Spell It Out

Spell It Out

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2013-06-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1250003474

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Presents a history of English spelling through chapters that cover such topics as the introduction of the Roman alphabet, each letter's origins, and the development of long and short vowels.


Dictionary of the British English Spelling System

Dictionary of the British English Spelling System

Author: Greg Brooks

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Published: 2015-03-30

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 1783741074

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This book will tell all you need to know about British English spelling. It's a reference work intended for anyone interested in the English language, especially those who teach it, whatever the age or mother tongue of their students. It will be particularly useful to those wishing to produce well-designed materials for teaching initial literacy via phonics, for teaching English as a foreign or second language, and for teacher training. English spelling is notoriously complicated and difficult to learn; it is correctly described as much less regular and predictable than any other alphabetic orthography. However, there is more regularity in the English spelling system than is generally appreciated. This book provides, for the first time, a thorough account of the whole complex system. It does so by describing how phonemes relate to graphemes and vice versa. It enables searches for particular words, so that one can easily find, not the meanings or pronunciations of words, but the other words with which those with unusual phoneme-grapheme/grapheme-phoneme correspondences keep company. Other unique features of this book include teacher-friendly lists of correspondences and various regularities not described by previous authorities, for example the strong tendency for the letter-name vowel phonemes (the names of the letters ) to be spelt with those single letters in non-final syllables.


Spell It Out

Spell It Out

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2012-09-06

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1847658229

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Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary or style guide to hand in fifteenth century Bruges, the typesetters simply spelled it the way it sounded to their foreign ears, and it stuck. Seventy-five per cent of English spelling is regular but twenty-five per cent is complicated, and in Spell It Out our foremost linguistics expert David Crystal extends a helping hand to the confused and curious alike. He unearths the stories behind the rogue words that confound us, and explains why these peculiarities entered the mainstream, in an epic journey taking in sixth century monks, French and Latin upstarts, the Industrial Revolution and the internet. By learning the history and the principles, Crystal shows how the spellings that break all the rules become easier to get right.


The Inside Story on English Spelling

The Inside Story on English Spelling

Author: Paquita Boston

Publisher: DoctorZed Publishing

Published: 2014-01-03

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 0975674439

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Ever wondered why ‘his’ doesn’t have a Z? Or what on Earth is O doing in ‘won’? Ever asked why GH is in through? Or what is the point of silent letters? At last a book which spills the beans on English spelling. English spelling has rules and lots of them. Paquita Boston explains why English spelling is so difficult, much harder than spelling in most other languages. Boston also reveals the various codes that govern English spelling and describes how these codes are keys to hidden treasure, the cultural inheritance of all English speaking people. Boston treats spelling as a game as serious as any sport, with as many rules and as many game changes. After reading this book you’ll actually enjoy spelling and no longer view English as a ‘funny language without many spelling rules’. Instead, you will want to share the inside story on English spelling with young and old.


Making a Point

Making a Point

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2015-10-06

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1466865644

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The triumphant concluding volume in David Crystal's classic trilogy on the English language combines the first history of English punctuation with a complete guide on how to use it. Behind every punctuation mark lies a thousand stories. The punctuation of English, marked with occasional rationality, is founded on arbitrariness and littered with oddities. For a system of a few dozen marks it generates a disproportionate degree of uncertainty and passion, inspiring organizations like the Apostrophe Protection Society and sending enthusiasts, correction-pens in hand, in a crusade against error across the United States. Professor Crystal leads us through this minefield with characteristic wit, clarity, and commonsense. In David Crystal's Making a Point, he gives a fascinating account of the origin and progress of every kind of punctuation mark over one and a half millennia and offers sound advice on how punctuation may be used to meet the needs of every occasion and context.


