spellingreformen

Spelling reforms, or orthographic reforms, are deliberate changes to a language’s writing system. They aim to simplify or standardize spelling, reduce irregularities, or align written form with pronunciation, morphology, or historical origins. Reforms may involve changing letters, eliminating diacritics, adjusting digraphs, revising capitalization rules, or updating punctuation practices.

Reforms are undertaken by governments, language academies, or consensus among educators, publishers, and literary groups. Implementation often requires public education campaigns, revised dictionaries, and transitional spellings to ease adoption. Public reception varies: supporters argue that reforms improve literacy, consistency, and international compatibility, while critics point to costs, nostalgia for traditional spellings, and potential confusion during transition.

Notable examples include the German Rechtschreibreform of the 1990s, which introduced widespread changes to German orthography and was followed by subsequent updates; the Turkish language reform of 1928, which replaced the Arabic-based script with a Latin alphabet and corresponding orthography; and the Portuguese orthographic reform begun in 1990, aimed at harmonizing spelling across Portuguese-speaking countries and implemented gradually in the following decades. In Norway, the 20th century saw several reforms to standardize Bokmål and Nynorsk spellings. Other languages have experimented with reforms to varying degrees, with some adopting broad, sweeping changes and others making incremental adjustments. Spelling reforms continue to be debated as communities weigh linguistic standardization against cultural heritage and practical literacy needs.