English spelling origin (OT?)

[Millie Webb]

Not that anyone here would claim English spelling makes much sense, but I
figure in this case, it may have something to do with the "ch" at the end of
words in some Northern German dialects sounding like [k], and the
handwritten 'h' ending up looking like a 'k'?  As I say, this is totally a
guess.  There is an awful lot about English spelling that is inconsistent.
And having to rewrite the whole list all week and retake the test for
missing one word, seems rather extreme and actually counterproductive --
IMHO -- for an impressionable six-year-old who could associate misspellings
and busywork with writing forever after, and end up not writing much of
anything unless forced to do so.  What a waste of a potential writer that
would be!  This is coming from the mother of a seven-year-old who hates
writing because it is physically difficult for him, but is as creative (at
least) as his younger sister who loves writing all the time about anything..
-- Millie, the dyslexic insomniac who obsesses nightly over the purported
existence of Dog.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Hause" <dwhause at JOBE.NET>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 7:18 PM
Subject: English spelling origin (OT?)


> A relayed question from a friend's six year old daughter, who had missed
one
> word on a spelling test and thus sentenced herself to have to write out
the
> spelling words for the rest of the week and retake the test:  "quick"
> spelled as "quik."  "But Mommy, why is that wrong?  They would both be
> pronounced with the same sound."  I haven't the vaguest idea where to
> research this.
> TIA
> Dave Hause, dwhause at jobe.net
> Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
>