Aspects of the development of Dutch consonantal spelling On the evidence of grammarians, lexicographers, and the principle variants of printed books, from Middle Dutch to the present day

Abstract

A survey of the rules for consonantal usage in the various spelling systems advocated by grammars, spelling handbooks, dictionaries and commentators, together with the main usages of representative writers in most periods. Although the rules of grammars and the usage of contemporary writers by no moans always coincide, it is usually possible to observe certain trends in the development of various spellings, and in some cases to identify the source of particular variants. Many of the works named add little but mere support for an established usage, some are sincere and rational pleas for improvement, some are excentric in certain of their ideas. Yet it is noticeable in most periods where there is no official spelling that the majority of grammarians present the basis of a potentially viable system, although almost invariably drawing back from applying their rules consistently in all cases. The overall development of the spelling rules follows the evolution from the Middle Dutch period, with its largely phonetic system, through the rise of the "gelijkvormigheid" spelling from the 15th century, ousting the phonetic system by the mid 17th century, and the classical period, under strong French influence, where the influence of derivation and word interrelationships affected the relative purity of most previous systems, to the increase in philological study in the 19th century bringing the introduction of historical elements into the spelling, and the reaction against this since the end of the century. Since then there has been pressure for the change to a phonetically based system, tempered by the contemporary study of phonemics. All these trends can be seen both advocated and attacked by contemporary grammatical commentators. From their comments much detail emerges both on the motivation of this evolution, and on the dependency of some works on certain of their predecessors.