{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Enough is Enuf: Why Isn\u2019t English Easier To Spell? Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry","description":"Enough is Enuf: Why Isn\u2019t English Easier To Spell? Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry THE NOT OLD BETTER SHOW, SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES INTERVIEW SERIES \ud83d\udcda Ever wondered why English spelling makes no sense? \ud83e\udd2f Why does G in George sound different from G in gorge? And why are we still spelling enough like that?! Author Gabe Henry joins The Not Old Better Show to unravel 500 years of failed spelling reform. From Twain to texting, is change finally here? \ud83d\udd21\u2728 Listen now! \ud83c\udfa7\ud83d\udc47 \ud83d\udd17 https:\/\/apple.co\/3FAbebT Welcome to&amp;nbsp;The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series. I\u2019m your host, Paul Vogelzang, and today, we\u2019re diving into the wonderfully chaotic, utterly confusing, and downright hilarious world of English spelling. Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And seriously\u2014why is enough spelled like that? Our guest today,  Smithsonian Associate and author Gabe Henry, has spent over a decade unraveling the twisted history of English spelling reform.  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up and the title of his presentation there is  Enough is Enuf: Why Isn\u2019t English Easier To Spell? Please check out our show notes today for more information about  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry at Smithsonian Associates. But we have Gabe Henry today to tell us a little about it all including his new book, avialable at Apple books,  Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell, takes us through 500 years of determined\u2014yet doomed\u2014efforts to straighten out our language. From Mark Twain and Ben Franklin to C.S. Lewis and George Bernard Shaw, some of history\u2019s greatest minds have fought to make English more logical\u2026and lost. But here\u2019s the twist\u2014what spelling reformers couldn\u2019t do, technology just might. Thanks to texting, social media, and emojis, English may finally be simplifying itself. So, are we witnessing a long-overdue spelling revolution? Or is this just another chapter in the ongoing saga of linguistic chaos? Gabe Henry is here to make sense of it all, with plenty of humor along the way. So grab a cup of coffee\u2014or should that be k-o-f-e?\u2014and let\u2019s get into it. Please welcome to the show,  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry. Thanks to our wonderful guest,  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry for his generous time.  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up and the title of his presentation there is  Enough is Enuf: Why Isn\u2019t English Easier To Spell? Please check out our show notes today for more information about  Smithsonian Associate Gabe Henry at Smithsonian Associates. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, our wonderful Smithsonian Associates audience here on radio and podcast. Be well, be safe and Let\u2019s Talk About Better.&amp;nbsp; The Not Old Better Show.&amp;nbsp; Thanks, everybody, and we\u2019ll see you next week. ","author_name":"The Not Old - Better Show","author_url":"https:\/\/www.notold-better.com\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/35812130\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/2d676d\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/186071920"}