Orthographical Change

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  • Created by: niamhkm08
  • Created on: 25-01-21 15:45

Difficulties perceived with the English spelling s

  • There are many perceived difficulties with the English spelling system:
    • Some words have silent letters, for example, 'knight' and 'pslam'.
    • Some words are spelt the same but sound different, for example, 'read' and 'wind' (homograph).
    • Some words are spelt differently but sound the same, for example, 'so/sew', 'through/threw' (homophone).
  • However, it is a myth that the English spelling system is irregular, chaotic and unpredictable.
  • Descriptive studies show that spelling irregularities are the exception, not the rule.
  • Hanna et al. (1971) suggest around 84% of English words (from a corpus of 17,000) were spelled according to regular patterns. 
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An English Spelling System

  • An claims that state there is no logic in the English spelling system do not take into account that it has been affected by the historical impact on the language. 
  • In the 6th century, the Roman alphabet was introduced to Britain by Christians.
  • The OE alphabet was similar to our current alphabet but didn't include some consonants e.g. j, q, v, k and z.
  • Some additional consonants were used that we have subsequently lost from the alphabet.
  • There were also more vowels that we currently have in our alphabet.
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History of Orthographical Development

  • OE was a phonetic language - words were spelt as they sounded and there was dilectal diversity in England:
    • This therefore meant there could be some different spellings of the same words.
  • The Anglo-Saxon alphabet of 27 letters ws used to represnt a phonological system of 40 phonemes:
    • This meant many phonemes had to be represented by patterns and combinations of letters.
  • The Norman Conquest has quite a significant influence on the spelling system:
    • Some OE letters were abandoned and others were introduced e.g. k, q, x, z and th'.
  • After the Norman conquest, French scribes reworked a great deal of English, such as 'qu' for 'cw' (as in queen), 'gh' for 'h' (as in night) and 'c' before 'e' or 'l' in words such as 'circle' or 'cell'.
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Attempts to regularise the spelling system

  • Attempts to regularise the spelling system began with William Caxton:
    • By producing texts and introducing the printing press, Caxton therefore had to decide how language should be spoke and spelt.
    • Caxton was quite irregular with his own spelling.
  • Reflecting Greek or Latin spelling became fashionable in the 16th century, e.g. the 'g' added in 'reign' and the 'b' in 'debt'. 
  • Many loan words from language such as French, Latin, Greek and Spanish entered the language in the early 17th century, bringing forms such as '-que', '-zz-' and '-ll-'.
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The Great Vowel Shift

  • GVS = Phonological Change.
  • Another difficulty in capturing the sound of English in the spelling was due to phonetic change.
  • The English Language we use now sounds different from that used 500 years ago;
    • One contributing factor is the Great Vowel Shift.
  • The GVS took place from the mid 14th century - mid 18th century.
  • There was gradual changing of vowel pronunciation with change occuring at different rates in different parts of the country. 
  • This lead to a widening gap between grapheme (spelling) and phoneme (sound) correspondence.
  • Letters that were originally pronounced became silent, such as the /k/ in 'knight' ans /e/ in 'stone'. 
  • It is not clear why the shift started but evidence can be seen in rhymes and also comments from contemporary writers, illustrating where phonological change was occuring. 
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Spelling Reform

  • As English moved from a phonetic system of spelling, the desire for reform arose.
  • Reformists can be split into 2 types:
    • Those who believe current alphabet should be enlarged so that those sounds not adequatley reflected can be ascribed a corresponding letter.
    • Those who believe the current alphabet should be retained, but some tricky problems addressed.
  • Attempts to reform the spelling system have come to nothing and anxiety remains about spelling.
  • The English Spelling Society (1908) worked hard to promote a simplified spelling system:
    • A simpler spelling system will make it easier for learners to acquire the rule of speaking and help to remove errors.
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Webster's American English Reform

  • Noah Webster's spellings have been met with success. 
  • Webster wanted to establish American English like British English.
  • His main concern was the spelling system in England and the divide between spoken and written forms.
  • He revised his dictionary and addressed these. 
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