Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet was Benjamin Franklin
's proposal for a spelling reform
of the English language
. It used many of the same letters, but changed some of them and what sounds they represented. It was one of the earliest proposed spelling reforms to the English language.
Franklin also created an [oa] ligature, to represent the sound of [ɔ] in IPA
, also known as an open-mid back rounded vowel.
The most influential of Franklin's six new characters appears to have been the letter for "ng". This shape was incorporated into IPA as ŋ. This was borrowed from Alexander Gill the Elder
.
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
's proposal for a spelling reform
English spelling reform
For hundreds of years, many groups and individuals have advocated spelling reform for English. Spelling reformers seek to make English spelling more consistent and more phonetic, so that spellings match pronunciations and follow the alphabetic principle....
of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. It used many of the same letters, but changed some of them and what sounds they represented. It was one of the earliest proposed spelling reforms to the English language.
Vowels
Long vowels were represented by double letters e.g. aa = [aː] and ii = [iː]. Only one accented letter appears in the alphabet: ê, which represents the a in mane and lane.Franklin also created an [oa] ligature, to represent the sound of [ɔ] in IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
, also known as an open-mid back rounded vowel.
Consonants
Consonant combinations are used to represent such sounds as the ch in chew and the j in jaw.The most influential of Franklin's six new characters appears to have been the letter for "ng". This shape was incorporated into IPA as ŋ. This was borrowed from Alexander Gill the Elder
Alexander Gill the elder
Alexander Gill the Elder , also spelled Gil, was an English scholar, spelling reformer, and high-master of St Paul's School, where his pupils included John Milton...
.
External links
- Page on Omniglot
- Franklin writing about his alphabet
- Six New Letters for a Renovated Alphabet, Nicola Twilley and Geoff Manaugh, a talk given at the Friends of St Bride conference, Temporary Type, London, 10–12 October 2005