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The complexity of English spelling reflects the origin of the language as a trade tongue, also possibly reflecting influence from Latin, which went so far as to
by t-3 3y ago
The complexity of English spelling reflects the origin of the language as a trade tongue, also possibly reflecting influence from Latin, which went so far as to add redundant letters for the sole purpose of indicating foreignness. The majority of words are loanwords, and the spelling reflects the origin of the word (unless you're British, in which case some of the spelling reflects the British desire to be French). This can actually be very useful for divining pronunciation and meaning, but I admit I do sometimes think about dropping the redundant letters and reforming the alphabet to one sound per letter.
- inkyoto 3y agoThe great vowel shift is complicit in the divergence of the pronunciation and spelling in English, not the loan words. Loaned or not, the «bite», «meet», «meat», «serene», «mate», «out», «boot», «boat», «stone», «day», «they», «boy», «law», «knew», «dew», «know» were pronounced differently before and after the great vowel shift. The GVS was a gradual process that encompassed several centuries and – in some dialects of English in Britain – the remnants of the pre-GVS pronunciation have persisted into today.