Spelling Dearest The Down And Dirty, Nitty-gritty History Of English Spelling

Most people with any interest in the English language know that it has the worst alphabetic spelling system in the world. What they don't know in any great detail, however, is how this sorry situation came about. They don't know, for instance, that a 17th-century English schoolmaster named Edmund Coote had a major role. And they might be surprised at the parts played by greed, intentional complexity, and downright blunders.With this in mind, Niall McLeod Waldman has written Spelling Dearest. This book chronicles, in an irreverent and satirical way, the major happenings and minor annoyances that together form the history of English spelling. Spelling Dearest brings together many of the shocking facts and dirty little secrets surrounding English spelling. Good spellers will be intrigued by thought-provoking background information on a subject they encounter and conquer each day. Bad spellers will feel empowered when they discover, it took multiple mistakes and missed opportunities by well-respected people to create a spelling system as complicated as ours. Parents and teachers of poor spellers will feel relief and sympathy when they realize, it's not the children's fault they can't spell. It's the fault of our needlessly complex spelling system.Despite its serious subject matter, Spelling Dearest is down-to-earth, entertaining, and engaging. A great read for English language and history buffs.Waldman, Niall McLeod is the author of 'Spelling Dearest The Down And Dirty, Nitty-gritty History Of English Spelling', published 2004 under ISBN 9781418453305 and ISBN 1418453307.