American orthography is, to put it charitably, dysfunctional. Whatever the dialect, neither alphabet nor spelling conforms to our speech. Yet, educators insist on perpetuating these incongruities.

Backers of a universal alphabet say it will make pronunciation easy and foster international understanding. But can phonetic spelling systems really smooth the path to world peace? You are in Vietnam ...

Our journalism is supported by readers like you. Click here to support The Tyee. Enter for a chance at a full-access pass to this season’s hottest films. My own high school had done a pretty good job ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...

Let me spell it out for you. An Australian woman has gone viral after realizing she discovered the Phonetic alphabet by accident after calling the police about stolen property. The video, which was ...

A young Aussie was left feeling 'dumb' after learning about the phonetic alphabet for the first time. Emily Brogan, from Brisbane, called the police to ask for an update on a bag that was stolen from ...

D as in "Dora" — or "David"? The Nazis had eliminated Jewish names from the German spelling alphabet. The names are to return, at least symbolically. It is a common situation during a phone call: the ...

Backers of a universal alphabet say it will make pronunciation easy and foster international understanding. But can phonetic spelling systems really smooth the path to world peace? You are in Vietnam ...