Understanding the Relationship Between Verbal and Written (Orthography) English
English is a fascinating language, rich in history and complexity, but this can often lead to confusion, especially when it comes to the relationship between spoken and written forms. While the spoken word—verbal English—can be fluid and dynamic, English orthography (the system of spelling and writing) tends to follow more rigid rules. This disparity raises several questions: Why does English look so different when written down? How do spoken and written forms of the language influence each other? In this blog, we will explore the key factors that shape the relationship between verbal English and its orthography.
A Historical Overview: The Roots of English Orthography
To understand the relationship between spoken and written English, it's helpful to start with the historical development of the language. English spelling has not always been consistent, and this inconsistency is partly a result of the language's evolution over time. Old English, spoken from around the 5th to 12th centuries, had a relatively phonetic orthography, meaning that words were spelled more closely to how they were pronounced.
However, the influence of Norman French after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 introduced many new words and spelling conventions. By the time Middle English emerged (around the 12th century), the orthography had become more complicated, as French and Latin influenced the spelling and structure of the language. Spelling conventions continued to evolve, particularly in the Renaissance, when the standardization of English spelling was influenced by printing presses, which made written forms of English more widespread.
Despite the growth of a standardized written system, pronunciation continued to change, often at a different pace. This divergence between the spoken and written forms of English is one of the main reasons why English orthography is not as phonetic as other languages, like Spanish or Italian.
Why English Spelling Doesn’t Match Pronunciation
One of the most perplexing aspects of English orthography is the lack of direct correspondence between the way words are spelled and the way they are pronounced. This discrepancy stems from several factors:
Historical Pronunciation Changes: Over time, English pronunciation has undergone significant changes, such as the Great Vowel Shift (a series of changes in vowel pronunciation that occurred between the 14th and 18th centuries). However, the spelling of many words remained fixed, leading to mismatches between spelling and pronunciation. For example, the word "night" used to be pronounced more like "necht," but the spelling remained the same even as the pronunciation shifted.
Loanwords from Other Languages: English has borrowed words from many different languages—French, Latin, Greek, Dutch, and more. As these words were adopted into English, their original spellings often remained intact, which further complicated English orthography. Consider the word "psychology," which retains its Greek-origin spelling despite being pronounced as "sai-KOL-uh-jee."
Etymology and Word Origins: English is a "hybrid" language, meaning it has roots in multiple language families. Words with similar meanings may have completely different spellings based on their etymological origins. For example, the words "bough" (from Old English bough) and "bow" (from Old French boeuf) have different spellings even though they are related in meaning.
The Role of Standardization: The standardization of English spelling, which began in earnest with dictionaries like Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755) and later Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), was meant to create consistency. However, it didn't account for all regional pronunciations or evolving speech patterns, leaving many words spelled differently than they are spoken.
The Influence of Spoken English on Orthography
Despite these discrepancies, spoken English does play a role in shaping how words are written. Here are a few ways in which verbal English influences its orthography:
Phonetic Spelling Innovations: Informal or colloquial speech often drives the creation of new spelling patterns that reflect how words are pronounced. For instance, the common usage of "gonna" for "going to," or "wanna" for "want to," has influenced internet slang and text messaging abbreviations, where people try to represent the sounds of speech more directly. Similarly, accents and dialects often lead to variations in spelling based on how words are spoken.
Spelling Reforms: Occasionally, the tension between pronunciation and orthography sparks movements to reform English spelling. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people like George Bernard Shaw advocated for simplified spellings to better align with pronunciation. Though widespread spelling reform never took hold, certain changes, such as the American spellings of "color" versus the British "colour," reflect a shift toward more phonetic writing in some contexts.
Pronunciation Guides: Modern tools, like IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcriptions, are often used to show the exact sounds of words as they are pronounced. While these symbols are not part of standard orthography, they do reflect an increasing interest in aligning the written word with its spoken counterpart, especially in language learning.
The Future of Verbal English and Orthography
As technology continues to advance, new tools for speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS) systems are bridging the gap between spoken and written English. For instance, voice-to-text software often converts casual speech into written form, sometimes in ways that reflect spoken language more directly. This can lead to more fluid, informal writing, mirroring the evolving nature of spoken English. However, while technology may continue to narrow the gap between speech and writing, the complexity and diversity of English orthography suggest that a complete phonetic overhaul is unlikely.
Wrap-up
The relationship between verbal English and its orthography is one of the most intricate and fascinating aspects of the language. From historical influences to modern-day communication trends, spoken and written English have shaped each other in ways that reflect the language’s rich, evolving history. While English spelling may never be fully phonetic, the ongoing interplay between speech and writing highlights the dynamic and adaptive nature of the language. Understanding this relationship helps us appreciate both the beauty and the challenges of mastering English in its spoken and written forms.
