The lively, informative book is full of evidence/cocktail party fodder proving that the English spelling system is a hopeless tangle of French, Dutch, Latin, German and much, much more and really makes no sense at all. (Portland Tribune )
A lively, engaging look at the idiosyncratic derivations and permutations of spelling in the English language. (Seattle Post Intelligencer )
“An engaging ramble through our orthographic thickets” (Boston Globe )
“Sprightly history that sensibly balances the merits of standardization against the forces for freedom.” (Kirkus Reviews )
An intellectual travelogue across the centuries that also ranges geographically from the Litchfield haunts of Dr. Johnson, creator of the first great English dictionary, to the Silicon Valley home of Les Earnest, the progenitor of computerized spell-checking. (Wall Street Journal )
“A funny and fact-filled look at our astoundingly inconsistent written language, from Shakespeare to spell-check.” (St. Petersburg Times )
This practical workbook introduces beginners to the rules and conventions on which contemporary English spelling is based. Clearly written and organized, it is a perfect guide for self study. Topics covered include: how speech-sounds map onto each other; the extent to which words sound identical or look identical; various kinds of spelling mistakes; the main differences between American and British spelling; how and why proper names may vary from expected spelling conventions; punctuation of words by apostrophes, hyphens and capitalization; as well as possible approaches to spelling reform. With hands on language analysis and balanced insight into basic linguistic theory, English Spelling offers a solid introduction to this topic. Edward Carney is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics, University of Manchester.
Do you use the dictionary more than you think you should? Are the business memos you write filled with embarrassing spelling mistakes? Have you received a lot of low grades on your papers because of poor spelling? This easy-to-use book not only teaches you how to avoid misspellings, but also sharpens your skills so you can recognize spelling errors right away. You'll write clean English, improve your grades, and increase your chances for finding a new or better job.
