Shadow

Eric has a couple of old papers by Steinberg against Chomsky and Halle’s argument in SPE that the current English writing system is in some sense optimal. Need to get the microfiches … fun.

ERIC - Education Resources Information Center

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ED053596

Would an Orthography Based on Chomsky and Halle’s Underlying Phonological Representations Be Optimal?

Steinberg, Danny D.;

English; Linguistic Theory; Linguistics; Orthographic Symbols; Phonetic Transcription; Phonetics; Phonology; Reading; Reading Processes; Semantics; Spelling;

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1971-03-00

18

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Chomsky and Halle claim that an orthography based on their system of phonological representations of lexical items would be optimal. Their analysis assumes that (1) a reader need read only for meaning and not for sound, (2) an orthography based on their underlying phonological representations would not be exceptionally difficult to learn, and (3) there is no direct link between the phonetic aspect of a lexical item and its meaning. This paper argues that none of these assumptions is warranted and that an orthography based on a broad phonetic representation is to be preferred. (Author)

ERIC #:
Title:
Authors:
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Abstract:

ED090758

On Chomsky and Halle’s Optimal Orthography.

Steinberg, Danny D.;

Deep Structure; English; Orthographic Symbols; Phonemes; Reading Development; Spelling; Surface Structure; Teaching Models; Transformational Generative Grammar;

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1972-00-00

20

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Chomsky and Halle claim that an orthography based on their underlying phonological representations (UPR) of lexical items would be optimal for English. This paper challenges two of Chomsky and Halle’s basic phonological assumptions: (1) that their Vowel Shift Rule is valid, and (2) that derived words do not appear as wholes in the lexicon. A less abstract phonological representation level based on the conscious perceptions of speakers, the surface phonemic representation (SPR), is proposed. An SPR-based orthography has advantages which a UPR-based orthography would not: it is easy to learn and teach; it can be learned at an early age; and it permits rapid detection of rhyme. It is concluded that an orthography based on SPRs, and not UPRs, would be optimal. (Author)