What's spelling anyway?

Do you like spelling? Do you like that every letter is ordered in its proper place and follows some sort of pattern or rule?

Or do you find spelling a nuisance, a necessary evil? You wish that it didn't exist, that you could spell words however you wanted, according to your mood.

Buht thatt mite nought bee a gud ideeuh.

Spelling's important. But how is spelling determined? Who makes the rules? Who says that we have to spell things one way, and not another? In English, a typically written language, those decisions are made by the originator of terms. Their decisions are formalized by dictionaries, but the dictionary doesn't create words or spellings-- it reflects commonly accepted ways of writing.

But what do you do when the dictionary is incomplete, and people are largely unaccustomed to write in their own language? Or, worse, those who have started writing in their language use a manner of writing which complicates writing words, rather than simplifying it, and fails to reflect the unique sounds of the language?

One thing I get to do for work is figure out how to write things. Why can't I just look it up in a dictionary? The dictionary that exists is incomplete. Sure, the verb "to read" is in the dictionary, but how do you spell the word that says "he is about to read to her"?  (yes, that idea can be captured in a single word)

So next time you think about my exciting life, also remember that I spend time reading lists of words and determining what the official spelling is.

What is spelling, anyway?