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!
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Ghost and Ghoul
- Caxton's Flemish printers introduced spellings like "gh" in "ghost".
- While other "gh" spellings didn't stick, "ghoul" adopted it later, creating inconsistency.
Silent GH
- The "gh" in words like "tough" and "dough" once represented a guttural sound, like in German "Nacht".
- This sound disappeared, leaving the silent "gh," or transforming into an "f" as in "laugh."
Great Vowel Shift
- The Great Vowel Shift, happening during printing, systematically altered English vowels (e.g., "boot" to "boat").
- This made consistent spelling difficult as pronunciation changed regionally and over time.
