A History of the English Language (Chapter 2)

PORTAJADA, Emmanuel, M. AB English 1B ELS 100

Spelling

1. This was the message created from the words I recognized from texts A and B:
Scientists think they have detected water on the Moon. Suddenly, visions of people living in
lunar colonies that stop off to refuel on the way to Mars are less far-fetched. After two years
of careful analysis, scientists said yesterday that radar signals from an American spacecraft
indicated the moon was not bone-dry. The spacecraft's radar signatures suggested the
presence of water ice in the permanently cold shadows of a deep basin near the lunar South
Pole.
Text A was easier to read. This suggests the need for improvement in the written
representation of words with their underlying pronunciations; it indicates that there are
some words that do require special attention in which they are spoken, thus, reform in
spelling is necessary to make up the errors.

2. These are the words that I think are commonly misspelled:

 people was also spelled as "poeple" from Anglo-Norman French;
 analysis was also spelled as "analusis" from Greek;
 presence was also spelled as "praesentia" from Latin; and
 basin was also spelled as "bacin" from Old French.
3. In favor of spelling reform:
 For historical reasons, spelling and pronunciation do not go with each other anymore,
therefore spelling needs to be adapted to take into account the changes that have taken
place.
 Spellings do constantly change, but only at a slow rate.

Against spelling reform:

o The current spelling system provides evidences to the origin of words. It is very useful
for learning or studying foreign languages.
o A substantial amount of literature both printed and on the web, utilizes the prevailing
system. If spelling reform ensues, it would put existing writings beyond the
interpretation of everyone, as well as involve major inconvenience in revising them.

Phonetics

4. voiced bilabial stop: [b] voiceless dental fricative: [θ] high back long vowel: [u]
voiced affricate: [dʒ] velar nasal: [ŋ] low front short vowel: [æ]

5. [b] and [m]: voiced, stop, nasal

[k] and [g]: voiceless and voiced respectively, but both stop and velar
[p] and [f ]: both voiceless and labial, but stop and fricative in manner
[d] and [g]: both voiced and stop, but alveolar and velar in place

6. a. The sound “k” is the only consonant that is velar in place of articulation.
b. The sound “k” is the only voiceless consonant.
c. The sound “I” is the only vowel that is not low.
 A History of the English Language (Chapter 2)
PORTAJADA, Emmanuel, M. AB English 1B ELS 100

7. [k]: voiceless, velar, stop

[n]: voiced, alveolar, nasal
[f]: voiceless, labial, fricative
[d]: voiced, alveolar, stop

8. After reading aloud the lines as best as I could, I have determined that my pronunciation is
different from the custom.

Changes

9. +

Gr ammar

10.

Subject Direct Object

1. Gila monster 1. a species of venomous lizard
2. Heavy, slow-moving lizard 2.
3. Animal 3. venom in modified salivary glands in its lower jaw
4. Gila monster 4. the musculature
5. Gila monster 5. eggs, small animals, and otherwise “helpless” prey

11.

Subject Object Indirect Object Prepositional Object

(1) Ohtere (1) King Alfred (1) to his lord
(1) he (3) Sami (2) in that land
(3) in a few places