
English spelling gives nightmares to more than a few people. Whether English is your native language or not, the spelling of many English words is bound to give you a hard time.
As a language, English is fairly easy when it comes to grammar. However, learning to spell English words is an achievement equal to conquering a country. Or countries, as the case may be; given that English has borrowed from several languages and nationalities, including Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hindi, and French, studying English almost gives you a world tour. With all of these imported words, English is notorious for its erratic and unpredictable orthography exceptions, so it’s truly impressive if you’re currently a good English speller.
The Strategy of Simplification
On the other hand, why not just make life simple and make English spelling less erratic and more predictable? Some people go as far as to propose an English language cleansing, where we stick to only words with unequivocal meaning and abandon confusing synonyms. Ken Hooton, a columnist for the Sierra Vista Herald, makes a case for doing just that. He uses one example, the words “inflammable” and “flammable,” to illustrate how the language is unnecessarily confusion; these words are synonyms, though they appear to mean the opposite.
Hooton argues for a simpler English language and spelling. But his voice is not the only one raised on this issue. On the other side of the Atlantic, a similar argument is being made.
Is the English Language in Need of a Purge?
Stephen Linstead of the British English Spelling Society says there’s definitely room for improvement.
He explains that, given the fact that 35% of the most common English words have either irregular or unpredictable spelling, it comes as no surprise that young students and ESL learners of English resort to memorization for learning spelling.
As Linstead reveals there’s a plan in the words to create the International English Spelling Congress over the next few years. This is an organization comprised of English speakers from around the globe who will get together to discuss how English spelling can be simplified.
Linstead is part of an organization that aims to raise awareness on how difficult English spelling currently is, and how hard it is to master. The English Spelling Society also plans to take tangible steps in making it easier for future generations to learn to spell with less frustration and more joy.
While the education system of Britain has come up with new spelling strategies such as synthetic phonics to teach spelling to children, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The needs of many primary school students are not being met, as they struggle with the challenge of learning orthography.
An English student can take up to two more years to master spelling skills than children the same age in countries with languages where the sight/sound correspondence is more straightforward.
With these changes being discussed around the world, being a good English speller might get easier for successive generations. What’s your opinion of this strategy – and would it help you be a better speller?
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