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).
It had some success in Australia. In 1975 the Australian Teachers' Federation adopted SR1 as a policy, although the Federation dissolved in 1987. In Geoffrey Sampson's book Writing Systems (1985) he wrote:
This simple spelling reform has been adopted widely by Australians. Many general interest paperbacks and the like are printed in SR1; under Gough Whitlam's Labor Government the Australian Ministry of Helth was officially so spelled (though, when Whitlam was replaced by a liberal administration, it reintroduced orthographic conservatism).
Examples:
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The following short poem is an example of SR1: Draw a breth for progress, |
Read more about SR1: Simplified Spelling Society