English Orthography, Essay Example

Chapter 5 discusses the English spelling and writing system as it pertains to the understanding of the language as a whole. The way that words are spelled influence their pronunciation, so it is essential for both English natives and English learners to understand how this system works. The development of writing systems have an interesting history and predate the English alphabet. In 3300 B.C., one of the first alphabets, known as Cuneiform, was developed by the Sumerians as a mode by which their priests would be able to record knowledge. While this system primarily made use of pictures to represent words, also known as hieroglyphics it served as the basis for human knowledge of written language.Greek and Latin alphabets evolved into the first complex writing systems due to their ability to form repeated symbols into words with meaning. Modern languages have built upon an understanding of this style and Latin serves as a predecessor for many of the tongues spoken around the world today.

Ultimately, the evolution of written and language resulted in the development of modern English through a complex web of interactions between different people and cultures. A major problem discussed in the education system today concerns how English is taught. Many teachers are concerned that English spelling rules are complex and are therefore better learned indirectly through reading, writing, and speaking. However, many schools have removed spelling lessons from their elementary education in the past. Now that these children have graduated high school with less than adequate writing and communication skills, it was clear that removing these lessons were detrimental to their learning experience. Therefore, this chapter was particularly interesting because it explains why this is the case.

The textbook explains that “a study of word histories can help students make sense of many spellings”. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize studies of words throughout the education process. In particular, spelling rules are made easier when students come to understand the meaning of word roots. Thus, these lessons should accompany the traditional English spelling lessons that are provided in schools. It is also necessary to teach both native English students as English learners different methods that are used to spell words. These include the phonetic, semantic, etymological forces, which can be applied to the spellings of different word groups. Therefore, it would be beneficial to instruct students while allowing them to learn the rules of word groups.

According to the textbook, “current alphabetic writing systems do spell most words like they sound” but “there are exceptions”. Aside from teaching students to become familiar with words in context, it is important to emphasize the exceptions that exist to English rules. Therefore, it is essential to prevent their confusion in the early stages of learning by introducing this concept. A majority of spelling rules can be learned purely on the basis of word recognition, but there will be occasional words that defy everything that had been taught. To make learning these words easier, they should be memorized. Therefore, the English learner will be less likely to make a mistake in their writing, which will reinforce good behaviors rather than mistakes.

Understanding spelling rules will ultimately allow English learners to adjust to the language more quickly, because the ability to read and write is an important tool for reinforcing oral language skills. Thus, learners should be encouraged to practice to read, write, and speak the language regularly throughout their studies.