Date: Fri, 1 Dec 1995 06:57:43 PST

From: "//www.usa.net/~ague" ague[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]REDRCK.ENET.DEC.COM

Subject: Re: I before E



Does anyone know the source of the spelling rule, "I before E except after

C..."?

This question came up in Michael Montgomery's response to my paper at the

Southeastern Conference on Linguistics, where I showed that the rule is not

very useful,

and suggested that one spelling, "ceiling," might actually have been based on

that rule.



Although I feel I'm a fairly acurrate speller, spelling the word "receive"

always pauses me. Each time, including this note, I have to stop and dig out

the I/E/C rule to be sure I did it right. I have no idea why I have a mental

block on this word. Do others?



-- Jim

(The spelling of accurate was a joke!!!!)