Spelling for Life

Spelling for Life

Author: Lyn Stone

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-23

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1134671539

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A recent survey of 200 teachers asking the question ‘spelling is...?’ resulted in the following adjectives: ‘difficult’, ‘complex’, ‘confusing’, ‘random’, ‘confounding’. Spelling for Life offers lucid, accessible tools which help to reveal that, when explicitly and systematically taught, spelling is scientific, law-abiding and even elegant. It explains that spelling is the manipulation of symbols according to agreed-upon patterns that produce predictable results. Spelling errors also fall into sets of predictable patterns. Success in spelling is not a product of intelligence. Many people struggle to spell due to coping strategies developed in place of explicit instruction. What gives spelling its ‘complex’ veneer is the fact that different ways of thinking are required at different levels from word to word. Some words can be spelt as they sound, others have to be visually memorised and some rely on knowledge of core rules about word-structure. A lot of words require more than one strand of knowledge. This book makes clear which strand needs to be applied in different situations. Often pupils who can read and express themselves competently nevertheless find spelling difficult. False assumptions about spelling, such as believing the English language is complex and/or irregular, damage confidence and lead to reluctance to even attempt to spell correctly. Spelling For Life enables teachers and pupils to: learn what the common spelling coping strategies are gain insights into undoing poor spelling habits work together to notice patterns not only in regular spelling, but also in words which on the surface seem to break the spelling rules practise successful spelling strategies, progressing from simple to complex words rapidly and with confidence. Using a synthesis of theory, research and teaching experience, the fascinating nature of English spelling is systematically teased out. The examples and exercises offer an encouraging, accessible way to implement the programme of study and strive to reveal the beauty of spelling. Aided by example lessons, progressive assessments, unique tools and extensive practice lists, this highly acclaimed overview of spelling succeeds in developing critical thinking and confidence when reading and spelling. It can be used in conjunction with any established phonics programme.


Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Solution to America's Literacy Crisis

Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Solution to America's Literacy Crisis

Author: Denise Eide

Publisher: Logic of English, Inc

Published: 2011-01-27

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1936706075

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"English is so illogical!" It is generally believed that English is a language of exceptions. For many, learning to spell and read is frustrating. For some, it is impossible... especially for the 29% of Americans who are functionally illiterate. But what if the problem is not the language itself, but the rules we were taught? What if we could see the complexity of English as a powerful tool rather than a hindrance? --Denise Eide Uncovering the Logic of English challenges the notion that English is illogical by systematically explaining English spelling and answering questions like "Why is there a silent final E in have, large, and house?" and "Why is discussion spelled with -sion rather than -tion?" With easy-to-read examples and anecdotes, this book describes: - the phonograms and spelling rules which explain 98% of English words - how English words are formed and how this knowledge can revolutionize vocabulary development - how understanding the reasons behind English spelling prevents students from needing to guess The author's inspiring commentary makes a compelling case that understanding the logic of English could transform literacy education and help solve America's literacy crisis. Thorough and filled with the latest linguistic and reading research, Uncovering the Logic of English demonstrates why this systematic approach should be as foundational to our education as 1+1=2.


Spelling Dictionary

Spelling Dictionary

Author:

Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 9780789430731

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Small in size yet big enough to have the answers to readers' word worries, this miniature reference contains over 35,000 words, with difficult plurals and parts of verbs spelled out in full.


An Egyptian English Spelling Book

An Egyptian English Spelling Book

Author: Steven L. Allen

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2012-12-21

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 9781478292142

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The old-style spelling books have great appeal as presenting simple words in short lessons to make it easy to acquire a vocabulary of words connected by similar character combinations. This approach is used in combination with exposing the reader to Hieroglyphic characters representing the equivalent Roman letters of the alphabet for each word. The spelling of the words using Hieroglyph characters contained herein is not that of Egyptian words, but of English words. This book is not intended to teach the spelling of Egyptian words. The intent of this book is to provide a method of learning Hieroglyphic characters by sight in much the same way children learn the Roman alphabet. By seeing the same Hieroglyph used in place of a letter in the alphabet the reader will learn to associate that Hieroglyph with the alphabetic letter, and thus form a means to remember it.