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Lots of words have odd spelling due to false etymologies. Scissors, Island, Ache, and Could; were all from old English with random letters added by people in t

Lots of words have odd spelling due to false etymologies. Scissors, Island, Ache, and Could; were all from old English with random letters added by people in the 15th century who mistakenly thought they were from Latin. Etymology is hard, and most textbook writers and teachers who invented the rules weren't qualified to actually find the true origin. English accumulated a multitude of inconsistent spelling patterns, some from loan words, some from shift how words pronounced from vowel shifts, yod-dropping, and random reform attempts which weren't often based on rigourous evidence of origin. It was an etymological fallacy that drove those spelling reforms to 'correct' the spelling anyway. There is no real value in keeping the k in knife when the sound was dropped as an example.

chongli 3y ago
Lots of words have odd spelling due to false etymologies. That's true as well. It was an etymological fallacy that drove those spelling reforms to 'correct' the spelling anyway. There is no real value in keeping the k in knife when the sound was dropped as an example. To me, these two statements suggest opposite recommendations. The first tells us that we should be cautious of prescriptive changes to spelling. The second that we should go ahead and drop the k in knife (and presumably change the spelling on all other words to be more phonetic). I am inclined to be conservative here [1]. I found Mark Twain's satirical piece on the issue [2] rather persuasive. Like it or not, those old prescriptivists' changes have become part of the etymology. Making further changes for the sake of easier spelling would only complicate the etymology even further, and make it even harder for future English-speakers to read the texts of today. [1] https://xkcd.com/927/ https://xkcd.com/927/ [2] https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/twain.html https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/twain.html

chongli 3y ago

Lots of words have odd spelling due to false etymologies. That's true as well. It was an etymological fallacy that drove those spelling reforms to 'correct' the spelling anyway. There is no real value in keeping the k in knife when the sound was dropped as an example. To me, these two statements suggest opposite recommendations. The first tells us that we should be cautious of prescriptive changes to spelling. The second that we should go ahead and drop the k in knife (and presumably change the spelling on all other words to be more phonetic). I am inclined to be conservative here [1]. I found Mark Twain's satirical piece on the issue [2] rather persuasive. Like it or not, those old prescriptivists' changes have become part of the etymology. Making further changes for the sake of easier spelling would only complicate the etymology even further, and make it even harder for future English-speakers to read the texts of today. [1] https://xkcd.com/927/ https://xkcd.com/927/ [2] https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/twain.html https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/twain.html