--- title: Why might English spelling be so weird today? — Where English came from · tree and pragmatics description: Why might English spelling be so weird today? Test 10 · ★ of lesson 22 «Where English came from» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/22-where-english-came-from/t10/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [Where English came from](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/22-where-english-came-from/) / t10 # Test 10 · ★ · Where English came from Why might English spelling be so weird today? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** English spelling · **What happens:** be This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 22 «Where English came from» of the language course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/language/22-where-english-came-from/#t10). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t10:1 # text = Why might English spelling be so weird today? 1 Why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 7 advmod _ _ 2 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 7 aux _ _ 3 English English PROPN NNP Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 4 spelling spelling NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nsubj _ _ 5 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 7 cop _ _ 6 so so ADV RB _ 7 advmod _ _ 7 weird weird ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 8 today today NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obl:unmarked _ SpaceAfter=No 9 ? ? PUNCT . _ 7 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | might | English spelling | | | | today | weird *property* | tree rules | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} Printers chose new spellings at random every single day, just for fun ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t10:o1:1 # text = Printers chose new spellings at random every single day, just for fun 1 Printers printer NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nsubj _ _ 2 chose choose VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 new new ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 spellings spelling NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obj _ _ 5 at at ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 random random NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ 7 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 9 det _ _ 8 single single ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 9 amod _ _ 9 day day NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl:unmarked _ SpaceAfter=No 10 , , PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 11 just just ADV RB _ 13 advmod _ _ 12 for for ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 13 fun fun NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **choose** | past | Printers | new spellings | | random | day | for fun | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent spelling=Theme for fun=Beneficiary | ### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2} Spelling got stuck by printers while the sounds kept changing ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t10:o2:1 # text = Spelling got stuck by printers while the sounds kept changing 1 Spelling spelling NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nsubj _ _ 2 got get VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 stuck stuck ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 xcomp _ _ 4 by by ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 5 printers printer NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obl _ _ 6 while while SCONJ IN _ 9 mark _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 sounds sound NOUN NNS Number=Plur 9 nsubj _ _ 9 kept keep VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 2 advcl _ _ 10 changing change VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 9 xcomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **get** | past | Spelling | | | | | by printers; stuck *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 2 | **keep** | past | the sounds | | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **change** | gerund | the sounds *not said here* | | | | | | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ### Option 3 {#o3} English never had any rules at all, so everyone spelled however they wanted ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t10:o3:1 # text = English never had any rules at all, so everyone spelled however they wanted 1 English English PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 3 advmod _ _ 3 had have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 5 det _ _ 5 rules rule NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obj _ _ 6 at at ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 7 all all DET DT PronType=Tot 3 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 11 punct _ _ 9 so so ADV RB _ 11 advmod _ _ 10 everyone everyone PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Tot 11 nsubj _ _ 11 spelled spell VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 3 conj _ _ 12 however however ADV RB _ 14 advmod _ _ 13 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 14 nsubj _ _ 14 wanted want VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **have** | past | English | any rules | | all | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rule=Patient | | 2 | **spell** | participle | everyone | | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **want** | past | rules *= rule* | | | | | however *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot | ### Option 4 {#o4} Children changed the spellings for fun ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t10:o4:1 # text = Children changed the spellings for fun 1 Children child NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nsubj _ _ 2 changed change VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 spellings spelling NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obj _ _ 5 for for ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 fun fun NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **change** | past | Children | the spellings | | | | for fun | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent spelling=Theme for fun=Co-Theme | **Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License. - ← previous: [Where English came from, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/22-where-english-came-from/t9/) - next →: [Where English came from, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/22-where-english-came-from/t11/) - ↑ back to [Where English came from](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/22-where-english-came-from/)