Notes on Wijk's Regularized English


This page is a rather informal set of notes on Wijk's Regularized English respelling system, based on his 1959 book of the same name.  For simplicity sake, I have not paid much attention to British English here.  Where British and American pronunciations differ, you should assume this page relates only to the American pronunciation, unless otherwise noted.

All of the following is as I understand it.  Misunderstandings and other errors are very possible!

Symbols in brackets are SAMPA.  (Yes, they should be in slashes.  Sue me!)

Basic Principles


Words whose correct pronunciation can't be determined from the rules below should be respelled.  Words are not respelled solely to make the spelling more logical.

Except, unassimilated foreign words are not respelled.  Proper names might not be respelled.

Except, apparent digraphs might occasionally be pronounced as their normal sequence of letters (create, mishap).

Except, words may be respelled even if their current spelling is correct if they are a homonym of a more common word which "needs" the more natural spelling.

A word should be respelled minimally, to maximize resemblance to its familiar spelling.

Words whose pronunciations vary may have multiple spellings if they are not too common.  Alternately, the spelling may cater to the more usual pronunciation or to the pronunciation most similar to related words.

Effort is made to keep homonyms distinct.  Occasionally, new homonyms may be created, e.g., mold (shape) vs. moald (fungus).

Silent e:

Often, a double consonant indicates the previous vowel is short.  Words are not respelled simply to change doubling, but when a word is respelled for some other reason, double consonants may be added or removed as well.

Some distinctions just aren't made, e.g. [ks] vs. [gz] for x, [ju:] vs [u:] for long u, [N] vs. [Ng] for ng.

Spellings marked with a * are kept, but are not an integral part of  the system.


Symbols to sounds


a - [eI] long
a - [I] unstressed, especially -ace, -age, -ate
a - [{] short
a - [@] unstressed
aa - [A] not after w, wh or qu
ae - [eI] *
aer - [Er] *
ah - [A] * final
ai - [eI]
aigh - [eI]
air - [Er]
ar - [Ar] final or before C
ar - [Er] before V or silent e
ar - [{r] before V or double r
ar - [@r] unstressed
au - [O:]
augh - [O:]
aur - [Or]
aw - [O:]
ay - [eI]
ayr - [Er]
b(b) - [b]
c - [k] before a, o, u, terminal
c - [s] before e, i, y
cc - [k] before a, o, u
cc - [ks] before e, i, y
ce - [S] unstressed before vowel
ch - [tS]
ci - [S] unstressed before vowel
d(d) - [d]
d - [dZ] occasionally before i or (e)u
dg - [dZ] before e, i, y
dh - [D] medial/final
e - [E] short
e - [i:] long
e - [I] unstressed
e - [@] unstressed
ea - [i:]
ear - [Ir]
eau - [oU] *
ee - [i:]
eer - [Ir]
ei - [eI]
eigh - [eI]
eir - [Er]
er - [Er] before V or double r
er - [Ir] before V or silent e
er - [3`] final or before C
er - [@r] unstressed
eu - [ju:]
eu - [u:]
eur - [ju:r]
eur - [u:r]
ew - [ju:]
ew - [u:]
ew(e)r - [ju:r]
ew(e)r - [u:r]
ey - [eI]
ey - [I] unstressed terminal
eyr - [Er]
f(f) - [f]
g - [dZ] often before e, i, y
g(g) - [g] before a, o, u, usually initially before i, sometimes before e, i, y
g - [Z] before silent e, French loan words
gn - [n] * initial
gu - [g] initial before e, i, y
h - [] * silent between vowels
h - [h]
i - [aI] long
i - [I] short
i - [@] unstressed
iar - [aIr] *
ie - [aI] final
ie - [i:] medial
ie - [I] unstressed, inflected -y
ier - [aIr] * comparatives
ier - [Ir]
igh - [aI]
ior - [aIr] *
ir - [aIr] before V or silent e
ir - [Ir] before V or double r
ir - [3`] before C or final
ir - [@r] unstressed
j - [dZ]
(c)k - [k]
kn - [n] initial
l(l) - [l]
le - [@l] final
m(m) - [m]
m - [@m] final after z
n(n) - [n]
ng - [ndZ] before e, i, y
ng - [N]
ng - [Ng] before a, o, u
nk - [Nk]
o - [A] short (American)
o - [oU] long
o - [O:] * pronounced ambiguously with [A/Q]
o - [Q] short (British)
o - [@] unstressed
oa - [oU]
oar - [Or]
oe - [oU]
oi - [OI]
oo - [u:] silent e often required
oo - [U]
oor - [Ur]
or - [Or]
or - [@r] unstressed
ou - [aU]
ou - [@] unstressed -ous
ough - [aU]
our - [aUr]
our - [@r] unstressed -our
ow - [aU]
owr - [aUr]
oy - [OI]
p(p) - [p]
ps - [s] * pseudo- and psyc-
(c)qu - [kw]
r(r) - [r]
re - [@r] final
s - [s]
s - [S] occasionally before u unstressed
s - [z] in plurals and possessives
sc - [s] before e, i, y
se - [S] unstressed before vowel
sh - [S]
si - [S] unstressed before vowel
ss - [s]
ss - [S] occasionally before u unstressed
ssi - [S] unstressed before vowel
t - [] * silent in -et from French
t - [] silent in -sten, -stle
t(t) - [t]
t - [tS] sometimes before u unstressed
tch - [tS]
th - [D] initial in structure words
th - [T]
ti - [S] unstressed before vowel
u - [ju:] long
u - [u:] long
u - [V] short
u - [@] unstressed
ue - [ju:]
ue - [u:]
uer - [ju:r]
uer - [u:r]
ui - [ju:]
ui - [u:]
ur - [ju:r]
ur - [u:r] before V or silent e
ur - [3`] before C, final or double r
ur - [@r] unstressed
ure - [@r] final unstressed
v(v) - [v]
w - [w]
wh - [W]
wr - [r]
x - [gz]
x - [ks]
x - [z] * initial
y - [aI] long
y - [I] short
y - [j]
ye - [aI] final
yr - [aIr] before V or silent e
yr - [Ir] before V (or double r?)
yr - [3`] before C or final
yr - [@r] unstressed
z(z) - [z]
z - [Z] sometimes before u unstressed
zi - [Z] unstressed before vowel

