Comments | amalleigh: Hmm...and I wonder why I can't spell?

amalleigh

Hmm...and I wonder why I can't spell?

Feb 19, 2005 08:39

When I was tutoring ESL I always thought "pheti" as a perfectly legitimate way of spelling fish was a great example as to why it's so hard to spell and pronounce the written word in English correctly if you've never heard it aloud. (ph as is graph, e as in women, and ti as in nation... fish) Today however I received an even better example ( Read more... )

Comments 8

*ow ow ow ow ow* sandmansister February 19 2005, 18:49:36 UTC

Mummy, you hurt my widdle pea bwain!

*hugs*

Re: *ow ow ow ow ow* amalleigh February 19 2005, 18:56:40 UTC

Sorry dear, ;-) It is kind of painful isn't it? Sigh... The worst part is the longer I look at GHOUGHPHTHEIGHTTEEAU the more it makes sense that of course that would be pronounced potato... I hurt my own brain too...

*hugs you back*

Re: *ow ow ow ow ow* sandmansister February 21 2005, 23:14:39 UTC

Yeah, well... after awhile the pain starts to be amusingly familiar. LOVE that brand of weirdness! ;-)

koyote19 February 19 2005, 19:12:33 UTC

um... can I just ask that if you ever want me to beta your writing again...do not use words like ghoughphtheightteeau. yeah, I can read and decipher dyslexic, and yeah, I can usually figure out what you're wanting to say.... but that word is right out. As of now.

the sad part is... now you've got me thinking that's the right way to spell potato too.

but I thought the ti sound is only shon when it's got an o after it???

amalleigh February 19 2005, 19:34:28 UTC

Right no ghoughphtheightteeau when writing... :-) I can do that.. How about Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch? Is that still okay? And yes technically Ti is only Sh when followed by a on, but it can still be pronounced sh, so for the sake of the argument it works. Besides pheti is much shorter than ghoughphtheightteeau.

koyote19 February 20 2005, 22:09:21 UTC

no, no, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch is okay. I've been there and already learned to wrap my brain around that one. though I will only pronouce it with the LlanPGGogogoch abbreviation. yargh.

vix_kitten February 20 2005, 08:28:14 UTC

I think that IS how potato is spelled in Irish. This is a language where Eva is spelled Aoife.

But it's early, and you've wounded my breighn.

amalleigh February 20 2005, 15:50:16 UTC

Oh, poor breighn. Sorry. :-)

It does look somewhat gaelic doesn't it? ;-) I think it's all the gh combanations..hmm...there should probably be a dh in there somewhere to though, just because, it isn't like you'd pronounce it or anything.