Buzz
For young learners or anyone who speaks a language with straightforward spelling, English spelling can feel like a practical joke. Even fluent adult speakers of English can encounter moments that make them question how spelling got so bizarre. Here are a few insights to help you the next time you find yourself frustrated, yelling, "WHYYYYYYYY?!?!?" While these may not be comforting, they might help you see English as less of a capricious tormentor and more of a historical casualty.
1. Spelling was set during a period of major pronunciation shifts
A huge transformation in the vowel system took place during this time, known as the Great Vowel Shift. By the time it concluded, our spelling conventions were a hybrid of the old and new systems. This led to a single spelling for multiple vowel sounds—ea in knead, bread, wear, and great—and different spellings for the same vowel sound—due and dew, so and sew.
2. The educated elite spoke French until the 15th century
When the Normans invaded England in 1066, they brought their language with them. While the common people continued speaking English, French was used in universities and courts, leaving a lasting mark on the English vocabulary. Many French words from this time were adapted to English pronunciation and spelling, such as attend, blame, enchant, flower, farm, join, lesson, minister, proof, etc. But some words still retain traces of their French origins, causing occasional spelling confusion: people, jeopardy, muscle, marriage, autumn.
3. Changing spellings was trendy during the classical revival
In the 16th and 17th centuries, a fascination with ancient ideas and artifacts led some writers to alter English spellings to align with Latin and Greek, even when those words were never pronounced that way. They thought it looked more sophisticated to spell February (modeled after Latin Februarius) instead of Feverere, and receipt (derived from Latin receptum) rather than receyt. This is also how debt and doubt got their b, salmon and solder got their l, and indict got its c.
The re-Latinized words did share a very distant connection to their Latin counterparts through French, even though they were borrowed into English without the extra sounds. However, sometimes this process added letters that had no historical reason to be there. For instance, the s in island shouldn't be there. The word originated from Old English íglund and was spelled illond, ylonde, or ilande until someone, trying to be more sophisticated, added the s from Latin insula, complicating the word unnecessarily.
Other linguists made perfectly straightforward words seem more sophisticated by giving them a Greek touch. Thus, asma, diaria, and fleme became asthma, diarrhea, and phlegm. Don’t they look more elegant now?
4. We kept the original spellings when we borrowed words
As we mentioned in No. 2, English absorbed many words from French after the 1066 invasion. About 700 years later, we willingly took in many more French words, often referring to refined concepts. We allowed them to retain their original spellings, but adapted the pronunciation to suit our own ways, resulting in words like bouillon, casserole, vinaigrette, protégé, ballet, bouquet, boutique, silhouette, etiquette, faux pas, champagne, and hors d'oeuvres.
Of course, French isn't the only language we've borrowed from. When something seems useful, we simply take it as is. Words like guerrilla, piñata, llama, angst, kitsch, fjord, Czech, gnocchi, and zucchini have found a place in English. It’s only fair, considering how English has spread across the world—it's only right that the world’s languages come along for the ride.
