Gabe Henry

Then there were efforts in the 1500s, the 1600s, and it was in the 1700s that it really became the domain of America and American intellectuals to try to simplify the language they were speaking. And it seems like they failed. They generally failed. The story of simplified spelling, the story of spelling reform is really a history of failure. It's a history of futility.

It's a history of radical-minded, eccentric people highly committed to one singular idea and kind of blocking out everything around them, tunnel visioned on this one thing.

It's a history of radical-minded, eccentric people highly committed to one singular idea and kind of blocking out everything around them, tunnel visioned on this one thing.

It's a history of radical-minded, eccentric people highly committed to one singular idea and kind of blocking out everything around them, tunnel visioned on this one thing.

so people were proposing spelling words like laugh l-a-f though t-h-o and these weren't just nobodies these were people like noah webster who was responsible for webster's dictionary he had radical ideas for simplifying every english word to its most pure phonetic essence and yes generally i'd say about 99 of these efforts failed

so people were proposing spelling words like laugh l-a-f though t-h-o and these weren't just nobodies these were people like noah webster who was responsible for webster's dictionary he had radical ideas for simplifying every english word to its most pure phonetic essence and yes generally i'd say about 99 of these efforts failed

so people were proposing spelling words like laugh l-a-f though t-h-o and these weren't just nobodies these were people like noah webster who was responsible for webster's dictionary he had radical ideas for simplifying every english word to its most pure phonetic essence and yes generally i'd say about 99 of these efforts failed

There is a version of the simplified spelling movement that still exists. It doesn't have momentum, but there is a community of people that are continuing to try to simplify it.

There is a version of the simplified spelling movement that still exists. It doesn't have momentum, but there is a community of people that are continuing to try to simplify it.

There is a version of the simplified spelling movement that still exists. It doesn't have momentum, but there is a community of people that are continuing to try to simplify it.

There were profit values, there were profit motives for this, specifically among businessmen in the late 1800s. They viewed simplified spelling as, something that would increase productivity and efficiency in their workforce. Let's say you owned a publishing company or a newspaper or even a factory.

There were profit values, there were profit motives for this, specifically among businessmen in the late 1800s. They viewed simplified spelling as, something that would increase productivity and efficiency in their workforce. Let's say you owned a publishing company or a newspaper or even a factory.

There were profit values, there were profit motives for this, specifically among businessmen in the late 1800s. They viewed simplified spelling as, something that would increase productivity and efficiency in their workforce. Let's say you owned a publishing company or a newspaper or even a factory.

You would look at simplified spelling and see it as a way to save time, save money, because these words are shorter to write.

You would look at simplified spelling and see it as a way to save time, save money, because these words are shorter to write.

You would look at simplified spelling and see it as a way to save time, save money, because these words are shorter to write.

you would save ink you would save paper and all in all you would be able to accelerate the productivity of your workforce that drove a lot of these people noah webster made some calculations back in 1789 and he concluded that his version of spelling reform which was actually kind of a more moderate

you would save ink you would save paper and all in all you would be able to accelerate the productivity of your workforce that drove a lot of these people noah webster made some calculations back in 1789 and he concluded that his version of spelling reform which was actually kind of a more moderate

you would save ink you would save paper and all in all you would be able to accelerate the productivity of your workforce that drove a lot of these people noah webster made some calculations back in 1789 and he concluded that his version of spelling reform which was actually kind of a more moderate

he calculated that it would save printers about one page out of every 18, which doesn't sound like a lot, but for a 180-page book, that's 10 pages. For a 360-page book, that's 20 pages. And this is the kind of marginal profit calculation you're trying to make if you're running a business. So there was money in it, but I think the aesthetics of simplified spelling were always working against it.