| RefNo | HS/17/461a |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to Henry Venn[?], dated at Collingwood |
| Creator | Herschel; Sir; John Frederick William (1792 - 1871); astronomer and mathematician |
| Recipient | Venn; Henry (1796–1873); clergyman; honorary secretary of the church missionary society |
| Date | 2 August 1848 |
| Description | Copy of a letter. Responds to a letter received long ago concerning sounds. Is convinced that a 'new printed and written character' is needed. Suggests consulting Pitman's phonotype system. Believes joint use of Roman, italic, and Greek characters would create a more complete system. Stresses that he is willing to correspond, but is unable to meet in person.
Lists difficulties with the [Isaac] Pitman phonetic system for writing Oriental languages in the Roman alphabet. Problems include inaccurate vowel usage. Suggests a revised system. |
| Language | English |
| Extent | 5pp |
| Format | Manuscript |
| Place origin | Collingwood, Hawkhurst, Kent |
| Origin coordinates | 51.035306, 0.513556 |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedMaterial | Copy: HS/23/33 |
| RelatedRecord | HS/23/33 |
| URLDescription | Also available on Epsilon |
| URL | https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/herschel/letters/Herschel2937
|
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8238 | Herschel; Sir; John Frederick William (1792 - 1871); mathematician and astronomer | 1792 - 1871 |