Comment by nkrisc
2 months ago
I should have said it represents the pronunciation of English in and around London in the 16th century.
English spelling wasn’t normalized until long after the Normans. Norman scribes did their part but it was the printing industry in London that crystallized it.
Some of it is. Some of it is arbitrary. The "h" in "ghost" is said to be partly accidental. The "b" in "debt" due to folk etymology. There will be numerous other examples.