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Author:

Crystal, David, 1941-

Title:

Spell it out : the curious, enthralling and extraordinary story of English spelling / David Crystal.

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Publisher:

St. Martin's Press,

Copyright Date:

2013

Description:

vii, 328 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Subject:

English language--Orthography and spelling.
English language--History.--History.

Notes:

Previously published by Profile Books, London, 2012. Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Contents:

Towards a linguistics of spelling. The beginning -- The size of the problem -- Building the alphabet: letter origins -- The basic weaknesses: hope for us all -- Keeping things long: more than letters -- Keeping things short: spelling as tragedy -- The first exceptions -- Seeing the link: forensic spelling -- Know your Latin and French: spelling as reputation -- New letters for the old -- Old letters in new words: Tarzan learns to read -- Old sounds in new positions: spelling as stratagem -- New sounds in old places -- More exceptions: avoiding the vulgar -- Showing the difference: Charles Dickens and his characters reflect upon spelling -- Noting the similarity: silent letters -- New sounds in old letters -- A printer's practice: Mark Twain on spelling -- The urge to reform: George Bernard Shaw on spelling -- Remembering Latin -- More etymologies: a word I always mispell -- Famous spellings -- Spelling 'rules': Mrs Malaprop on reading and spelling -- The role of personalities -- Another personality -- Printers and publishers: spelling wars -- Changing practices: Roger McGough on spelling -- The internet: lower case only -- Showing identity -- Unpredictability: Ogden Nash on names -- Exotic vowels: disenvowelling -- Exotic consonants: the spread of education -- Spelling noises: unspellable noises -- Abbreviating -- Learning the system: George Crabbe on learning -- The future of English spelling. A teaching appendix: Avoiding isloation ; Towards a linguistics of spelling.

Summary:

Presents a history of English spelling through chapters that cover such topics as the introduction of the Roman alphabet, each letter's origins, and the development of long and short vowels.

ISBN:

1250003474 (hbk.)
9781250003478 (hbk.)

OCLC:

(OCoLC)811597563

LCCN:

2013010521

Locations:

USUX851 -- Iowa State University - Parks Library (Ames)

KSPG296 -- Burlington Public Library (Burlington)

UNUX074 -- University of Northern Iowa - Rod Library (Cedar Falls)

TYPH572 -- Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids)

N2AX314 -- Divine Word College - Matthew Jacoby Library (Epworth)

ALPE516 -- Fairfield Public Library (Fairfield)

OVUX522 -- University of Iowa Libraries (Iowa City)

YEPF572 -- Marion Public Library (Marion)

GEPG771 -- West Des Moines Public Library (West Des Moines)