SR1

Spelling Reform 1 or Spelling Reform step 1 (more commonly known as SR1) is an English spelling reform proposal advocated by British/Australian linguist Harry Lindgren. It calls for the short /ɛ/ sound (as in bet) to always be spelt with E. For example, friend would become frend and head would become hed. SR1 was part of a 50-stage reform that Lindgren advocated in his book Spelling Reform: A New Approach (1969).

Spelling Reform 1 had some success in Australia. In 1975, the Australian Teachers' Federation adopted SR1 as a policy, although the Federation dissolved in 1987. However, there is no evidence outside this text that the system was "adopted widely" or indeed at all.

Examples:

  • /ɛ/ represented by a: any→eny
  • /ɛ/ represented by ai: said→sed
  • /ɛ/ represented by ea: ready→redy
  • /ɛ/ represented by ei: heifer→hefer
  • /ɛ/ represented by eo: jeopardy→jepardy
  • /ɛ/ represented by ie: friend→frend
  • /ɛ/ represented by u: bury→bery
  • /ɛ/ represented by ue: guess→gess

The following short poem is an example of SR1:

Draw a breth for progress,
Tred abrest ahed.
Fight agenst old spelling,
Better "red" than "read".
Spred the words at brekfast,
Mesure them in bed,
Dream of welth and tresure,
Better "ded" than "dead".

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