Generation Z-Inamin Franklin Alphabet: Recreating Ben Franklin’s Suggested English Reforms (Variation 8)

Exploring the GenZamin Franklin Alphabet: A Playful Approach to Linguistic Reform

Have you ever wondered what English might look like if historical language reform proposals from Benjamin Franklin had taken hold—blended instead with the vibrancy of Gen Z emoji culture? Recently, I toyed with this idea, imagining a revamped alphabet inspired by Franklin’s suggested spelling changes, infused with modern digital slang and symbols.

While there are existing alternative alphabets, many rely on obscure symbols or characters that don’t quite fit into the universal rendering systems we use today, such as Unicode, which often results in unreadable or awkward boxes. Instead, I found it more practical to develop a set of semi-universal symbols and rules that modify typical English spellings, allowing for a uniquely stylized yet recognizable version of the language.

The core concept involves selectively replacing certain letters and sounds with symbols, emojis, or stylized characters based on their pronunciation. For example, sounds like “C” can switch to “K” or “S,” and combinations like “SH,” “CH,” “TH,” “NG,” and “ZH” are replaced with emojis or alternative letter sequences. This creates a playful, chaotic aesthetic that still retains the structure of the original text, making it possible to compare and understand the transformations easily.

To give you a taste, try this example transformation of a beloved poem—Robert W. Service’s “The Men That Don’t Fit In”—rendered in the GenZamin Franklin style:

The Men That Don’t Fit In (GenZamin Franklin Style)

TƐR’z a breez dat bloz owt ov 👅e 🧊 ❄️
A ƒeel dat yu kant deny—
💦um call it DƐSTINY, 💦um call it 🧠,
💦um call it born-tu-d👁—
It’z 👁n evry man, it livz in us awl,
It n💦z n0 lo⚖️, it gotz no name—
N it callz yu owt w/ da woov ov da wyld,
Tu a 🔁 dat iz nvr da same.

DaZ da mƐN dat kant ƒIT 👁N,
DaZ da mƐN dat kant 💼
DaZ da mƐN dat livz w/ 🔥 in 💗,
N d👁 ne