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Questions and Answers
What sound does 'gh' represent in the word 'enough'?
What sound does 'gh' represent in the word 'enough'?
Spelling in Old English had many silent letters.
Spelling in Old English had many silent letters.
False
Why is English spelling considered not phonemic?
Why is English spelling considered not phonemic?
Because there is no simple one-to-one correspondence between phonemes and letters.
The Roman alphabet used in English was originally from the language of _____
The Roman alphabet used in English was originally from the language of _____
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Match the following Old English spelled words with their meanings:
Match the following Old English spelled words with their meanings:
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What is a basic problem with English spelling?
What is a basic problem with English spelling?
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There are 40 phonemes in English but only 26 letters.
There are 40 phonemes in English but only 26 letters.
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Name one letter added to the Old English alphabet from another language.
Name one letter added to the Old English alphabet from another language.
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In English, there are about _____ vowel sounds and _____ vowel letters.
In English, there are about _____ vowel sounds and _____ vowel letters.
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What sound do 'th' and 'eth' represent in Old English?
What sound do 'th' and 'eth' represent in Old English?
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Which of the following languages contributed the word 'kamikaze' to English?
Which of the following languages contributed the word 'kamikaze' to English?
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The Great Vowel Shift primarily affected consonant pronunciation.
The Great Vowel Shift primarily affected consonant pronunciation.
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The word 'khaki' is borrowed from __________.
The word 'khaki' is borrowed from __________.
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Match the following countries with their contributed words:
Match the following countries with their contributed words:
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What major influence affected the spelling of many English words in the 16th and 17th centuries?
What major influence affected the spelling of many English words in the 16th and 17th centuries?
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What does the term 'digraph' refer to?
What does the term 'digraph' refer to?
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The addition of silent letters in English words was widely accepted in the 16th century.
The addition of silent letters in English words was widely accepted in the 16th century.
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The letter 'ash' æ was developed by combining the letters 'a' and 'e'.
The letter 'ash' æ was developed by combining the letters 'a' and 'e'.
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What phoneme does the digraph 'ea' represent in the Old English word 'eare'?
What phoneme does the digraph 'ea' represent in the Old English word 'eare'?
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What was one misconception about the word 'island'?
What was one misconception about the word 'island'?
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The phoneme represented by the digraph 'cg' occurs in the Old English word '_____' 'edge'.
The phoneme represented by the digraph 'cg' occurs in the Old English word '_____' 'edge'.
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In the 18th century, attitudes towards the English spelling system __________.
In the 18th century, attitudes towards the English spelling system __________.
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How did dictionaries contribute to English spelling in the 16th century?
How did dictionaries contribute to English spelling in the 16th century?
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What did Middle English scribes replace 'sc' with in certain words?
What did Middle English scribes replace 'sc' with in certain words?
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The advent of printing was detrimental to the standardization of spellings.
The advent of printing was detrimental to the standardization of spellings.
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What spelling convention did William Caxton promote in 1476?
What spelling convention did William Caxton promote in 1476?
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The digraph 'ou' was introduced to replace the letter '_____' in Old English words like 'wund'.
The digraph 'ou' was introduced to replace the letter '_____' in Old English words like 'wund'.
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Match the following Old English words to their modern representations:
Match the following Old English words to their modern representations:
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Which phonetic change did Middle English scribes NOT introduce?
Which phonetic change did Middle English scribes NOT introduce?
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What was one of the purposes of early printing in relation to spelling?
What was one of the purposes of early printing in relation to spelling?
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The printers were completely consistent in applying spelling standards.
The printers were completely consistent in applying spelling standards.
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What influenced the addition of an 'h' in the Old English word 'gast' to become 'ghost'?
What influenced the addition of an 'h' in the Old English word 'gast' to become 'ghost'?
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The letter 'thorn' was represented by the letter _____ in early modern English.
The letter 'thorn' was represented by the letter _____ in early modern English.
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Match the following spelling behaviors to their descriptions:
Match the following spelling behaviors to their descriptions:
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What notorious feature grew from Parisian prescriptive forces in spelling?
What notorious feature grew from Parisian prescriptive forces in spelling?
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Etymological respellings were always correct in their assumptions about word origins.
Etymological respellings were always correct in their assumptions about word origins.
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What was the original Old English word for 'island' before the addition of 's'?
What was the original Old English word for 'island' before the addition of 's'?
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In the case of the word 'debt', the letter _____ was added later as a silent letter.
In the case of the word 'debt', the letter _____ was added later as a silent letter.
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The influence of which languages led to increased interest in etymological respellings during the 16th century?
The influence of which languages led to increased interest in etymological respellings during the 16th century?
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Study Notes
Chapter 3: Spellings and Speech Sounds
- English spelling is a complex system, a blend of different spelling systems from other languages.
- The relationship between spelling and pronunciation isn't always straightforward.
- Early English spelling often directly mirrored pronunciation, unlike the current system.
- The introduction of printing standardized some spellings, but not entirely.
Why English Spelling Is a Mess
- The English alphabet is based on the Roman alphabet, which wasn't initially adequate to represent all the sounds in English.
- English has far more phonemes (units of sound) than graphemes (letters in the writing system).
- Adding various consonant letters (e.g., 'thorn', 'eth') and pairs of letters (digraphs) from other languages led to a less phonetic system.
- Changes in pronunciation (Great Vowel Shift) did not correspond with spelling changes.
The Second Problem: Spelling Oddities
- Middle English scribes, particularly the Normans, and later printers significantly deviated from the original spelling system.
- They adapted spellings to suit French conventions and imported spellings from other languages.
- Examples include using 'sh' instead of 'sc', 'qu' instead of 'cw', 'gh' instead of 'h,' and 'ch' instead of 'c.'
- These changes further complicated the connection between spelling and pronunciation.
Etymological Respellings
- Reselling words to resemble their Latin or Greek origins created new spellings with silent letters.
- This process was influenced by the perceived prestige of Latin and Greek.
- Incorrect etymologies were sometimes followed.
Standardization of Spellings
- During the 15th and 18th centuries, printing and dictionaries helped fix or standardize spellings.
- While these attempts at standardization were made, the English spelling system still reflects borrowing from other languages and inconsistencies.
The Influence of Other Languages
- Over time, words from various languages (e.g., French, Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish) were incorporated into English, bringing their respective spelling conventions.
- These borrowings contributed to the complex and sometimes unpredictable nature of English spelling.
- Modern borrowings from languages like Urdu and Japanese are seen today in contemporary words.
The Great Vowel Shift
- Pronunciations of long vowels underwent significant changes, but spellings did not always keep pace.
- The spellings of words like "sweet" and "set", for example, reflect the older sounds, not necessarily how they are pronounced now.
Attempts at Spelling Reform
- While there were attempts at spelling reform (e.g., by Noah Webster in American English), significant changes have not been embraced in British English.
- The complexity of English spelling, coupled with ingrained habits and the social prestige of maintaining the existing spelling system, are key factors in resistance to change.
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Description
Explore the complexities of English spelling and its evolving relationship with pronunciation in this quiz. Understand the historical factors that have contributed to the irregularities and oddities of the English spelling system. Gain insights into how external influences shaped current spelling practices.
