Spelling

[Dr Michael]

I was having breakfast and discussing the previous night's football with a German gentleman. He made the comment on how the Manchester teams were both very toooo.
I didn't like to ask for an explanation, but later realised he meant tough.

I am not a big simplified spelling advocate but the ----ough ending to words makes English so difficult and I would change the spelling.

Bough --- --ough is sounded as OW
Tough --------- UF
Cough ---------OFF
Through -------OOO
Thorough ---- AA
So how about Bow, Tuf, Cof, Thru and Thura

The –ough words all came from Norse or Germanic sources and in the 15-16c were pronounced as gutteral sounds as in modern German or Welsh but this is not used anymore in modern english, except in the expressive language of Liverpool where this throaty sound is used, but not for --ough words.

And of cors, all this simplified spelling tork mite cause a fite that cud go on all nite.

There is a not-very-funny article that circulates on the net about simplified spelling being a German plot to take over English.

[dtaai-maai]

Bow and arrow, right?

Thura? Sounds like thyoorah to me...

Any country that uses umlauts has no right to talk about simplified spelling!

[Pleng]

Doesn't an umlaut change the sound of a vowel in a very specific way? I don't know; haven't studied German for year, but I seem to remember it doing so.

Anyway, English is not a phonetic language. There are probably more exceptions to spelling rules than there are to rules themselves.

[GLCQuantum]

Anyway, English is not a phonetic language. There are probably more exceptions to spelling rules than there are to rules themselves.

Someone posted this a while back on this forum which was the first time I'd seen it.

'Ghoti'

How is this pronounced 'phonetically' in English.

Don't spoil it for those that don't know yet - let them have a wee think aboot it.

[Homer]

I wonder which is more difficult, a native speaker of one of the languages that contributed to English working with a good teacher and a high level of motivation, or a Yank watching a cricket match with the sound off, figuring out the rules and why the score just changed.