Sounds to symbols


[] * - h silent between vowels
[] * - t silent in -et from French
[] - t silent in -sten, -stle
[aI] - i long
[aI] - ie final
[aI] - igh
[aI] - y long
[aI] - ye final
[aIr] * - iar
[aIr] * - ier comparatives
[aIr] * - ior
[aIr] - ir before V or silent e
[aIr] - yr before V or silent e
[aU] - ou
[aU] - ough
[aU] - ow
[aUr] - our
[aUr] - owr
[A] - aa not after w, wh or qu
[A] * - ah final
[A] - o short (American)
[Ar] - ar final or before C
[b] - b(b)
[d] - d(d)
[dZ] - d occasionally before i or e(u)
[dZ] - dg before e, i, y
[dZ] - g often before e, i, y
[dZ] - j
[D] - dh medial/final
[D] - th initial in structure words
[eI] - a long
[eI] * - ae
[eI] - ai
[eI] - aigh
[eI] - ay
[eI] - ei
[eI] - eigh
[eI] - ey
[E] - e short
[Er] * - aer
[Er] - air
[Er] - ar before V or silent e
[Er] - ayr
[Er] - eir
[Er] - er before V or double r
[Er] - eyr
[f] - f(f)
[g] - g(g) before a, o, u, usually initially before i, sometimes before e, i, y
[g] - gu initial before e, i, y
[gz] - x
[h] - h
[i:] - e long
[i:] - ea
[i:] - ee
[i:] - ie medial
[I] - any vowel (usually -ace, -age, -ate, e), unstressed
[I] - ey unstressed terminal
[I] - i short
[I] - ie unstressed, inflected -y
[I] - y short
[Ir] - ear
[Ir] - eer
[Ir] - er before V or silent e
[Ir] - ier
[Ir] - ir before V or double r
[Ir] - yr before V (or double r?)
[j] - y
[ju:] - eu
[ju:] - ew
[ju:] - u long
[ju:] - ue
[ju:] - ui
[ju:r] - eur
[ju:r] - ew(e)r
[ju:r] - uer
[ju:r] - ur before V or silent e
[k] - c before a, o, u, terminal
[k] - cc before a, o, u
[k] - (c)k
[ks] - cc before e, i, y
[ks] - x
[kw] - (c)qu
[l] - l(l)
[m] - m(m)
[n] * - gn initial
[n] - kn initial
[n] - n(n)
[ndZ] - ng before e, i, y
[N] - ng
[Ng] - ng before a, o, u
[Nk] - nk
[oU] * - eau
[oU] - o long
[oU] - oa
[oU] - oe
[O:] - au
[O:] - augh
[O:] - aw
[O:] * - o pronounced ambiguously with [A/Q]
[OI] - oi
[OI] - oy
[Or] - aur
[Or] - oar
[Or] - or
[p] - p(p)
[Q] - o short (British)
[r] - r(r)
[r] - wr
[s] - c before e, i, y
[s] * - ps pseudo- and psyc-
[s] - s
[s] - sc before e, i, y
[s] - ss
[S] - ce unstressed before vowel
[S] - ci unstressed before vowel
[S] - s occasionally before u unstressed
[S] - se unstressed before vowel
[S] - sh
[S] - si unstressed before vowel
[S] - ss occasionally before u unstressed
[S] - ssi unstressed before vowel
[S] - ti unstressed before vowel
[t] - t(t)
[tS] - ch
[tS] - t sometimes before u unstressed
[tS] - tch
[T] - th
[u:] - eu
[u:] - ew
[u:] - oo silent e often required
[u:] - u long
[u:] - ui
[u:r] - eur
[u:r] - ew(e)r
[u:r] - uer
[u:r] - ur before V or silent e
[U] - oo
[Ur] - oor
[v] - v(v)
[V] - u short
[w] - w
[W] - wh
[z] - s in plurals and possessives
[z] * - x initial
[z] - z(z)
[Z] - g before silent e, French loan words
[Z] - z sometimes before u unstressed
[Z] - zi unstressed before vowel
[{] - a short
[{r] - ar before V or double r
[3`] - er final or before C
[3`] - ir final or before C
[3`] - ur final, before C or double r
[3`] - yr final or before C
[@] - any vowel
[@] - ou in -ous
[@l] - any vowel + l
[@l] - le final
[@m] - any vowel + m
[@m] - m final following z
[@n] - any vowel + n
[@r] - any vowel + r
[@r] - our final unstressed
[@r] - re final
[@r] - ure final unstressed


