James Pitman
Encyclopedia
Sir James Pitman, KBE
(14 August 1901 – 1 September 1985) was a British businessman, civil servant, publisher, politician and spelling reformer.
Sir James was vitally concerned with the teaching of children to write the English language. His analysis of the teaching of handwriting to students, both in school by professional teachers, and at home by parents has several strong pedagogical theories in its intellectual background. Along with his analysis Pitman created a system of spelling that allows students to spell as words are pronounced (according to an alternative orthography for an English-language teaching alphabet). His major work on this topic is Alphabets and Reading: The Initial Teaching Alphabet
(1965).
His thorough work has been adapted for several other uses: teaching English as a second language to adults for pronunciation and handwriting purposes, use on the Internet by alternative orthographers of English (an alternative most realisable by use of crossover systems adapted to the standard keyboard), and aesthetic uses where the writer wants to play at the conjunction of signs or symbols, and alphabet-based writing. This latter use gives rise to an aesthetics and poetics of its own, as in the Owlbirdbet Crossover system adapted to the standard keyboard, where it is more widely accessible to Internet users.
Overall, the Pitman initial teaching alphabet (ita) points the way to the needed overall reform of English spelling, such as the Dutch accomplished in regard the writing of their own tongue some two decades ago.
Pitman was the son of Ernest Pitman and grandson of Sir Isaac Pitman
, who developed the most widely used system of shorthand
, known now as Pitman Shorthand
. James Pitman was to become chairman and joint managing director of the Pitman Press and Pitman Publishing.
Pitman was educated at Summer Fields School
, Eton College
and Christ Church, Oxford
. He excelled in athletics, won the Public Schools
middleweight
boxing
championship of 1919 and gained his 'blue' at Oxford University in rugby union
which he also played for England against Scotland
.
In 1934 he became chairman of Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, a post he held until 1966. He was a director of Boots Pure Drug, Bovril
and the Equity and Law Life Assurance Society. He wrote several books on the teaching of English and is best-known as the inventor of the Initial Teaching Alphabet
. The educational institutes with which he was involved, often as president or chairman, included the British and Foreign School Society, the British Association for Commercial and Industrial Education, the National Association for the Advancement of Education for Commerce, the Committee of the Simplified Spelling Society
and the Initial Teaching Alphabet Foundation.
During World War II Pitman was a Squadron Leader in the RAFVR. He became a Director of the Bank of England
in 1941 until after 1945 and was Director of Organization and Methods at HM Treasury
1943-5.
At the 1945 general election
, Pitman was elected as Conservative
Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath
. In the House of Commons
, he championed spelling reform, working with the Labour
MP, Mont Follick
, to promote the cause of the Simplified Spelling Society.
Pitman retired from Parliament in 1964. He continued to serve on several company boards. He also served as Chairman of the Management Committee of the University of London
Institute of Education
. He was Pro-Chancellor
of the University of Bath
1972–81 and ensured that the Pitman papers would reside with the University.
Pitman married the Hon. Margaret Beaufort Johnston the daughter of George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke
in 1927 and had three sons and a daughter.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(14 August 1901 – 1 September 1985) was a British businessman, civil servant, publisher, politician and spelling reformer.
Sir James was vitally concerned with the teaching of children to write the English language. His analysis of the teaching of handwriting to students, both in school by professional teachers, and at home by parents has several strong pedagogical theories in its intellectual background. Along with his analysis Pitman created a system of spelling that allows students to spell as words are pronounced (according to an alternative orthography for an English-language teaching alphabet). His major work on this topic is Alphabets and Reading: The Initial Teaching Alphabet
Initial Teaching Alphabet
The Initial Teaching Alphabet was developed by Sir James Pitman in the early 1960s...
(1965).
His thorough work has been adapted for several other uses: teaching English as a second language to adults for pronunciation and handwriting purposes, use on the Internet by alternative orthographers of English (an alternative most realisable by use of crossover systems adapted to the standard keyboard), and aesthetic uses where the writer wants to play at the conjunction of signs or symbols, and alphabet-based writing. This latter use gives rise to an aesthetics and poetics of its own, as in the Owlbirdbet Crossover system adapted to the standard keyboard, where it is more widely accessible to Internet users.
Overall, the Pitman initial teaching alphabet (ita) points the way to the needed overall reform of English spelling, such as the Dutch accomplished in regard the writing of their own tongue some two decades ago.
Pitman was the son of Ernest Pitman and grandson of Sir Isaac Pitman
Isaac Pitman
Sir Isaac Pitman , knighted in 1894, developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in Stenographic Soundhand in 1837. Pitman was a qualified teacher and taught at a private school he founded in Wotton-under-Edge...
, who developed the most widely used system of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
, known now as Pitman Shorthand
Pitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
. James Pitman was to become chairman and joint managing director of the Pitman Press and Pitman Publishing.
Pitman was educated at Summer Fields School
Summer Fields School
Summer Fields is a boys' independent preparatory school based in Summertown, Oxford, England.-History:Originally called Summerfield, it became a Boys' Preparatory School in 1864 with seven pupils. Its owner, Archibald Maclaren, was a fencing teacher who ran a gymnasium in Oxford; he himself was...
, Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He excelled in athletics, won the Public Schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
championship of 1919 and gained his 'blue' at Oxford University in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
which he also played for England against Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In 1934 he became chairman of Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, a post he held until 1966. He was a director of Boots Pure Drug, Bovril
Bovril
Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick, salty meat extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston and sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar. It is made in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, owned and distributed by Unilever UK....
and the Equity and Law Life Assurance Society. He wrote several books on the teaching of English and is best-known as the inventor of the Initial Teaching Alphabet
Initial Teaching Alphabet
The Initial Teaching Alphabet was developed by Sir James Pitman in the early 1960s...
. The educational institutes with which he was involved, often as president or chairman, included the British and Foreign School Society, the British Association for Commercial and Industrial Education, the National Association for the Advancement of Education for Commerce, the Committee of the Simplified Spelling Society
Simplified Spelling Society
The English Spelling Society is an international organisation, based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1908 as the Simplified Spelling Society and celebrated its Centenary Conference at Coventry University in June 2008...
and the Initial Teaching Alphabet Foundation.
During World War II Pitman was a Squadron Leader in the RAFVR. He became a Director of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
in 1941 until after 1945 and was Director of Organization and Methods at HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
1943-5.
At the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Pitman was elected as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
. In the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, he championed spelling reform, working with the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, Mont Follick
Mont Follick
Dr. Mont Follick was a British Labour Party politician, and a campaigner for spelling reform. He was Member of Parliament for Loughborough from 1945 to 1955, having previously held the post of professor of English at the University of Madrid in Spain...
, to promote the cause of the Simplified Spelling Society.
Pitman retired from Parliament in 1964. He continued to serve on several company boards. He also served as Chairman of the Management Committee of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
. He was Pro-Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
1972–81 and ensured that the Pitman papers would reside with the University.
Pitman married the Hon. Margaret Beaufort Johnston the daughter of George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke
George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke
George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke, KBE , was a British businessman.Luke was the second son of John Lawson Johnston, a beef manufacturer and the founder of Bovril Ltd and Elizabeth, daughter of George Lawson, biscuit manufacturer of Edinburgh...
in 1927 and had three sons and a daughter.