I find it funny that:
- There is a Spelling Society.
- The author of the article had misspelled the Spelling Society guy’s name.
Here’s the article from the Associated Press:
Sat Jun 20, 3:49 pm ET
LONDON – It’s a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned — “i before e, except after c.”
But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions.
The “Support For Spelling” document, which is being sent to thousands of primary schools, says the rule “is not worth teaching” because it doesn’t account for words like ‘sufficient,’ ‘veil’ and ‘their.’
Jack Bovill of the Spelling Society, which advocates simplified spelling, said Saturday he agreed with the decision.
But supporters say the ditty has value because it is one of the few language rules that most people remember.
(This version CORRECTS spelling of Bovill, sted Bovell, in graf 4.)
We wouldn’t need a Spelling Society if we had a decent spelling system. With 40 million Americans & 7 million Brits functionally illiterate someone needs to point out the connection between this and the complexities of the system.