The American Way of Spelling
The Structure and Origins of American English Orthography
Richard L. Venezky
Hardcover
Hardcover
orderJuly 23, 1999
ISBN 9781572304697
Price: $59.00 288 Pages
Size: 6" x 9"
Can ghoti really be pronounced fish? Why is “o” short in glove and love, but long in rove and cove? Why do English words carry such extra baggage as the silent “b” in doubt, the silent “k” in knee, and the silent “n” in autumn? And why do names like Phabulous Phoods and Hi-Ener-G stand out? Addressing these and many other questions about letters and the sounds they make, this engaging volume provides a comprehensive analysis of American English spelling and pronunciation. Venezky illuminates the fully functional system underlying what can at times be a bewildering array of exceptions, focusing on the basic units that serve to signal word form or pronunciation, where these units can occur within words, and how they relate to sound. Also examined are how our current spelling system has developed, efforts to reform it, and ways that spelling rules or patterns are violated in commercial usage. From one of the world's foremost orthographic authorities, the book affords new insight into the teaching of reading and the acquisition and processing of spelling sound relationships.
“Spoken language, move over—writing has earned equal presence. This inspiring work makes transparent the hidden structure of written language. Venezky's measured guidance on reading instruction is most timely. Language scholars, teachers, and anyone who appreciates the written word will covet this book.”
—Dominic W. Massaro, PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz
“The reading wars have outlasted virtually every other world conflict, mostly because the combatants have only a vague idea of what they are fighting about. Venezky's account of the nature of the English spelling-sound system may not end the wars, but it helps those of us who have to keep the world going—scholars, researchers, teachers, and teacher educators. Teachers and students who immerse themselves in this volume will view the world of spelling and phonics through much clearer lenses. An absolute 'must read.'”
—Robert Calfee, PhD, Dean, School of Education, University of California, Riverside
“Venezky has written an immensely interesting and informative book on American English spelling. It covers a broad range of topics, moving gracefully from the historical origins of the 26 letters to the regularities and irregularities of spelling in food and drink words, and ending with the rules of spelling useful for teaching phonics to beginning readers. My favorite line: 'No hand of consistency ever stoked the spelling engine for English.'”
—Jeanne S. Chall, PhD, Professor of Education, Emeritus, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“Few writers on educational topics can resist the temptation to admonish and advise, especially when the topic is reading. 'What is' tends to take second place to 'what ought to be' in the eyes of such critics. Venezky's thorough and engaging analysis of how spelling patterns relate to spoken language and to reading manages to escape this temptation, providing a basis for clear thinking about the issues.”
—David R. Olson, PhD, Professor of Human Development and Applied Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto
Table of Contents
1. Overview2. A Celebration of Variation
3. Creative Spellings
4. The Sound System
5. The Writing System
6. Origins and Evolutions
7. Discovering Regularity
8. Consonant Patterns
9. Vowel Patterns
10. Morphophonemics
11. Spelling Reform
12. Teaching Phonics
Glossary