For the sake of efficiency, I want to streamline the alphabet. This includes eliminating some letters, reassigning some, and reintroducing one.
A - A good, solid start, here. No complaints.
B - Same as above. It has a purpose and serves it well.
C - This letter frequently does double duty, serving both the S sound and the K sound. Since each of those letters do the same job just as well, C should change to the CH sound. It's common in other languages, and we don't have any other letters for CH, so C gets reassigned.
D, E, F, G, H, and I can all stay.
J - Redundant. One can get the same effect out of G. I could be persuaded to reconsider, provided the soft G is no longer used.
K, L, M, N, O, and P can stay.
Q - A waste of a letter. First of all, just look at it. Q. It's O with a tail. It's frequently confused with G. And it doesn't even make a unique sound. It's just the K sound, but circley. Not only that, Q is hardly ever used in the first place, and most of the time, it requires the addition of another letter, namely U. We can get the same effect with KU or KW.
R, S, T, U, and V are fine.
W - I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand, one could get the same sound out of U or OO. For mor distinct W sounds, we can just employ a UU. On the other hand, judging by the look and etymology, W is a relatively recent addition to the alphabet and does have a kind of unique sound. If we keep the W, it should be reclassified as a vowel.
X - Where to begin. It's two distinct consonant sounds in one letter. First of all, we rarely use it. Secondly, we see KS all over the place. It's nothing new. I propose we reassign the X to the SH sound. It's not unheard of. In fact, it's frequently used in such a manner when translating Chinese symbols to our phonetic alphabet.
Y - Unnecessary. You can get the same effect with a simple I or IE.
Z - I think we can go without Z. The S makes a similar, and frequently identical, sound. Britons use S instead of Z all the time, with words like realise. Not only that, it would also eliminate the cultural disagreement as to whether Z is pronounced Zed or Zee.
Þ - No one uses this letter anymore, and it's a shame. Þ (or þ) is a perfectly good letter. It has a unique shape, and it's easy to write. For those not in the know, Þ is pronounced "Thorn" and makes a TH sound. I would place it right after the T.
So, in the end, here's my refined alphabet:
ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPRSTÞUVWX.
This brings us down to 23 letters. C and X have redefined sounds, and Þ is new.
I'd also get rid of PH. F works just as well.
- New Generation of Lettering
Monday, March 12, 2007
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