I haven't been around here for very long, however I've been around here long enough to see patterns and get a sense of people's quirks, pecadillos and idiosynchrosies.

I have noticed that questions concerning spelling have frequently received comments and even answers that amount to "Because it's English, that's why."

I'm not talking about questions such as "Should I write centre or center?" or "Is it OK to put a hyphen in to-morrow?" (although I feel that those questions could lead to thoughtful and educational answers that would help the site maintain an image as an authority.) I'm talking about questions such as [Why is "build" spelt with a "u"?](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/300332/129806).

This question was answered. I'm not knowledgeable about spelling so I can't judge the answer. As of this moment the question has not been closed. (Maybe we should have a few bookies around here that can take bets on how fast questions are closed and by whom.)

That said, I have seen countless other questions of a similar nature either closed or denigrated with comments that are literally "It's English--get over it."

I'd like to make the case that questions about the history of English spelling (even the "dumbo" questions) are quite on topic, relevant, and can contribute to the quality of the site. Isn't spelling and pronunciation an integral part of etymology? Isn't it a fact that when looking up a word's history that there are spelling and pronunciation changes that are important or contribute to our current definition? Isn't it a fact that many of these questions can't be googled because they require specific knowledge and the ability to assemble that knowledge into a cohesive answer?

I'd also like to say that if you don't know anything about English spelling or don't have the credentials to intelligently comment on the subject, you shouldn't be answering / commenting "It's English, that's why." When I first started on this site, there were a few users who answered spelling questions with long, scholarly answers that were awe-inspiring and humbling. I couldn't understand a lot of them but I could definitely tell these people knew what they were talking about. They were standard bearers that made me think twice about posting my answers. I don't see them around.

I suspect that the answer I will receive is "The community decided these questions are off-topic." Ok, fine. But what are the credentials for these people saying that spelling questions can't be answered or that we will never know because English spelling is a mystery? If your credentials are "I studied it in college while majoring in English," or "I did a research paper on The Canterbury tales and allusions in it to Beowolf." ok, I would trust that person's opinion. But if your credentials are "Why do I need to tell you?" or "I like reading about it in my spare time." I'm not so sure that is good enough to be closing questions as "unanswerable." I'm not saying everyone that answers needs to be currently involved in a Shakespearean quarto research project at Cambridge with an emphasis on spelling variations between 1606 and 1607 but some authority or genuine knowledge might be good.

I say we should expand a bit and let these questions be welcomed and answered. I say, if you don't know anything about the subject don't answer / comment / close vote. We can all learn something by inviting more of these types of questions, and it can help the site be more authoritative and inviting.