English Spelling Society

The English Spelling Society is an international organisation based in the United Kingdom, founded in 1908The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language. Ed. David Crystal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. p. 277. as the Simplified Spelling Society. It primarily aims to raise awareness of problems caused by English spelling's irregularity and to improve literacy and reduce learning costs, including through the use of a spelling reform.The English Spelling Society. Our Aims, accessed 20 Sep 2021. The Society publishes leaflets, newsletters, journals, books, and bulletins. Its spokespeople feature regularly on TV, radio, and in print.

Structure The Society is based in the United Kingdom, but has a worldwide membership, including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.N. Paterson. The English Spelling Society, http://spellingsociety.org/about-us, accessed 20 Sep 2021. It is governed by a committee elected at its Annual General Meeting. The Society maintains links with the American Literacy Council, which has similar objectives.American Literacy Council

Aims The English Spelling Society primarily aims to make known the problems caused by English spelling's irregularity in an effort to improve literacy and reduce learning costs, including through the use of spelling reform. It also wishes to raise awareness of the alphabetic principle and its "corruption during the long history of written English" and to prepare a graded set of proposals for a more regular English orthography.N. Paterson. "Our Aims." The English Spelling Society, http://spellingsociety.org/our-aims, accessed 20 Sep 2021.

The Society believes that both recent research and the continuing governmental concern about literacy rates in the English-speaking world strengthen its position. In particular, it points to evidence that Anglophone children have a harder time learning to read and write than do Italian children."How do children learn to read? Is English more difficult than other languages"? Seymour, Philip H K (2001) presented at the British Festival of Science, Glasgow, Sep. British Journal of Psychology 2003.G. Thorstad. "The effect of orthography on the acquisition of literacy skills". British Journal of Psychology (1991), 82, 527-537, https://web.archive.org/web/20071012040116/http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/books/thorstad.pdf It also quotes evidence that dyslexia is less of a problem in Italy and linguistically similar countries which have more phonemic writing systems than English. Finally, it points to a recent studyKPMG Foundation: "The long term costs of literacy difficulties" December 2006 by the KPMG Foundation that estimates the total costs to the public purse till age 37 arising from failure to read in the primary school years at £1.73 billion to £2.05 billion a year.

Specific reform systems As of September 2021, the Society has not endorsed any specific alternative English spelling system. However, through its "Personal View" series, it provides a forum for authors of alternative systems to publish their work and submit them to peer review. The forum includes resources for Simpel-Fonetik and SoundSpel, among others.Spelling Society : West African & Britic Its listed proposals vary in their recommendations from regularising only a few words to making English almost completely phonemically written.

In the November 1983 edition of the Society's newsletter, it printed a five-part reform proposal known as Stage 1. One of these was Spelling Reform 1 (SR1), a proposal by Harry Lindgren."The Society's 1984 Proposals" . Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society (February 1988). In April 1984, SR1 was adopted as the Society's house style at its yearly meeting. The Society said that the newsletter's proposed reforms could be used either together or individually (as a step-by-step change)."Tough Though Thought - and we call it correct spelling!" . Simplified Spelling Society (1984).

In April 2021, Stephen Linstead's Traditional Spelling Revised (TSR) was approved by the International English Spelling Congresshttp://spellingsociety.org/press-releases_p26Press release 2021-04-12 Revised Spelling System Approvedhttp://spellingsociety.org/uploaded_iesc/report-of-voting-misc.pdfCLOSE OF VOTING: 12 NOON (UK TIME) ON 1 APRIL 2021 as the best alternative to English Orthography. The Society, sponsor of the Congress, is affording TSR a degree of support and publicity.

Spelling bee protests Protesters from the Society have regularly taken good-humoured action against orthodox English spelling and its promotion (e.g. by demonstrating, most conspicuously in the form of "BeeMan", at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.).The English Spelling Society. "Bee Man demonstrates at Grand Hyatt". , accessed 20 Sep 2021.

Presidents The Society has had eight presidents to date since its creation in 1908. With the exception of the politician Sir James Pitman, all of the presidents have been academics. Years activeLength of presidency (years)PresidentBackground1908–19113Walter William SkeatPhilology1911–194635Gilbert MurrayClassics1946–196822Daniel JonesPhonetics1968–19724Sir James PitmanPedagogy (not academic)1972–198715John DowningEducational psychology1988–200315Donald ScraggAnglo-Saxon studies2003–201310John C. WellsPhonetics2013–present12 (as of 2025)Anatoly LibermanGermanic philology

Books Jolly Dictionary—Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham Future of Fonics—Isobel Raven Spelling for the 21st century—Sanford S. Silverman Spelling Dearest (The Down and Dirty, Nitty-Gritty History of English Spelling)—Niall McLeod Waldman The Book of Spells & Misspells—Valerie Yule Lets End Our Literacy Crisis—Bob C. Cleckler

English Spelling Society

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