16 Comments
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Gwyneth's avatar

My mother's favourite example of "Yogh" as each word has a different pronuciation of the same letter arrangement.

"The tough coughs as he ploughs through the dough".

Radio Far Side's avatar

That's brilliant! I will use that with my ESL students. Teaching spoken English, even dialects, is relatively easy--it's all in the vowels. Teaching English spelling is a whole different beast, especially with students whose native tongues pronounce every letter. English spelling requires a lot of rote memorization. Another favourite is weight and height.

Lynnie's avatar

Gives an entirely new meaning to "spelling bee".

Radio Far Side's avatar

Doesn't it? I love etymology because it unveils an entirely new and deeper side of my mother tongue. It makes writing more interesting, as well, since one can chose words with multiple layers of meaning to convey thoughts that only the initiated will understand.

Lynnie's avatar

It's a secret club and you're in it!!!

It may be a lost art...language.

Radio Far Side's avatar

Carlin is one of the great linguists of all time.

neil's avatar

I needed help to translate. Here is what AI produced.

When April with its sweet showers has pierced the drought of March to the root, and bathed every vein in such liquor, from whose power the flower is engendered; When Zephyrus also with his sweet breath has inspired in every holt and heath the tender crops, and the young sun has run his half course in the Ram.... These lines represent the beginning of spring, a time of renewal and nature's awakening described in the opening of The Canterbury Tales.

Radio Far Side's avatar

A well trained AI, methinks. While the poetry is still beautiful in modern English, I much prefer Middle English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3y88HGb6Hc

Lynnie's avatar

Another school session...thanks!

Radio Far Side's avatar

Ooh, I hope it wasn't as painful as that. I have long advocated for the return of thorn and yogh, and the glottal stop still used in parts of Scotland. Perhaps we can use "th" for the non-fricative, and thorn for the fricative sounds.

Lynnie's avatar

which they don't have in Hawaiian...ends up being quite amusing at times.

Third" turns into "turd"...therefore, we had no "turds" in our canoe club.

Our cockatiel was the "turd" bird we had...?😜😉 Anyone who knows birds, knows there are plenty of turds. 😜

When in grade school, we called this a "dipthong"...where in the world did that come from??? I'll have to look that word up. Would that be a dip tong?🧐🤔

Radio Far Side's avatar

LOL dip tong indeed. The Irish have a similar inhibition about 'th'. The dialect cue to help you imitate the sounds is "tirty tree an' a turd'.

Lynnie's avatar

lol! I forgot about Gaelic...😂🤣

Michael Srite's avatar

Rush Limbaugh would mock the Brits for their inability to properly pronounce "schedule." They seemed to have no such problem with "school" or "scheme."

Radio Far Side's avatar

Try in-VEN-tor-Y or ad-VER-tis-MENT. In Merkin we say IN-ven-TOR-y and AD-ver-TIZE-ment, but con-SPIR-a-CY just like Brits.

The 'sch' spelling is a holdover from Germanic roots, so in effect the British 'schedule' is more ancient. The 'k' sound was a later addition. I do enjoy teasing Brits, though, when they tell me, "We invented the language." To which I respond, "Yeah, but we perfected it."

Philip Inskip's avatar

Rush used the word strategery a lot instead of strategy and I wated to call him and say; "Rush! You are a good speaker of the King's English, use the proper word!!!! With your brain tied behind your back and talent on loan from God, you should know better, young man!!!!!