Spelling Dearest: The Down and Dirty, Nitty-Gritty History of English Spelling

by Niall McLeod Waldman

Most people with any interest in the English language know that it has the worst alphabetic spelling system in the world. What they don't know in any great detail, however, is how this sorry situation came about. They don't know, for instance, that a 17th-century English schoolmaster named Edmund Coote had a major role. And they might be surprised at the parts played by greed, intentional complexity, and downright blunders. With this in mind, Niall...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1418453307
• ISBN13: 9781418453305
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Authorhouse
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

2004 Writers Notes Book Award Winner

Everyone knows that the English language is a pain in the rear. With silent letters, illogical vowel combinations, and a host of conflicting and unreliable rules, the spelling of words appears to have been designed by an insane person, but I'd give a crazy person more credit for establishing a consistent pattern. Waldman knows our struggle with words, and with deft humor and delivery, he brings us through the spelling history of the world's most powerful language.