1185. This week, we look at why English spelling is secretly optimized for readers with Colin Gorrie, linguist and creator of the Dead Language Society newsletter. We talk about the real history behind silent letters, why medieval scribes weren't bothered by inconsistent spelling, and how the printing press and social ambition drove standardization. We also dig into why the famous "ghoti spells fish" claim doesn't actually hold up, and Colin explains the surprisingly dramatic origin of "went" — a past tense stolen from an entirely different verb.
1185. This week, we look at why English spelling is secretly optimized for readers with Colin Gorrie, linguist and creator of the Dead Language Society newsletter. We talk about the real history behind silent letters, why medieval scribes weren't bothered by inconsistent spelling, and how the printing press and social ambition drove standardization. We also dig into why the famous "ghoti spells fish" claim doesn't actually hold up, and Colin explains the surprisingly dramatic origin of "went" — a past tense stolen from an entirely different verb.
Dead Language Society newsletter
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