English spelling photograph photography word relationships

English spelling preserves family resemblances

“Photograph,” “photography,” and “photographic” are clearly related on the page, even though their shared parts are pronounced differently. English spelling can preserve these word-family connections; a more strictly phonetic system could hide them.

Some Chinese clocks could tell the hour by smell

Chinese incense clocks measured time with incense that burned along a path at a steady rate. Different parts of the path could use different scents, so a new smell could mark the arrival of a new hour.

Most Montreal residents speak both languages

58.5%

Montreal is the largest primarily French-speaking city in the Americas. In 2021, 58.5% of its residents could speak both French and English.

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English spelling photograph photography word relationships

English spelling preserves family resemblances

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