Paul from Langfocus Teaches Us About Weird English Spelling

I have watched an informative video entitled “Why Is English Spelling So Damn Weird?!" by Paul of the Langfocus YouTube channel:

In this video, Paul talks about why English spelling can be so unpredictable and weird at times. He gives some examples which include things like silent letters and character combinations that correspond to numerous different sounds.

He explains how English derives from numerous other languages, like various Germanic languages, French, Latin, Greek, and others. He tells how over time, and because of English’s origins, situations may have arisen that resulted in the unexpected spelling we see today. He also talks about the Great Vowel Shift, as well as hypercorrection by adding letters to words when they aren’t necessary.

While some other linguistics and language videos sometimes leave me confused, I found this video easier to follow and it made sense to me. It really makes it clear just how many other languages and factors have influenced the development of the English language over the centuries.

Thanks for the video, Paul!

• Karl