Why don't "tough" and "dough" rhyme? - Arika Okrent
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Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from “action,” and you could argue that “g-h-o-t-i” spells “fish.” So, how did English get like this? Arika Okrent explores the complexity of English spelling conventions.
When French speakers conquered England, their language became the language of the ruling class, but not of the rest of society. What are some of the effects such a split in language use might have?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Arika Okrent
- Director Emily Howells, Aaron Brady
- Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
- Music Aaron Brady
- Sound Designer Aaron Brady
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Cella Wright
- Script Editor Molly Bryson
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
