This week, according to the all-seeing AP, angry (okay, they're mostly only mildly peeved) geeks picketed the Scripps Spelling Bee to protest of the illogical, often frustrating English lexicon.
It's always fun to see the nerds out exercising their dander. Especially word nerds, since I count myself a card-carrying member of the club.
Maybe it's because spelling comes fairly easily for me (although my typos don't always prove the point) but I appreciate English for its huge vocabulary and nonsensical spellings. Both are the result of a long history of mongrelization with words introduced by various invaders of the British Isles. (Words are notoriously indiscriminate in their mating habits!) Romans, Saxons, Vikings -- all of these rich cultures are represented. And who knows? Maybe all this blending accounts for the "hybrid vigor" of what is arguably the richest language and definitely one of the most commonly spoken (after Mandarin Chinese and possibly, depending who you ask, Spanish) in the world.
So bring in on, American Literary Council and London Spelling Society. We enjoy your antics, but don't expect thousands of years of history, millions of appalled English teachers, and general laziness to step out of the way of logic!
Now, would somebody please pass the crowbar so I can pry my tongue out of my cheek?
It's always fun to see the nerds out exercising their dander. Especially word nerds, since I count myself a card-carrying member of the club.
Maybe it's because spelling comes fairly easily for me (although my typos don't always prove the point) but I appreciate English for its huge vocabulary and nonsensical spellings. Both are the result of a long history of mongrelization with words introduced by various invaders of the British Isles. (Words are notoriously indiscriminate in their mating habits!) Romans, Saxons, Vikings -- all of these rich cultures are represented. And who knows? Maybe all this blending accounts for the "hybrid vigor" of what is arguably the richest language and definitely one of the most commonly spoken (after Mandarin Chinese and possibly, depending who you ask, Spanish) in the world.
So bring in on, American Literary Council and London Spelling Society. We enjoy your antics, but don't expect thousands of years of history, millions of appalled English teachers, and general laziness to step out of the way of logic!
Now, would somebody please pass the crowbar so I can pry my tongue out of my cheek?
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