Date:  Thu, 30 Nov 1995 23:16:52 -0500

From:  "William H. Smith" <Wh5mith[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>

Subject: 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.

Bill Smith

Piedmont College

Demorest, Ga