World Orthography

The World Orthography (WO) was an alphabet and transcription system based on the Africa Alphabet and the International Phonetic Alphabet. In Daniel Jones’s 1948 Difference between Spoken and Written language, an adaptation of WO for English is given with the letters a b c d ð e ə f g h i j k l m n ŋ o p r s ʃ t θ u v w x y z ʒ. The capitals of ð, ə, ŋ, ʃ, θ, and ʒ are: Ð (shaped like Ƌ), Ə, the Ŋ (shaped like large ŋ), Ʃ (shaped like sigma Σ), Θ, and straight-bottomed Ʒ (shaped like reversed sigma).

Examples

English sample from Jones 1948:

Ðis paragraf ʃouz hwot Iŋgliʃ luks laik in wən form ov Wərld Orθografi. It wil bi noutist ðat it iz not posible tu yuz for pərposez ov speliŋ an egzakt reprezenteiʃon ov ði spic ov eni wən Iŋgliʃ-spiikiŋ gruup, bət ðat veiriəs adapteiʃonz hav tu bi meid in ordər tu rendər ðə speliŋ yuzabl bai ool sekʃonz ov ði Iŋgliʃ-spiikiŋ wərld. For instans, it iz probabli advaizable tu meik ði leter ə du dyuti for ði saund ʌ as wel az for ði saund ə, in akordans wið ði spiic ov meni in ði Norθ ov Iŋgland and in Amerika hu du not distiŋgwiʃ ðiiz saundz. Laikwaiz it wil nou daut bi faund konviinien tu rait moust ov ði ənstrest ə-saundz wið ðeir prezent speliŋz, sins ðei sou often ʃou releiʃonʃips tu əðər wərdz, az in pedant, pedantik, provident, providenʃal, meθod, meθodikal. Əgein it wil oolmoust sərtenli bi faund advanteijəs tu introdyus ə sərten nəmbər ov “wərd sainz” tu denout ʃort komon wərdz wið veiriabl pronənsieiʃon, for instans a, ði, bi, mi, ʃi, du, tu, hu. A limited nəmbər ov wərdz wud hav oltərnativ speliŋz, e.g. pas, paas, grant, graant, soolt, solt, agein, agen, wið, wiθ.

Sinhala sample, The North Wind and the Sun, from Perera and Jones 1938:

Uturu huləŋ̆gai irai kaura vɛɖie balə sampannədə kia beedə kəraddi, unuhun saaluak perəvaagənə innə magiek laŋ̆ga una. Magiae saaluə paləmueŋ galəvaɳɖə sɛlɛssu ekkena vɛɖie balə sampanneə kia moun beeraagənə, uturu huləŋ̆gə puluan tadin hulan gɛhɛvva. Numut hulangahənə tarəməʈə magia tavə tavə saaluə perəvagatta. Antimeedi uturu huləŋ̆ge bɛri bavə dɛnəgənə nɛvətunə. Iiʈə passe irə tadin pɛɛvva. Ekə paarəʈəmə magia saaluə ahakkələ. Ee hinda irə vɛɖie balə sampanneə kia uturu huləŋ̆gəʈə eettu ganɖə una.

See also

• Africa alphabet
• Latin-script alphabet
• International Phonetic Alphabet
• Standard Alphabet by Lepsius

Notes

References

• Firth, J. R. 1933. “Notes on the Transcription of Burmese”, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, volume VII, part 1, January 1933, pp 137–140.
• Firth, J. R. 1936. “Alphabets and Phonology in India and Burma”, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, volume VIII, part 2-3, January 1936, pp 517–546.
• Harley, Alexander Hamilton. 1944. Colloquial Hindustani. K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & co. ltd.
• Jones, Daniel. 1942. The problem of a national script for India. Hertford: Stephen Austin and Sons.
• Jones, Daniel. 1948. Differences between Spoken and Written Language.
• MacMahon, Michael K.C. 1991. “The International Phonetic Alphabet”, in Malmkjær, Kirsten (ed). The Linguistics encyclopedia. London: Routeledge.
• Perera, H. S. ; Jones, Daniel. 1938. “The Application of World Orthography to Sinhalese”, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, volume IX, part 3, October 1938, pp 705–707.