Orders of the Day — Spelling Reform Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 March 1949.

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Photo of Sir Isaac Pitman Sir Isaac Pitman , Bath 12:00, 11 March 1949

I presume the Minister is asking for information. The whole question of the unstressed vowel is fully covered in all the books which have gone into the subject. It is perfectly true that, depending on the context, one varies the pronunciation. I may say, "Mr. Speaker, cun I speak?" and he may reply, "Yes, you can." The word is completely different in those two contexts. Therefore, the basis of any sensible system of giving symbols for sounds is to take the stressed rather than the unstressed form. The answer to the right hon. Gentleman would be that the correct spelling would be the one which kept the same form for "man" and "postman."