Every language has its unique writing system with a certain degree of complexity. According to Hanley, English has a complicated orthography that causes difficulties for language learners. Indeed, the writing system of this language has changed a lot over time and is characterized by a significant number of spelling rules and exceptions. At the same time, particular strategies may help learners overcome these difficulties.
The peculiarities of English orthography are a result of the history and development of the language. English belongs to West Germanic languages and was influenced by Latin, Greek, and French. One of the advantages of orthography is that the loanwords are usually written and pronounced in their original way (for example, the French word “cliche”). Besides, some of the spelling rules, such as the doubling of consonants (like in “plan – planning”), are consistent; they require memorizing and sufficient practice to be understood.
At the same time, English orthography cannot be called simple. According to Kirk, English spelling “does not have one-to-one correspondence between symbols and sounds”. For example, the diphthong /ei/ can be represented by the combinations “ey”, “ea”, “ay”, or a single letter a. Furthermore, due to the historical development of the language, some of its spelling rules have many exceptions: for example, spelling difficulties are common to the plural forms of English and foreign nouns.
Although English orthography causes difficulties for language learners, linguists have defined strategies to learn and teach the rules of the writing system. It is important to understand that “letters represent the sound of spoken language”. English learners need to recognize typical spelling patterns and memorize exceptions. Teachers also pay special attention to the additional practice of words that are especially difficult to spell. They select words that are familiar to the students and can advance their knowledge of English. Finally, they determine the individual writing strategies of students to see what they already know and what they do not understand.
Hanley was right to note that the English writing system is rather complicated. Although some orthographical rules are logical, there are still many spelling peculiarities that create certain difficulties for language learners. At the same time, wise strategies may simplify the understanding of spelling. They include memorizing common orthographical patterns, choosing appropriate word lists for thorough practice, and identifying problematic aspects for further in-depth studying.