English Spelling Rules (2)

The end result of how English came to be formed is that we’re stuck with the most widely spoken language on earth whose spelling is hopelessly inconsistent and monumentally difficult. As a result, we as a people have more problems with misspellings than any other. That’s why we have spelling as a subject in grammar school and spelling errors show up constantly, even in the daily newspaper. And that’s the major reason that the study of English is so difficult for foreigners: they must learn the spelling of every single word. Only Chinese is more difficult to learn to write.

Should we support a move to simplify English and systematize its spelling? Not for me. I’ve already gone through the anguish of learning to spell. I’ll stick to what I’ve got.