5/23/2023 0 Comments Spell It Out by David Crystal![]() Crystal goes on to explain how English spelling is continuing to evolve today through the use of the Internet. The French changed the simply-spelled Anglo-Saxon word CWEN into QUEEN, the Flemish typesetters are responsible for the “H” in GHOST, and the educated users of Latin for the “B” in DEBT (lat. Crystal explains the history of English spelling in his talk, a history of waves of variation and novelty, and of various people who kept “messing it up”. The Daily Mail reported on the event in an article with a catchy title Receipt without “p”, rhubarb without the “h”: How the Internet is killing off silent letters. Professor David Crystal gave a wonderfully engaging talk at the event, presenting his latest book Spell it Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling (the podcast is available here). The Hay Festival of Literature and Arts, which is held annually in Wales, was a prolific place this year for discussions about language use.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |