Division of Words | Page 2

same
word spelled in a variety of ways in the same document.
The last century has brought about an attempt to standardize spelling
into conventional forms any departure from which is regarded as highly
derogatory to the writer. In many cases these forms are fixed arbitrarily,
and in some there is even now disagreement among the highest
authorities. These difficulties and disagreements have two reasons:
First, English is a composite language, drawn from many sources and
at many periods; hence purely philological and etymological influences
intervene, sometimes with marked results, while there is a difference of
opinion as to how far these influences ought to prevail. Second, the
English language uses an alphabet which fits it very badly. Many letters
have to do duty for the expression of several sounds, and sometimes
several of them have nearly or quite the same sound. For example,
there are a number of distinct sounds of a, i, and o while g is sometimes
indistinguishable from j and c from k. This is not always a matter of
modification of sounds by the sounds of other letters combined with
them. One has to learn how to pronounce cough, dough, enough, and
plough, the ough having four distinct sounds in these four words. Each

one of these sounds, by the way, could be exactly as well represented
by another combination of letters which would be unmistakable, viz.,
coff, doe, enuff, and plow. It is impossible to tell except by the context
either the pronunciation or the meaning of bow. If the ow is pronounced
as in low, it means a weapon. If the ow is pronounced as in cow it may
mean either an obeisance or the front end of a boat.
This standardization of spelling is unfortunately not quite complete,
although nearly so. Concerning the vast majority of the words in the
English language there is no difference of opinion. A few words are
differently spelled by different authorities. There are seven of these
authorities of the first rank, three English, Stormonth, the Imperial
Dictionary, and the Oxford Dictionary; and four American, Webster's
International, Worcester, the Century Dictionary, and the Standard
Dictionary. American printers may ordinarily disregard the English
authorities.
Any one of the four American authorities may be safely followed. In
cases where two spellings are given in the dictionary consulted, take
the first one. Ordinarily a printing office adopts one of the great
authorities as a standard and conforms the office style to it. All office
copy will follow it and all errors in copy from outside will be corrected
by it. Spellings differing from it will be regarded as errors, even though
supported by other authorities.
This rule, however, is subject to one very important exception. The
author has an unquestionable right to choose his own dictionary or to
use any spelling for which there is any authority, English or American.
If he has his own ideas on the subject of spelling he should be very
careful that his manuscript is correctly spelled according to his ideas,
and clearly written or typed. He should also indicate on the manuscript
the authority he wishes used in correcting the spelling in case of
mistakes or illegible passages. Every care should be taken to make the
manuscript copy as correct as possible and as legible as possible. Such
care may be very troublesome at first, but it will result in great saving
of expense.
In addition to the authorities named there are the rules and "reformed"

spellings adopted by the American Philological Association and
published by the United States Government. These are followed fully
in some offices, partly in others, and in many not at all. This is a
question of the office style and the author's wish. If copy is clear and
spelled according to any authority, it is the compositor's duty to follow
it. If it is misspelled or illegible he is to correct it according to the
office style unless otherwise directed by the author in writing. If
furnished with such a direction he is to follow it. This procedure will
clear the compositor of all blame. Any questions which then arise lie
between the author and the proofreader.
In the case of the reformed spellings, however, the departure from the
ordinary appearance of the words is so great that the author cannot be
allowed full freedom to set aside the office style. If he is paying for the
printing he may insist on his spelling. If he is contributing to a
periodical and the printing is done at the publisher's expense it is for the
publisher to determine the style of printing to be used.
Any full consideration of the question of reformed spelling is hardly in
place in this book. The author may perhaps be permitted one
observation. Innovation in the