Spell It Out

The Curious, Enthralling and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics
Cover of the book Spell It Out by David Crystal, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Crystal ISBN: 9781250028860
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: June 18, 2013
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: David Crystal
ISBN: 9781250028860
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: June 18, 2013
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

The fascinating and surprising history of English spelling from David Crystal, everyone's favorite expert logophile

With The Story of English in 100 Words, David Crystal took us on a tour through the history of our language. Now, with Spell It Out, he takes on the task of answering all the questions about how we spell: "Why is English spelling so difficult?" Or "Why are good spellers so proud of their achievement that when they see a misspelling they condemn the writer as sloppy, lazy, or uneducated?" In thirty-seven short, engaging and informative chapters, Crystal takes readers on a history of English spelling, starting with the Roman missionaries' sixth century introduction of the Roman alphabet and ending with where the language might be going. He looks individually at each letter in the alphabet and its origins. He considers the question of vowels and how people developed a way to tell whether or not it was long or short. He looks at influences from other cultures, and explains how English speakers understood that the "o" in "hopping" was a short vowel, rather than the long vowel of "hoping". If you've ever asked yourself questions like "Why do the words "their", "there" and "they're" sound alike, but mean very different things?" or "How can we tell the difference between "charge" the verb and "charge" the noun?" David Crystal's Spell It Out will spell it all out for you.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The fascinating and surprising history of English spelling from David Crystal, everyone's favorite expert logophile

With The Story of English in 100 Words, David Crystal took us on a tour through the history of our language. Now, with Spell It Out, he takes on the task of answering all the questions about how we spell: "Why is English spelling so difficult?" Or "Why are good spellers so proud of their achievement that when they see a misspelling they condemn the writer as sloppy, lazy, or uneducated?" In thirty-seven short, engaging and informative chapters, Crystal takes readers on a history of English spelling, starting with the Roman missionaries' sixth century introduction of the Roman alphabet and ending with where the language might be going. He looks individually at each letter in the alphabet and its origins. He considers the question of vowels and how people developed a way to tell whether or not it was long or short. He looks at influences from other cultures, and explains how English speakers understood that the "o" in "hopping" was a short vowel, rather than the long vowel of "hoping". If you've ever asked yourself questions like "Why do the words "their", "there" and "they're" sound alike, but mean very different things?" or "How can we tell the difference between "charge" the verb and "charge" the noun?" David Crystal's Spell It Out will spell it all out for you.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Tell Me That You're Mine by David Crystal
Cover of the book Angry Optimist by David Crystal
Cover of the book A Smile as Big as the Moon by David Crystal
Cover of the book Intuitive Eating, 2nd Edition by David Crystal
Cover of the book The Hurt Artist by David Crystal
Cover of the book Grinding It Out by David Crystal
Cover of the book Fail U. by David Crystal
Cover of the book Talk Like TED by David Crystal
Cover of the book If Snow Hadn't Fallen by David Crystal
Cover of the book Bel, Book, and Scandal by David Crystal
Cover of the book Simple One-Pot Stews by David Crystal
Cover of the book Every Woman for Herself by David Crystal
Cover of the book NYPD Confidential by David Crystal
Cover of the book South of the Clouds by David Crystal
Cover of the book Marker by David Crystal
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy