ENGLISH SPELLING IS “TRUELY DIFICULT”

WHAT MAKES ENGLISH SPELLING HARD?

The Latin Alphabet Didn’t Suit the English Language English spelling is consistent in — English was spoken long before it was written. The Latin inconsistency. alphabet had fewer letters than English had sounds. —Thomas R. Lounsbury c. 1900 Sounds Can Be Spelled in More Than One Way — Consonants. English has 21 consonants, 24 consonant sounds, and some 115 different spellings for those sounds. The following words show some ways the hard g sound is spelled: get, egg, ghost, guide, rogue, mortgage. — Vowels. English has six letters which can represent vowels (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y). There are 15 vowel sounds I take it you already know and more than 107 ways to spell those sounds. The Of tough and bough and cough and following words show some ways the sound is spelled: dough? no, sew, rode, grow, loan, toe, oh, brooch, soul, though, Others may stumble, but not you beau, faux pas, yeoman, depot. On hiccough, thorough, slough and through. — Schwa sound (“uh”). This most common sound in the Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, English language may be spelled with almost any vowel or To learn of less familiar traps? digraph in an unaccented syllable. Some examples include: around, different, charity, contain, minimum, porpoise, Beware of heard, a dreadful word pageant, certain, biscuit, Brooklyn. That looks like beard and sounds like bird. And dead, it’s said like bed, not bead; Letters Can Represent More Than One Sound For goodness sake, don’t call it deed! — Consonants. The letters ch, for example, are used to spell Watch out for meat and great and threat, church, charade, and ache. (They rhyme with suite and straight and — Vowels. The letters ea, for example, are used in break, debt.) A moth is not a moth in mother. pear, heart, threat, bead and earth. Nor both in bother, broth in brother. — Combinations such as ough confuse spellers. Consider the pronunciations of this combination in the following And here is not a match for there, silly sentence: He went through a rough day with a cough And dear and fear for bear and pear, and a hiccough, though. And then there’s dose and rose and — Silent letters plague spellers. In many cases, these were lose, Just look them up, and goose and once pronounced, but spellings were never updated. For choose, example: thumb, indict, gnaw, honor, knife, salmon, hymn, And cork and work and card and ward, island, listen, answer. And of course, there are silent And font and front and word and sword. vowels: bread, give, height, business, people, guide. And do and go, then thwart and cart. Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start! Most “Rules” for Spelling Have Many Exceptions A dreadful language? Why, man alive! — Although some rules are helpful, memorizing a large I’d learned to talk it when I was five. number of rules with their exceptions is probably more And yet, to spell it, the more I’ve tried, difficult than simply memorizing spellings. One rule that I hadn’t learned at fifty-five. often holds is “i before e except after c or when sounded —T. S. Watt The Manchester Guardian like a as in neighbor and weigh.” Yet consider some of the June 21, 1954 exceptions: either, leisure, seize, weird. Spelling List 28 92 Name List 28 Level D, List 3 Date 1. List 27 Words in Patterns: 1. weak — Words with ea as in team, Word Bank p. 144. 2. 2. speak — Words with -ase as in case, Word Bank 3. 3. each p. 143. 4. reach — Words with -are as in care, Word Bank 4. 5. teach p. 148. 6. teacher 5. 7. eat Homophones: — sea / see Teach if there is evidence of 6. 8. cheat 9. easy confusion. 7. 10. east 11. least Notes to the Teacher: 8. — -ea may spell either the short or long e 12. please sound. Rarely, it spells long a as in great. 9. 13. leave Many words using ea for the short sound 14. real are on List 39. Meant and ready are on 10. 15. really this list because of the link to mean and read. 11. List 28 — Season and reason should be linked. Caution: Some students may generalize 12. and write beacause. Although because need not be mastered until List 41, it is 13. frequently used and may be taught as 14. early as List 24. Have it on a wall chart or teach it as a personal word. 15. — Lead and read may be pronounced with either a short e or long e sound. 16. — Meant and ready are frequently misspelled ment and reddy, spellings 17. more sensible, perhaps, than the correct ones. Have children say mean - t and 18. link read and ready. Use both words frequently in dictation. 19. — A more common spelling for words rhyming with case is with -ace as in face. 20. — The sound for -are in care may be spelled as in pear, pare or pair. This 21. causes many homophones. The most 22. common spelling is -are. Memorization is necessary. 23. 24. 25. Ðab Ðag Ðam Ðan Ðat Ðas Ðack blab bag am an at (Generally back cab brag clam ban bat spelled Ðass black crab crag cram bran brat as in pass.) clack aù as dab drag dam can cat crack Other: drab flag ham clan chat gas hack add flab gag jam Dan fat has Jack after gab lag Pam fan flat Ðash knack badge grab nag ram Fran hat lack branch jab rag Sam Jan mat bash Mack brash cabin lab sag sham man Nat pack calf nab shag scram Nan pat cash quack clash gasp scab snag slam pan Pat rack crash graph slab stag swam plan rat sack half stab tag Tam ran sat dash shack flash lamb tab wag yam scan scat slack laugh span slat gash smack hash laughter Ðal Ðamp Stan that snack plaid Ðad lash Al camp tan vat stack plaque ad mash gal champ than tack rabbit bad rash Hal clamp van Ðath track ranch Brad sash pal cramp bath whack scalp Chad slash Val damp Ðand math shall clad smash gramp path shallow dad Ðap and stash Ðass fad lamp band trash wagon bass glad cap ramp bland Ðact thrash brass had chap scamp brand act class lad clap stamp grand fact Ðask glass mad flap tramp hand tact ask grass pad gap land bask lass sad lap sand Ðance map Ðatch cask mass scad stand dance nap batch flask pass Tad strand chance rap catch mask glance sap hatch task prance Ðaff Ðaft scrap latch Ðant stance chaff craft slap match ant Ðast trance staff daft snap patch chant blast draft strap scratch grant cast raft tap snatch pant Ðax fast Ðasp shaft trap plant ax last clasp Taft wrap rant lax mast gasp yap scant Max past hasp slant tax vast rasp Why Can’t My Child Spell?

