Why E̱NGLISH shoul̆d start ūsing accėnt màrks

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Introducing Accents for English

Introduction:

1. Overview: The tutorial will introduce accent marks for English to address inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation.
2. Inspiration: The idea is inspired by other languages that use accent marks effectively.

Addressing Silent Letters:

3. Identify Silent Letters: English has many silent letters causing confusion in pronunciation.
4. Proposed Solution: Use diacritical marks like breve (˘) above silent consonants to indicate they are not pronounced.
5. Example: In words like "island" or "indict," place a breve above the silent letters.

Enhancing Vowel Sounds:

6. Vowel Sound Complexity: English has more vowel sounds than letters to represent them.
7. Introduce Schwa Sound: Use an overdot to signify when a vowel should sound like a schwa (uh).
8. Example: Words like "channel" or "canal" can be distinguished by placing an overdot on the relevant vowel.

Differentiating Long and Short Vowels:

9. Use of Macron: Borrowing from Old English, use a macron to differentiate between long and short vowels.
10. Example: Words like "cost" and "most" can be distinguished based on the presence of a macron.

Marking Syllable Emphasis:

11. Acute Accent for Stress: Follow Spanish's use of acute accents to indicate syllable emphasis.
12. Implementation: Place a macron below the stressed vowel to indicate emphasis.
13. Example: Differentiate between "bow" and "bow" by stressing the relevant vowel.

Resolving Homographs:

14. Avoiding Ambiguity: Use accents like grave to differentiate homographs with different meanings.
15. Example: Distinguish between "mean" (nasty) and "mean" (average) using accents.

Implementing Diaeresis:

16. Purpose of Diaeresis: Use diaeresis (¨) to indicate that two adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately.
17. Example: Words like "naïve" can benefit from diaeresis to clarify pronunciation.

Conclusion:

18. Implementation of Accents: Start incorporating accent marks in English writing to enhance clarity and pronunciation.
19. Adaptation: Experiment with different accents and diacritical marks to improve English orthography.
20. Practice: Use the proposed accents in writing to familiarize with the new system and promote consistency in pronunciation.

By following these steps, you can introduce and incorporate accent marks effectively in English writing to enhance clarity and address common pronunciation challenges.