Doug Ewell wrote:
>
> Both G.B. Shaw and the Mormons had genuine, if not universally shared,
> reasons for wanting to abandon the Latin script for writing English in favor
> of something "better." Shaw thought English literacy could be improved with
> a more regular writing system to take the place of the convoluted Latin-based
> orthography. (There are also rumors of darker motives, but the intent was
> still for serious use.) Brigham Young wanted to isolate the Mormons from the
> rest of the "corrupt" world of written English.
>
The intent of the Deseret alphabet may have had more to do
with promoting literacy. The vagaries of English spelling were
possibly perceived as too much of a burden for recent European
immigrants when combined with the hardship of learning spoken
English. At the time the Deseret script was being promoted,
the Saints were pretty much geographically isolated from most
of the Gentiles, so censorship wouldn't have been much of a problem.
Best regards,
James Kass.
