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American English Spelling

An Informal Description

D. W. Cummings
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In this study of the English language as it is spelled in America, D. W. Cummings demonstrates that behind the apparent disorder of spelling in American English lies a self-regulating and self-reorganizing system that is responsive to four kinds of imperative: phonetic, semantic, etymological, and systemic. Cummings offers a systematic theory of orthography and applies this theory to the American English vocabulary with numerous examples. Cummings also describes the explication of written words into their elements, particles, and processes, and he sets out the tactical and procedural rules...

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In this study of the English language as it is spelled in America, D. W. Cummings demonstrates that behind the apparent disorder of spelling in American English lies a self-regulating and self-reorganizing system that is responsive to four kinds of imperative: phonetic, semantic, etymological, and systemic. Cummings offers a systematic theory of orthography and applies this theory to the American English vocabulary with numerous examples. Cummings also describes the explication of written words into their elements, particles, and processes, and he sets out the tactical and procedural rules that control the distribution and sequencing of vowels and consonants. In the largest section of the book, he provides an exhaustive description of the major and minor correspondences between the sounds of American English words and their spellings. An essential reference work, American English Spelling moves beyond questions of how words are spelled to an understanding of why they are spelled as they are.

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Book Details

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Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
592
ISBN
9780801879562
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Table of Contents

Detailed Table of Contents
Preface
Notes on Usage
Part I: Analysis
Chapter 1. Spelling as System
Chapter 2. The Explication of Written Words
Part II: Tactics
Chapter 3. Sequences and Distributions
Chapter 4

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Detailed Table of Contents
Preface
Notes on Usage
Part I: Analysis
Chapter 1. Spelling as System
Chapter 2. The Explication of Written Words
Part II: Tactics
Chapter 3. Sequences and Distributions
Chapter 4. String Patterns and Rules
Chapter 5. Suffix Rules
Chapter 6. VCV in Disyllables
Chapter 7. The Third Syllable Rules
Part III: Procedures
Chapter 8. Silent Final e and Its Deletion Rule
Chapter 9. The Twinning Rules
Chapter 10. Assimilated Prefixes
Part IV: Correspondences
Chapter 11. The Sounds and Letters of English
Chapter 12. Short a, /a/
Chapter 13. Short e, /e/
Chapter 14. Short i, /i/
Chapter 15. The Short o's, /ä/ and /ó/
Chapter 16. High Short u, /ú/
Chapter 17. Low Short u, /u/
Chapter 18. Long a, /ā/
Chapter 19. Long e, /ē/
Chapter 20. Long i, /ī/
Chapter 21. Long o, /ō/
Chapter 22. The Simple Long u, /ū/
Chapter 23. The Complex Long u, /yū/
Chapter 24. The Diphthongs, /òi/ and /aú/
Chapter 25. Vowels before /r/
Chapter 26. The Front Stops: /b/, /p/, /d/, and /t/
Chapter 27. The Velar Stops, /g/ and /k/
Chapter 28. The Simple Fricatives /v/, /f/, /th/, /th/, and /h/
Chapter 29. The Simple Fricatives /z/ and /s/
Chapter 30. The Palatal Sibilants: /sh/, /ch/, /j/, and /zh/
Chapter 31. The Nasals: /m/, /n/, and /n/
Chapter 32. The Liquids, /l/ and /r/
Chapter 33. The Semivowels, /w/ and /y/
Chapter 34. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of Words
General Index

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Author Bio
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D. W. Cummings

D. W. Cummings is emeritus professor of English at Central Washington University. He can be contacted through his website, www.dwcummings.com.
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