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One of the important factors in the difficulty of English spelling today comes from a change in the sound of spoken English which took place gradually between the 15th and the early 17th centuries. This affected mainly the seven long vowels of Middle English, and is known as the Great Vowel Shift.
Feb 8, 2016 · Spelling reform began at least as early as the 12th century, when the unknown author of the Fyrsta Málfræðiritgerðin (‘First Grammatical Treatise’) adapted the Latin alphabet for Old Icelandic, detailing the phonological principles behind the task.
Mar 17, 2009 · The physical technology of this system hardly changed for 800 years. During that time some norms arose for spelling (incipient standardized spellings, although still by our standards highly variable), but the sounds of the language were changing faster.
- Nice: This word used to mean “silly, foolish, simple.” Far from the compliment it is today!
- Silly: Meanwhile, silly went in the opposite direction: in its earliest uses, it referred to things worthy or blessed; from there it came to refer to the weak and vulnerable, and more recently to those who are foolish.
- Awful: Awful things used to be “worthy of awe” for a variety of reasons, which is how we get expressions like “the awful majesty of God.”
- Fizzle: The verb fizzle once referred to the act of producing quiet flatulence (think “SBD”); American college slang flipped the word’s meaning to refer to failing at things.
Modern English spelling developed from about 1350 onwards, when—after three centuries of Norman French rule —English gradually became the official language of England again, although very different from before 1066, having incorporated many words of French origin (battle, beef, button, etc.).
Feb 17, 2016 · Spelling reform began at least as early as the 12th century, when the unknown author of the Fyrsta Málfræðiritgerðin (‘First Grammatical Treatise’) adapted the Latin alphabet for Old ...
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Apr 17, 2012 · Center vs. centre, color vs. colour, realize vs. realise — a seemingly endless list of spelling divergences have cropped up in the 250 years since the colonies and United Kingdom were ruled by...
