HAVE Cllr Melinda Tilley (Spelling Doesn’t Matter, May 31) and the writer of the Oxford Mail editorial (Our View: Debate, Don’t capitulate on child spelling, May 31) found time to read Professor Simon Horobin’s scholarly and beautifully written book Does Spelling Matter?, recently published by Oxford University Press?
Judging from Mrs Tilley’s comments and the tone of the editorial, it would appear the answer to that question must be “no”.
Had they read Mr Horobin’s 288 pages, they would know he isn’t an advocate of “anything goes” and in fact supports and promotes rigorous language learning.
At the same time he is weary of prescriptive attempts to curtail the dynamic and ever-changing nature of English, a global language (or, rather, languages) now spoken and written in a remarkable and enriching variety of ways and tongues which combine past and present and whose future will continue to be generated by levels of change.
It can reasonably be said that some of the best writing in English today is coming out of Africa and India and beyond, so vive la difference, and learn from Simon Horobin’s wise and witty book.
BRUCE ROSS-SMITH, Bowness Avenue, Headington, Oxford
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