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This is an enlightening tour of English spelling that untangles 'stationery' from 'stationary' - and explains why the 'i before e except after c' rule is so misleading. Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary or style guide to hand in fifteenth century Bruges, the typesetters simply spelled it the way it sounded to the foreign ears, and it stuck. Seventy-five percent of English spelling is regular but twenty-five percent is complicated, and in "Spell It Out", our foremost linguistics expert David Crystal extends a helping hand to the confused and curious alike. He unearths the stories behind the rogue words that confound us, and explains why these peculiarities entered the mainstream, in an epic journey taking in sixth century monks, French and Latin upstarts, the Industrial Revolution and the internet. By learning the history and the principles, Crystal shows how the spellings that break all the rules become easier to get right.
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Previews available in: English
Showing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
Spell it out: the curious, enthralling and extraordinary story of English spelling
2013
in English
- First U.S. edition.
1250003474 9781250003478
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2
Spell it out: the singular story of English spelling
2012, Profile Books
in English
1846685672 9781846685675
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WorldCat
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Book Details
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
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Internet Archive item recordBetter World Books record
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marc_columbia MARC record
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Work Description
Presents a history of English spelling through chapters that cover such topics as the introduction of the Roman alphabet, each letter's origins, and the development of long and short vowels.
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- Created June 27, 2020
- 6 revisions
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April 17, 2024 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
December 21, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
December 13, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
November 13, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
June 27, 2020 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Internet Archive item record |