This document discusses what can be learned from analyzing spelling reforms. It provides examples of reforms in American, Russian, French, Dutch, German and Tatar languages. Opposition to reforms typically includes educators, writers and media who argue reforms are emotionally difficult and rationally unnecessary due to tradition, aesthetics, language corruption and costs. Studying reforms provides historical, linguistic and psycholinguistic insights into attitudes towards language, theories of orthography at the time, and how the human mind processes written language.

1. What spelling reforms may tell us Orthography and Standardization Daria Dayter University of Bayreuth

3. Spelling reforms - a timeline American Russian French Dutch German Tatar Dutch 1906 (aborted) 1930s 1990 1994 (aborted) 1996 2001 2006 own alphabets 2838 words 0,5% of words Cyrillic ->Cyrillic modified affected ->Roman

5. Der Spiegel, 42/1996 October 14, 1996

8. American Russian French Dutch German Tatar Dutch 1906 (aborted) 1930s 1990 1994 (aborted) 1996 2001 2006 own alphabets 2838 words 0,5% of words Cyrillic ->Cyrillic modified affected ->Roman Spelling reforms - a timeline

16. American Russian French Dutch German Tatar Dutch 1906 (aborted) 1930s 1990 1994 (aborted) 1996 2001 2006 own alphabets 2838 words 0,5% of words Cyrillic ->Cyrillic modified affected ->Roman Spelling reforms - a timeline