ABSTRACT
How does English writing actually work? The chapters of this book look at some answers to questions such as:
How do people process words on the page? Reading English involves both linking letters to sounds and dealing with words as wholes.
How does written English differ from spoken English? Written English is more than spoken English written down and has its own vocabulary, grammar and organization.
What are the rules and regularities of English spelling? Far from being unsystematic, English spelling has complex rules relating sounds and letters, governing how letters can be combined and linking words to the vocabulary store in the mind.
How is English punctuated and laid out on the page? Punctuation indicates grammatical and phonological structure; the way text is presented on the page conveys meaning.
How do children and second language learners acquire the English writing system? Children progress through definite stages in the acquisition of written English, though some may get trapped at a particular stage. L2 learners bring to English the pronunciation and writing systems of their first languages.
How has the English writing system changed over 1000 years? The historical development of the language and of writing technology has led to progressive changes in the writing system, even if it has not always kept pace with the spoken language.
How has English writing system adapted to different circumstances? The American style of spelling shows some attempt at reforming spelling; e-mails and text messages have adapted traditional ‘novel’ spelling techniques to new media.
The aim of this book is then to show how the English writing system is connected to our lives in many ways, not something that is an ancillary to other aspects of language but vitally important to almost everything we do, from signing our wills to sending a text message.