Grammar Factoid

While I was at the bank today, the TV screen they have started mentioning factoids. It stated that punctuation wasn't used until the fifteenth century when the printing press was invented. Until then thewordsrantogetherlikethis.

However, as I did the research I found that wasn't exactly true. English has always used some form of punctuation, but it wasn't standardized until the invention of the printing press. In the ninth century, the Romans started using dots to separate words.

Later, a librarian in Alexandria became the first to coin the terms "comma," "colon," and "period," although they were very different from what we use today.

It's interesting to see how grammar evolved.

Why The English Lauguage IS Hard to Learn

The English language has developed over a long period of time and had been influenced by a great many languages including but not limited to French, German, Latin, Italian (Roman), and Gaelic.

Where else will you see words like depot where the t is silent. Nite spelled night and where there are so many words spelled with silent k's: knight, knife and knee.

Then there are the differences in the English spelling from UK, Australia to America. For instance in America we spell color: color but in UK and Australia they spell color: colour.

And we wonder why kids are having problems learning how to spell.

Different spellings of same words

Gledwood brought it to my attention about the different spellings in diarrhoea/diarrhea the last is American spelling. He says that "the Brits have to add an "o" for some ancient Greek-type reason."

So that got me thinking what else is spelled different? We after all are speaking the same language just with different accents. But we Americans are getting influenced by the many cultures that call our country home. And if that isn't enough we also make names up for new products or services ie; the Internet, eBay, and cell phones.

But what do you expect from a country that spell depot with a silent "T"?

We Americans also add "the" to almost everything--He went to the hospital, and the British version(and Aussie don't want to leave anyone out) he's going to hospital.

So a short list of different spelling of the same words(for a larger list click on link);

British-English/American-English

analyse/analyze
criticise/criticize
centre/center
cheque/check
colour/color
diarrhoea/diarrhea
encylycopaedia/encyclopedia
favourite/favorite
grey/gray
metre/meter
manoeuvre/maneuver
mediaeval/medieval
memorise/memorize
theatre/theater

Gees just look at the spelling no wonder I've always had problem in school? Maybe this is why--I have been spelling them correctly if I'd been born in England!!!