Anglopolis: Orthographic Anarchy

Let’s admit it, something really crazy has happened with the English spelling. It’s anarchy! There appear to be almost no rules. And if there are rules there are more exceptions.

Call the authorities!

How can ‘to’, ‘two’ and ‘too’ be spelt differently but sound exactly the same? Is nobody in charge? Can’t the authorities step in and impose some order? Well in fact, even if centuries of crazy spelling could be sorted out by a language regulator, English doesn’t have one and never has. There is simply no equivalent to La Crusca. We do of course look to dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionaries (OED) for guidance, but it is not prescriptive. It aims to reflect how most of us do spell rather than impose rules about how we should spell. It’s an important philosophical difference. There are other places to look for guidance – the Chicago Manual of Style for example. But really there’s no one institution in charge of English spelling.

Global and ungovernable

English spelling has become so inconsistent because of all the words that have been adopted from other languages over the centuries. So, we now have a global language that is incredibly rich in vocabulary but very illogical in spelling. I guess it’s a price worth paying. Could English spelling be simplified somehow? Over the centuries some groups have attempted to do it, but they’ve never succeeded.

British or American?

There are of course some differences in spelling between British and American The simple rule is to choose either British or American English according to what you prefer or what your audience expects and then be consistent. (As you know, here in Speak Up we choose the British spelling by default.) But even that rule isn’t fixed. The American spelling of ‘analyze’, ‘criticize’, ‘realize’ etc is increasingly used in British English and the British spelling of ‘analogue’, ‘catalogue’ and ‘dialogue’ is sometimes used in American English. So if you see two different spellings of a word and can’t decide which one is right, maybe both are!

Spelling Bees

With such illogical spelling, even native English speakers have difficulty getting it right. How are children supposed to learn such complicated stuff? The spelling bee is one solution. A spelling bee is a spelling competition for children and since 1925 a national spelling bee has been held almost every year in the United States. Last year over eleven million children took part, with just a few expert spellers making it through to the televised final held in Washington in May. The American spelling bee is an important part of American life. If you want to experience a spelling bee for yourself you can test your spelling skills on the official Spelling Bee website. I warn you, it’s extremely difficult, even for native speakers. So, if you find English spelling difficult, remember, you’re not alone!