Making Sense of Spelling

If you're a bibliophile and a lover of the beauty and sensuousness of the spoken and written word (like Stephen Fry in this fantastic animated essay), then you probably already know about the  sophistication, the richness, and the history (animated, no less) of the English language.

But if don't have a strong background on grammar and etymology, or if you're learning our language for the first time, you may sometimes find it frustrating, confusing and arbitrary. But let's put that notion to rest. If you can understand the distinction between syntax, semantics and the evolving history of a language, a whole new and fascinating world full of connections and ways of making sense of previously apparent random things starts to emerge. Here's a little taste involving the word "one":

Just beautiful :)