ny child who finds spelling easy and spells well in writ- consistent in all cases (downhil Ð uphill), but his dictionary ing has been blessed with a talent that few children pos- was accepted as the final authority on spelling for some 100 A sess. The best spellers have excellent visual memory. years. Noah Webster reformed some spellings in his American As one student put it, they “snap a picture of the word” with their dictionary, but public outcry and reverence for tradition minds, and refer to that mental image as they write or proofread. prevented him from making too many changes. If spelling is difficult for your child, he/ she is not alone! Even brilliant people may have trouble with spelling. Spelling ability is more “The present bad spelling is only bad, because of a talent than an indication of intelligence. contrary to the present bad rules; under new rules President Andrew Jackson once blurted out in frustration: “It’s a poor mind that can think of it would be good. The difficulty of learning to spell only one way to spell a word!” well in the old way is so great, that few attain it, Our system of spelling is extremely com- thousands and thousands writing on to old age plex and inconsistent. Sounds can be spelled in several ways, letters can represent several without ever being able to acquire it.” sounds, and most spelling “rules” have many — Benjamin Franklin exceptions! It’s no wonder children have diffi- culty learning to spell. The roots of the problem are fascinating, and lie deep in the any historical figures have advocated spelling reform. history of the English language. Here are a few highlights: Benjamin Franklin even developed a whole new al- ¥ English speakers throughout history have freely borrowed Mphabet, with as many letters as English has sounds! words from dozens of languages. To show the origin of these But spelling was not reformed, despite the effort and financial words, English kept the original spellings. All words with support of eminent people such as Benjamin Franklin, Noah ph, for example, are from Greek. Webster, Andrew Carnegie, Theodore Roosevelt and George Ber- ¥ English was spoken long before it was written. The Latin nard Shaw. So we’re stuck with an illogical and complicated alphabet, which was adopted for writing English, didn’t fit. system of spelling that frustrates adults as well as students. It had fewer letters than English had sounds. Learning to spell correctly is not easy for most, but it is im- ¥ Originally, words were spelled the way they were pronounced. portant for all, especially with increased competition for good Because of the dozens of dialects in jobs. Even general readers make England, there were dozens of pronun- Our Queer Language judgments about a person’s intelli- ciations, and so dozens of acceptable gence and level of education based spellings for most words. When the English tongue we speak on spelling. Poor spelling on a re- ¥ In Shakespeare’s day, creative spelling Why is break not rhymed with freak? sume can offend an employer and was considered a mark of genius. Will you tell me why it’s true cost an otherwise qualified candidate More than 80 spellings of his name We say sew but likewise few? a job! have been found! And the maker of a verse The idea that spelling is an indi- ¥ The first printers spelled words in vari- Cannot cap his horse with worse. cator of intelligence and a good edu- ous ways in order to justify their lines Beard sounds not the same as heard; cation comes from the British class of type. Silent e’s were added or de- Cord is different from word. system. Historically in England, only Cow is cow but low is low, leted, and consonants were doubled or the children of the well-to-do could Shoe is never rhymed with foe. not depending on printer preference afford to go to school and learn to Think of hose and dose and lose, and spacing. write and spell. People who couldn’t And think of goose and not of choose. ¥ Pronunciation has changed drastically Think of comb and tomb and bomb, spell were considered lower class and over the centuries, while spelling has Doll and roll, home and some. uneducated. Upper class children stayed the same. 400 years ago, the And since pay is rhymed with say, with little talent for spelling were now silent letters in write, knife and Why not paid with said, I pray? publicly shamed for their mistakes, comb were pronounced. The gh in We have blood and food and good; so they were powerfully motivated to light had a guttural sound no longer Mould is not pronounced like could. study! Spelling bees are a holdover used in English. Name had two syl- Wherefore done but gone and lone? of these old traditions. lables. Bird sounded like beard, and Is there any reason known? Children have the best chance of daughter rhymed with laughter! And, in short, it seems to me learning to spell well if parents and ¥ Samuel Johnson compiled the first Sounds and letters disagree. teachers share common, reasonable English dictionary in 1755. In order Evelyn Baring, Lord Cromer expectations and goals. A child needs to alphabetize words, he had to choose Spectator, Aug. 9, 1902 every possible ally in the difficult task a preferred