Short Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement

The podcast examines the recurring efforts to simplify English spelling and grammar. It highlights Teddy Roosevelt's failed attempt in 1906 to mandate simplified spellings in federal documents, which led to public mockery and congressional opposition. The hosts discuss how English's inconsistent spelling rules, exemplified by the letters "G-H-T," make it a challenging language to learn, contributing to the American phenomenon of spelling bees. They reference the Simplified Spelling Board, founded by figures like Andrew Carnegie and Mark Twain, which aimed to accelerate the natural evolution of spelling, such as the shift from "F-Y-S-H-E" to "F-I-S-H" for "fish." The conversation also covers a later initiative in the 1970s that linked simplifying English to reducing illiteracy and crime rates, while also noting the surprisingly high rate of functional illiteracy in America.