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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML+RDFa 1.0//EN" "http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/DTD/xhtml-rdfa-1.dtd"> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" xmlns:fb="https://ogp.me/ns/fb#" xmlns:og="https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head profile="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/sil-favicon_0.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <meta name="description" content="An orthography needs reform when people have difficulty reading it, or when it is unacceptable for some reason. These again are the two main criteria of usability and acceptability. The longer an orthography has been in existence, the more literature is likely to exist in it, and the more inertia it has, and so the more difficult it is to change. To change an orthography" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.sil.org/orthography/reform-orthographies" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.sil.org/node/122841" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="SIL Global" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.sil.org/orthography/reform-orthographies" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Reform of orthographies" /> <meta property="og:description" content="An orthography needs reform when people have difficulty reading it, or when it is unacceptable for some reason. These again are the two main criteria of usability and acceptability. The longer an orthography has been in existence, the more literature is likely to exist in it, and the more inertia it has, and so the more difficult it is to change. To change an orthography requires some sort of sponsorship and endorsement of the process from an authoritative body, whether a governmental body, a local language committee, or some other body." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2022-04-14T09:43:26-05:00" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.sil.org/orthography/reform-orthographies" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Reform of orthographies" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="An orthography needs reform when people have difficulty reading it, or when it is unacceptable for some reason. These again are the two main criteria of usability and acceptability. The longer an" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-01-31T15:11:57-06:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2022-04-14T09:43:26-05:00" /> <title>Reform of orthographies | SIL Global</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_lQaZfjVpwP_oGNqdtWCSpJT1EMqXdMiU84ekLLxQnc4.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_EM9PzeHZt2AxxQ3R05nXINg9akBOG66G3hxOgWtlp2E.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_y-6OGvqwgwpR259lzJYNwvxpJm3Q1qOD_DWt90goRpM.css" media="all" /> <style>.panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region { padding: 0; } .panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region-inside { padding-right: 0.5em; padding-left: 0.5em; } .panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region-inside-first { padding-left: 0; } .panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region-inside-last 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</div> </div> </div> <div class="main-container container"> <div class="row"> <section class="col-md-8 main-content-column"> <div id="page-title"> <h1 class="page-title">Reform of orthographies</h1> </div> <a id="main-content"></a> <div class="region region-content"> <section id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix"> <div class="ds-1col node node-expertise-page view-mode-full clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>An orthography needs reform when people have difficulty reading it, or when it is unacceptable for some reason. These again are the two main criteria of <strong>usability </strong>and <strong>acceptability</strong>. The longer an orthography has been in existence, the more literature is likely to exist in it, and the more inertia it has, and so the more difficult it is to change. To change an orthography requires some sort of sponsorship and endorsement of the process from an authoritative body, whether a governmental body, a local language committee, or some other body. Once the decision is made, the factors in developing a new orthography, listed on this page, are also relevant for reforming an orthography.</p> <ul> <li>Karan, Elke. 2006. "Writing System Development and Reform: A Process." MA thesis, University of North Dakota. <a href="https://commons.und.edu/theses/3004">https://commons.und.edu/theses/3004</a></li> <li>Kuznetsova, Natalia, Olga Kuznetsova & Valentin Vydrin. 2009. <a href="https://www.academia.edu/7395370/Modeling_a_new_Guro_orthography?email_work_card=view-paper">Modeling a new Guro orthography</a>. In Peter K. Austin, Oliver Bond, Monik Charette, David Nathan & Peter Sells (eds) Proceedings of Conference on Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory 2. London: SOAS.<br /> 13-14 November 2009 School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London</li> <li>Roberts, John R. 1991. "Orthography reform in Amele." Notes on Literacy 17.4:1–20; 18.1:1–31. (originally published in two parts)</li> <li>Schroeder, Leila. 2016. <a href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/files/q6gatq.pdf">When the orthography of the local language is not yet standardized or requires further review in order to adequately represent the linguistic features of the language, how should this challenge be handled in the program?