlín 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 strongly disagree with the philosophy of zero use of innovation used by Yose and Hurlebatte. The cherrypicked revivals result in a highly anachronistic system because of the combination of various conventions only used at different points in time, with many artificially archaic aspects combined with newer systems that almost certainly would have been replaced by another native system without foreign influence. It is also highly asymmetrical in how differently unvoiced and voiced velars/palatals are treated, which is very displeasing to the eye. 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. I intensely hate the current official Anglish spelling, and its adoption me to stop participating in this community for the most part.

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 ðe bid. Ðen ðe Sun shone ute warmly, and at onse ðe weyfarer tooc off his shrude. And so ðe Norð Wind was bund to acnolledg ðat ðe Sun was ðe stronger of ðe two.

Talafolk's Thawed Spelling

This spelling spears and spurs for one thing,
thawing English from its thimble of frost.
To flower, English is to free itself from that fright;
Away with the 'weird E', woe to the spelling not matching speech.
Should you brook it, on the Discord is shown the link in #links-only.
Have fun reading! (see also here!)

- Tala

A snippet from "To Build a Fire", by Jack London:

Dey had browken cowld and grey, dredfully cowld and grey, when the man went asyd from the mein Yookon bywey and clym’d the hy erth-stath, whear a dim and littel-trodden bywey led eestwerd thro the far evergreen timmerland. It was a steep stath, and he stopt fer breth at the top, spearing the deed ta himself by louking at his watch. It was nyn. Thear was now sun noar hint of sun, thow thear was not a clawd in the hevens. It was a howder dey, and yet thear loukt a shadowy shrawd owver the syt of things, a slyt gloom that meid the dey dark, and that was ow'd ta the derth of sun. This trooth did not wurry the man. He was at howm with the lack of sun. It had been days sins he had seen the sun, and he new that a few moar deys must gow by befoar that blyth boall, bearing sawth, woud but peep abuf the awtlyn and dip forthwith from syt.

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 eas.

Þe Norþ Ƿind and þe Sun ƿer flíting hƿic ƿas þe stronger, hƿen a ƿegfearer cám along ƿrapt in a ƿarm scrúd. Þeg seteld þat þe ƿån hƿó first ofercám in mácing þe ƿegfearer tác his scrúd off scód bé þåwt stronger þan þe oþer. Þen þe Norþ Ƿind bleƿ as hard as hé cód, but þe mår hé bleƿ, þe mår títlig did þe ƿegfearer fold his scrúd abút him; and at last þe Norþ Ƿind gáf up þe bid. Þen þe Sun scon út ƿårmlig, and at ƿånss þe ƿegfearer tóc off his scrúd. And såƿ þe Norþ Ƿind ƿas búnd tó acnåƿlecg þat þe Sun ƿas þe stronger of þe tó.

Vaelkvari's Efthew'd Spelling

Ðe Norþ Wind ænd ðe Sun wer flíting hwic was ðe stronger, hwen a weyfærer cám along wræpt in a warm scrúd. Ðey setteld ðæt ðe ån hwå first ófercám in mácing ðe weyfærer tác his scrúd off sculd bé þoht stronger ðæn ðe uðer. Ðen ðe Norþ Wind blew æs hard æs hé culd, but ðe mår hé blew ðe mår tíhtly did ðe weyfærer fold his scrúd abút him; ænd æt last ðe Norþ Wind gáf up ðe bid. Ðen ðe Sun scån út warmly, ænd æt åns ðe weyfærer tœc off his scrúd. Ænd so ðe Norþ Wind was búnd to accnowlecg ðæt ðe Sun was ðe stronger of ðe twœ.