Examples of Respellings

a to aa, au or o:
   faadher, garaage, aul, wauk, quolity, wonton
ar to or:
   quorrel, quorter, whorf
bad silent e dropped:
   promis, minut, -at, -iv
ch to c/k:
   ake, Cristmas, monark, skeme
ea to e:
   brest, deth, jellous, trezure, weppon
ed to t or d in past tense:
   helpt, presst, raind, traveld
ei to ee:
   ceeling, receev, seezure
i to ie:
   mashien, poliece, swiet, uniec
loss of silent letters:
   cassle, collum, dout, iland, neumonia, onnest, sord
o to oo:
   looze, moove, toome
o to u:
   brudher, frunt, hunney, luv, stummac
ou to oo:
   coopon, groope, rooge, yoothe
ough repaired:
   aultho, enuff, thaught, thru, thurro
ow to oe:
   arroe, groeth, swolloe, throe
ph to f:
   fotograf, fraze, fyzical, sfere
que to c/k:
   antiec, etikette, licor, opake
s to z:
   cauze, eazy, rezult, vizit
si,su to zi,zu:
   divizion, plezure
silent e added:
   goste, kinde, moone, wilde
th to dh:
   breadhe, gadher, nordhern
u to oo:
   boosh, pooll, poodding
unstressed digraphs fixed:
   capten, forfet, forren, portret

Very common words



any
eny
are
ar
as
az
could
cood
do
doo
does
duz
doesn't
duzn't
done
dun
don't
doen't
has
haz
have
hav
his
hiz
is
iz
isn't
izn't
it's
it'z
many
meny
of
ov
once
wunce
one
wun
ought
aught
should
shood
some
sum
there
thare
these
theze
those
thoze
though
tho
was
woz
wasn't
wozn't
were
wer
what
whot
where
whare
who
hoo
whom
hoome
whose
hooze
with
widh
won't
woen't
would
wood
wouldn't
woodn't
you
yoo
your
yoor
you're
yoo'r
yours
yoorz


A list of about 1400 common words and their respellings in (American) Regularized English, extracted from the Appendices of Wijk's book, can be downloaded here.

Examples

The Star (H.G. Wells)

It woz on the first day ov the new year that the announcement woz made, aulmoste simultaneously from three obzervatories, that the motion ov the planet Neptune, the outermoste ov aul the planets that wheel about the sun, had becum very erratic.  A retardation in its velocity had been suspected in December.  Then a faint, remote speck ov light woz discuvered in the region ov the perturbed planet.  At first this did not cauze eny very greit excitement.  Scientific peeple, however, found the intelligence remarkable enuff, even before it became knoen that the new body woz rapidly groeing larger and brighter, and that its motion woz quite different from the orderly progress ov the planets.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Foarscore and seven years ago our faadhers braught forth on this continent a new nation, conceevd in liberty, and dedicated to the propozition that aul men ar created equol.

Now we ar engaged in a greit civil wor, testing whedher that nation, or eny nation so conceevd and so dedicated, can long endure.  We ar met on a greit battle-field ov that wor.  We hav cum to dedicate a portion ov that field az a final resting-place for thoze hoo here gave their lives that that nation might liv.  It iz aultogedher fitting and proper that we shood doo this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot halloe - this ground.  The brave men, living and ded, hoo struggled here, hav consecrated it far abuv our poor power to add or detract.  The wurld will little note nor long remember whot we say here, but it can never forget whot they did here.  It iz for us, the living, radher to be dedicated here to the unfinisht wurk which they hoo faught here hav thus far so nobly advanced.  It iz radher for us to be here dedicated to the greit task remaining before us - that from theze onnord ded we take increased devotion to that cauze for which they gave the last fooll mezure ov devotion; that we here highly rezolv that theze ded shall not hav died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall hav a new birth ov freedom; and  that guvernment ov the peeple, by the peeple, for the peeple, shall not perish from the erth.


A Poem by G. W. Russell


And wun thing after anudher,
Woz whisperd out ov the air,
How God woz a big, kinde brudher
Hooze home iz in everywhare.

Hiz light like a smile cums glancing
Thru the coole, coole winds az they pass,
From the flowers in Heven dancing
To the stars that shine in the grass.

From the clouds in deep blue wreadhing
And moste from the mountens taul,
But God like a wind goes breadhing
A dream ov Himself in aul.




To comment on this page, e-mail Alan at wyrdplay.org

Go to wyrdplay.org home page
Go to wyrdplay.org spelling system roster