Short Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement

What It Covers

Josh and Chuck trace the history of English simplified spelling movements, from Teddy Roosevelt's 1906 executive order mandating 300 simplified words in federal documents to modern literacy concerns, revealing why reform attempts repeatedly fail despite logical merit.

Key Questions Answered

• •Roosevelt's Failed Mandate: In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt issued an executive order requiring all federal documents to use simplified spellings for 300 specific words. Congress immediately pushed back, passed a bill citing Webster's dictionary as the standard, and Roosevelt withdrew the order before an upcoming election.
• •Spelling Bees as English Difficulty Markers: Competitive spelling bees are almost exclusively an English-language phenomenon. Other languages have consistent phonetic rules, making memorization unnecessary. Even countries that hold spelling bees typically run them in English, signaling how irregular English spelling patterns are compared to other languages.
• •Organic Simplification Already Happens: English spelling naturally simplifies over centuries without formal boards. Fish was once spelled "fyshe," and American English dropped British spellings like "colour" and "programme" organically. Reformers argue official movements simply accelerate an inevitable process rather than imposing something unnatural.
• •Functional Illiteracy Affects 21% of Americans: While 99% of Americans achieve basic literacy, 21%—roughly 71 million people—are functionally illiterate, meaning they struggle with adult tasks like reading tax forms. Reformers like 1970s American Literacy Council chairman Edward Rontheller linked complex English spelling directly to dropout rates and crime.