Period5:CULTURALCORNER—TheManWhoMadeSpellingSimpleObjectives●Toreadtoknowmoreaboutlanguage●ToreadmoreaboutspellinginEnglishProcedures▇BeforeyoureadPleasegooverthewordlistforthismodule,payingattentiontothepronunciationoftheword,therelationshipbetweenitspronunciationanditsspelling.▇WhileyoureadCut/thesentencesintothoughtgroups,blackenthepredicates,underlinetheusefulexpressionsanddarkentheconnectives.TheManWhoMadeSpellingSimpleInEnglish/thespellingofwordsdoesnotalwaysrepresentthesound．Sopeoplesay/rait/butspellitright,orwrite,orevenrite.Combinationsofletters(likeough)maybepronounced/inanumberofways.And/somewordsjustseemtohavetoomanyletters.ForAmericans/thingsarealittlebiteasier,thankstotheworkofNoahWebster,ateacher/whograduatedfromYaleUniversity/in1778.Asayoungman/hehadfoughtagainsttheBritish/intheAmericanWarofIndependence,andhefeltthat/writtenEnglish/inthenewlyindependentUnitedStates/shouldhaveadistinctive"American"look.So/hebeganhiswork/onAmericanEnglish.Hisfirstbook,TheElementarySpellingBook,suggestedsimplifyingthespellingofEnglishwords．Thebookwasextremelypopular.Bythe1850s/itwassellingonemillioncopies/ayear,makingitoneofthemostpopularschoolbooks/ever.Manyofthesuggestionswerequicklyadopted.Centerinsteadofcentre,program/insteadofprogramme,andflavor/insteadofflavour.Others,however,suchasremovingsilentletterslikes/inisland/orthefinale/inexamine,werenot.Websterisbestknown/forhisAmericanDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage,whichfirstappeared/in1828．ItintroducedlotsofnewAmericanwords,withinformationabouttheirpronunciationanduse,and,ofcourse,thenewspelling.TheBritishcriticisedthedictionary,butitquicklybecameastandardreferencebook/intheStates.Today,Webster'sdictionaryisstillthenumberonedictionary/forAmericanstudents.▇AfteryoureadCopyalltheusefulexpressionsintoyourExpressionBook.Youmaymakesentenceswiththeseexpressions.Expressionsfrom:TheManWhoMadeSpellingSimpleInEnglish,thespellingofwords,representthesound,combinationsofletters,bepronouncedinanumberofways,havetoomanyletters,forAmericans,alittlebiteasier,thanksto…,theworkofNoahWebster,graduate用心爱心专心1from…,asayoungman,fightagainst…,intheAmericanWarofIndependence,writtenEnglish,inthenewlyindependentUnitedStates,haveadistinctive"American"look,beginone’sworkon…,suggestdoing…,simplifythespellingofEnglishwords,beextremelypopular,bythe1850s,sellonemillioncopiesayear,oneofthemostpopularschoolbooks,adoptsuggestions,insteadof…,removesilentletters,bebestknownfor…,firstappearin1828,introducelotsofnewAmericanwords,withinformationabouttheirpronunciationanduse,ofcourse,thenewspelling,criticisethedictionary,becomeastandardreferencebook,intheStates,thenumberonedictionaryforAmericanstudents■ReadingmoreaboutspellinginEnglishSpellItinEnglishEnglishspellingisconfusingandchaotic,asanystudentofEnglishknowsalltoowell.“Howcanthelettersoughspellsomanydifferentsoundingwords,”theyask,“likedough,bough,rough,andthrough?”Andwhataboutawordlikecolonelthatclearlycontainnor,yetpretendsitdoes,andachewithitsksound,insteadofthechuhsoundofarch?Andwhydoesfourhaveauwhilefortydoesn’t?TherearenosimplerulesforEnglishspelling,butthereisanexplanationbehinditscomplexity.Wehaveonlytolookbackinhistory.Overthecenturies,theEnglishlanguagehasbeenlikeamagnet,attractingwordsfromnumerousotherlanguages.ItallstartedwiththeBritons,anancientpeoplelivinginapartofwest...
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