Why is English so Hard to Spell?

Hand in your short essay and daybook (at the end of class).

Consider the words knight, night // through, though, bough, cough, rough // come, give, gone.

Take a short pretest about the history of English.  Look at this chart.

What does England look like in the year 0?  -ish? Well, this is already 2,000 years old.

Think Roman Empire.

Old English spoken for us.

Anglo-Saxon art

Anglo-Saxons vs. Vikings  which leads us to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

After Norman castles we come to Middle English.

Fold your handout and put it in your daybook.

Here are some related links of interest on this topic:

The History of English in 10 Minutes Video

An animation of one of Chaucer's Tales

National Geographic on the buried Vikings



Homework:

1.  Wednesday the first draft of your observation paper is due.  It can be either hand-written or typed and PRINTED OUT BEFORE CLASS.  See the back of the blue assignment sheet for drafting help.  Also, Bedford pages 88-90.

2. Tomorrow (Tuesday) there will be SOME time to work on your draft, but there will be some other work as well.

3. TWFTD:  punk.  What can you find for the origin of the word?