Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? At one time or another, everyone has struggled with writing the English language. If our system of writing words is so inconsistent, by now we should have standardized it, phoneticized it, brought it into line, and declared “Enough is enuf.”
But legions of rebel wordsmiths have already died on the hill of spelling reform, risking their reputations to bring English into the realm of the rational. Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, George Bernard Shaw, and Charles Darwin are among innumerable others on both sides of the Atlantic who became fanatically occupied with writing thru instead of through, laf for laugh, and dawter for daughter (and tried futilely to get everyone around them to do it, too).
Gabe Henry, author of Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell, traces 500 years of efforts to wrestle our language’s spelling into submission. He also examines why it seems to be naturally simplifying to fit the needs of our changing world thanks to technology. From texting to X (aka Twitter), and emojis, the Simplified Spelling Movement may finally be having its day.
Copies of Enough is Enuf (HarperCollins) are available for sale.
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