spelling. He was not of learning to spell in English. How Can Parents Help with Spelling? What Is a Successful Speller? ¥ Do make sure your child does homework and Given that not everyone has the talent to become an excellent practices spelling each night. Provide a special, speller, and that spelling is important in our society, what quiet place, with enough light, a good chair, a desk or table, and a clock. Have materials such as pa- does it take to become an adequate and successful speller? per, pencils and reference books gathered and kept Successful spellers: together in a desk, drawer or box. ¥ Accept personal responsibility for correct spelling in their ¥ Do set aside a special time to do homework, with own writing. Children must know that spelling is impor- the TV and radio off. Make homework a priority tant and care about getting it right. in the family. ¥ Do get your child a dictionary appropriate for his ¥ Master the most common and useful words and rules. age level. Teach and reteach him how to look up Amazingly, 90% of text in English consists of only 1000 words. Pay attention and encourage him when- base words, and a large percentage of common misspell- ever he uses it without assistance. ings are of relatively few words. ¥ Don’t always refer children to the dictionary for ¥ Use an adequate and systematic method for memorizing spellings or they could see it as a hated chore. ¥ Do place as much responsibility as possible on new spellings. the child when you’re asked for a spelling. Have ¥ Independently use the dictionary and other memory aids. him list some possible spellings and you confirm ¥ Recognize regular and irregular spellings. which is correct. Or have him suggest letters and ¥ Understand how words are constructed (roots, prefixes you fill in the letters not known. and suffixes). ¥ Do proofread your child’s final draft papers after he has edited them to make sure that all mistakes were caught. Rather than point out specific mis- Do’s and Don’ts for Concerned Parents takes, first indicate that there is a mistake on a line, and challenge the child to find it and fix it. ¥ Don’t equate spelling ability with intelligence, quality of ¥ Do consider keeping a record of words your child misspells education, or personal worth. If your child isn’t talented in in his/her writing, perhaps a 3x5 card file with a card for each spelling, learn what his/her talents are and foster them. word in alphabetical order, or a personal dictionary with a ¥ Do emphasize the value and importance of correct spelling page for words beginning with each letter. The child can use without losing perspective. Spelling is to writing as appear- this rather than the big dictionary for words already looked ance is to character. Good appearance counts, as does good up once. You can spend a few minutes each day helping your spelling. But a person’s ideas, values and character are far child review and practice some of these words. Whenever more important. they are spelled correctly in writing, celebrate! ¥ Do hold up high standards while acknowledging the diffi- Regardless of your child’s spelling talent, he/she can become a culty of the child’s task. Have confidence in his/her ability to successful speller. Maintain high standards, focus on the posi- learn. Encourage, be patient and consistent. Reward progress tive, celebrate every success, and be very patient! without expecting perfection. ¥ Don’t expect good spelling in first draft writing, or point out Susan C. Anthony is an award-winning author and classroom spelling errors in a child’s writing before you have read and teacher. Her book, Spelling Plus: 1000 Words toward responded to the message. It is difficult if not impossible for Spelling Success, is available from children to concentrate on spelling at the same time as they Instructional Resources, Box 111704, Anchorage, AK 99511 concentrate on the ideas they are trying 907-345-6689 to express in writing. Eventually, most common spellings should be mastered so Spelling Homework Procedure that they require little or no conscious thought and are correct in first drafts. 1. Read the word aloud from the spelling list. ¥ Do expect good spelling in final draft 2. Spell the word aloud as you point to each letter, then read it. writing, and expect children to copy spell- 3. Write the word on your own paper as you spell and read it. ings accurately. ¥ Don’t expect a child to remember a spell- 4. Check the model. Point to each letter. ing word just because it’s been studied 5. Check and correct the word you wrote. Point to each letter. on a list and spelled right on a weekly 6. Cover the first word you wrote. Repeat steps 3Ð5 two more times. test. An incredible amount of review and 7. Close your eyes. Spell the word aloud and say it. practice may be needed for mastery. ¥ Don’t blame teachers for a child’s prob- The final result is a paper with each word written perfectly three times. lems with spelling or expect spelling to If all steps were done correctly, the learner has practiced each word 11 be learned only at school. Cooperation times in 50Ð60 seconds. Only three of the practices were written. between teachers and parents is crucial.