99% Invisible

Corpse, Corps, Horse and Worse

Sep 28, 2021

In this engaging discussion, linguist Arika Okrent, author of 'Highly Irregular,' dives into the whimsical chaos of English spelling and pronunciation. She unpacks why words like 'corpse' and 'horse' defy logic, stemming from a rich history filled with influences from Latin and French. Okrent touches on how the printing press and the Great Vowel Shift shaped modern English, creating a love-hate relationship for learners. Discover the quirks and oddities that make English both fascinating and frustrating!

30:28

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Episode guests

Arika Okrent

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Evolution of English: Printing Press and Phonetic Oddities

15min

Decoding the Long E: English Language Complexities

5min

The Evolution of English Language

9min

The Intricacies and Joys of the English Language

2min

Exploring the Oddities of English Language

2min

When it comes to English spelling and pronunciation, there is plenty of rhyme and very little reason. But what is the reason for that? Why among all European languages is English so uniquely chaotic today?

To help us answer that question, we spoke with linguist and longtime friend of the show, Arika Okrent, author of the new book Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme and Other Oddities of the English Language. In it, Arika explores the origins of those phonetic paradoxes, and it turns out some of the reasons for confusion are as counterintuitive as the words themselves.

Corpse, Corps, Horse and Worse

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