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.
The printing press came to England before conventions for writing in English had been standardized. What are some of the problems that can arise when a new technology starts being used in an area where there is no agreement on standards yet?
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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
