Chapter 8 Spelling Summary and Analysis

The writing system of English comes from a long process developing from pictographs to a phonetic system. This writing system allows English speakers to efficiently communicate in writing where other pictographic systems struggle to teach the written language. This leads to a discussion of Asian pictographic languages, such as Chinese and Japanese, and the relevant advantages and disadvantages of such systems. While there is a lesser sound-symbol connection, the use of pictographs allows a greater range of dialects to communicate using the same system as well as the ability to connect modern and ancient texts.

Spelling in English is viewed as difficult or simple depending on the point of view. Many words follow multiple spelling patterns or none at all. Often, the choice of spelling in English is based on how the word entered the English language, usually modifying...