Return to Home Page   |   Return to Chapter Contents

How It Will Happen

Changes to spelling have happened in France and Germany by the government making laws. This probably won't happen in English-speaking countries (although it nearly did in England in 1953 when a system of spelling called New Spelling passed its first reading in parliament).

Rather, change will come about through changes in "common usage", when ordinary people decide that change is desirable.

So it is a matter of moral choice. In the last century our society has made many moral choices - for example, we have decided to give women the vote, and to let them have equal opportunity for good jobs. Now we must make a moral choice about spelling - we must decide that the spelling 'night' is wrong and bad, because it is difficult for children to learn. We must decide that the spelling 'nite' is right and good, because it is easy to learn.

Moral choices are always hard to make, because they upset the prejudices and common ideas that we have held for so long. After all, teachers for years have said that the spelling 'night' is right and good, and that the spelling 'nite' is wrong, lazy and not in accordance with the accepted standard.

Many people were unhappy when pounds, shillings and pence changed to decimal currency in England and Australia. The change seemed to upset long-accepted habits. But the change happened without too many problems - because it was a change from a difficult, illogical system to a simple, logical one. Changes to our spelling can happen in a similar way.

Return to Home Page   |   Return to Chapter Contents