</a> In Trudell, B. and Young, C. (eds.) 2016. <a href="https://www.sil.org/literacy-education/good-answers-tough-questions-mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education">Good Answers to Tough Questions in Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education</a>. SIL International.</li> <li>Thomas, Dorothy M. 1989. <a href="https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/81/90/10/81901067165855619373295562816229033350/NOL_57_%281989%29_Changing_the_Northern_Khmer_orthography.pdf">Changing the Northern Khmer orthography</a>. Notes on Literacy 57:47–59.</li> <li>Wiesemann, Ursula. 1989. <a href="https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/12/96/90/12969066779620294530598254943997082666/NOL_57_%281989%29_Orthography_matters.pdf">Orthography matters</a>. Notes on Literacy 57:14–21.</li> </ul> </div></div></div></div> </section> </div> </section> <aside class="col-md-3 sidebar-second-wrapper" role="complementary"> <div class="region region-sidebar-second"> <section id="block-menu-block-4" class="block block-menu-block clearfix"> <div class="menu-block-wrapper menu-block-4 menu-name-menu-expertise parent-mlid-0 menu-level-3"> <ul class="menu nav"><li class="first last expanded active-trail menu-mlid-45391 active"><a href="/orthography" class="active-trail">Orthography</a><ul><li class="first expanded active-trail menu-mlid-45376 active"><a href="/orthography/topical-resources" class="active-trail">Topical Resources</a><ul><li class="first leaf menu-mlid-45416"><a href="/orthography/community-participation-and-stakeholders">• Community participation</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-110341"><a href="/orthography/conferences">• Conferences</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45421"><a href="/orthography/dialects">• Dialects</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45426"><a href="/orthography/endangered-languages">• Endangered languages</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-59776"><a href="/orthography/fonts-and-technical-issues">• Fonts and technical issues</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45431"><a href="/orthography/linguistics-and-orthography">• Linguistics</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45436"><a href="/orthography/naming-symbols">• Naming the symbols</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45441"><a href="/orthography/psycholinguistics-education-factors">• Psycholinguistics & Education factors</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-59771"><a href="/orthography/punctuation">• Punctuation</a></li> <li class="leaf active-trail active menu-mlid-45446 active active"><a href="/orthography/reform-orthographies" class="active-trail active">• Reform of orthographies</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45451"><a href="/orthography/script-issues">• Script issues</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45456"><a href="/orthography/sociopolitics">• Sociopolitics</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45461"><a href="/orthography/stages-orthography-development">• Stages of orthography</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45466"><a href="/orthography/standardization">• Standardization</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45471"><a href="/orthography/testing-and-experiments">• Testing and experiments</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-47536"><a href="/orthography/tone">• Tone</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-103286"><a href="/orthography/training-and-teaching">• Training and teaching</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-103281"><a href="/www.sil.org/orthography/vowels">• Vowels</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-48606"><a href="/https%3A//www.sil.org/orthography/word-breaks">• Word breaks</a></li> <li class="last leaf menu-mlid-45476"><a href="/orthography/writing-orthography-statement-or-report">• Writing up a report</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="last expanded menu-mlid-45381"><a href="/orthography/area-resources">Area Resources</a><ul><li class="first leaf menu-mlid-45396"><a href="/orthography/africa">• Africa</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45401"><a href="/orthography/americas">• Americas</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-45406"><a href="/orthography/asia">• Asia</a></li> <li class="last leaf menu-mlid-45411"><a href="/orthography/pacific">• Pacific</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul></div> </section> </div> </aside>  </div> </div> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer-top"> <div class="container"> <div class="region region-footer"> <section id="block-panels-mini-sil-bootstrap-footer-menu" class="block block-panels-mini clearfix"> <div class="panel-flexible panels-flexible-new clearfix" id="mini-panel-sil_bootstrap_footer_menu"> <div class="panel-flexible-inside panels-flexible-new-inside"> <div class="panels-flexible-row panels-flexible-row-new-main-row panels-flexible-row-first clearfix footer-links"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-row-inside panels-flexible-row-new-main-row-inside panels-flexible-row-inside-first clearfix"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-new-column_1 panels-flexible-region-first "> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-new-column_1-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first"> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-block-276 pane-block footer-logo" > <div class="pane-content"> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/sil_logo_white.png" style="width: 100px; 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