Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling, and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling

despite being a native english speaker and teaching english for over 15 years, i was amazed to learn the detailed facts and facets of so many spelling through stories. yes, to me they were like reading stories. so brilliantly written by david crystal. what an extraordinary research he would have done to get all the facts! and his style of presentation is fabulous. i loved every page of the book and i can say, unhesitatingly, i have become richer. anyone who is curious about the vagaries of english spelling should definitely possess this book.

Received in a timely manner and in perfect condition. Haven't had time to read it yet but does add to my ever growing reference library. Words carry meaning but more important of their time use and surrounding history for true understanding. If I had had started earlier, I would have been a philologist.

David Crystal makes even a dry topic interesting: in this case, spelling. Captivating and informative for anyone interested in knowing why English words are not spelled like they're pronounced; or, pronounced like they're spelled. I thought I knew most of the reasons, but I didn't. The information imparted should make for stimulating and challenging conversation.

Well written, interesting, and enlightening. I'm not sure how helpful it is to know why the English spelling system is so chaotic, but it's interesting to learn how it got that way. A big disadvantage to reading this book may be that you won't remember how to spell anything--or at least have doubts about how to spell words. That's because the book presents numerous historical variant spellings.

Very cool. Starting with spoken language, how best to communicate that language in writing? That is the ever evolving issue discussed in this book. Besides all of the fascination, I am a more confident speller having read it. One of my many favorites — how did silent b’s inhabit words like doubt or debt? David Crystal explains that when the French were ousted (around the 15th century?), the English ( or the relevant portion of them) thought to emphasize the Latin origins of words, So “debt”, for example, then commonly “dette” from the French, became “debt” from the Latin “debitus”. Back then English school children were immersed in Latin. So a bit of snobbery on this one, part of the same snobbery perhaps that blocks us from getting to “det”.

If you are reading this you are probably a word nerd. (Only word nerds are likely to find the subject of English spelling "enthralling"!) Some of Crystal's stories of how English spelling patterns evolved are fascinating. Crystal says he wrote this book as a bridge between English orthography's now "solid academic linguistic foundation" and the curiosity of the public about why words are spelled as they are--- and especially for teachers who need a "new pedagogy" based on explanations based on "sound linguistic principles". The reason I didn't give Spell It Out five stars is that, while the snippets and examples are indeed "curious, enthralling and extraordinary", Crystal doesn't really weave them in to any kind of coherent "story". His message is: "There a system behind the apparent irregularity", but he fails to put the system (or systems) in to any sort of clear or usable focus. The result is that the reader of Spell It Out constantly feels a little lost in the weeds. In contrast, Richard L. Venezky's The American Way of Spelling: The Structure and Origins of American English Orthography (1999) begins with seven general principles and a metaphor: English spelling is a parade of marching bands, all playing the same music but wearing different costumes (p. 5-11). These principles serves to "frame the discussion" throughout the rest of Venezky's 343 page book, anchoring every element in every chapter. Crystal's book does include am excellent discussion of the impact of digital media and the internet on English spelling, a discussion missing from Venezky's 1999 book. If you want an overview of the subject of English spelling, Crystal's Spell It Out may suit you. However, if you are a serious word nerd and you really want to understand principles and systems of English (American) spelling, you are likely to find Venezky's book more useful.

Lists and explains all the ways English spelling has been influenced down through its historical development. Each chapter presents another facet that had an impact on the spelling. It also gives clues to future changes in spelling, expecially the influence of the internet since it is the frequency of use that brings validity to the way a word is spelled

This is a pretty good popularization and simplification. Crystal is himself a linguist and edited an academic text on the subject. His book uses a lightweight, hit-the-highlights approach that will give the general reader the basic ideas. Perhaps it oversimplifies -- to the point of being not quite "enthralling," as the subtitle promises -- but then I may have more historical bent than most.

スペリングと発音の落差がいかにに生じたかを、易しく説明してある。音声学は苦手だったが、関心を深めた。

Want to know why English spelling is such an apparently hopeless mess? Read this book for an enlightening history of English spelling. You'll be able to dazzle your friends with such arcane bits of information as why night is spelled the way it is rather than as nite, the way Americans want it to be spelled.

Good print. Enjoying reading it. Gives you a better understanding of English spelling.

Si aparte del interes en aprender un idioma tienes la inquietud de conocer el origen de esas esas palabras y por qué son como son,creo que es una lectura muy recomendable y mas si te dedicas a impartir como "teacher" de Inglés,

A comprehensive account of the development of English spelling over the past thousand years that explains exactly what happened and why. A key text for anyone teaching English, and of great interest to anyone who ever wondered why it is as it is. Brilliant scholarship, clear explanation - a very important book indeed, in fact one of the most important ever written about the English language.