Parasomnium writes:
quote:
Does anyone know how to pronounce "ghoti" in English?
Ah, yes...the canard of "fish."
It's clever, but the problem is that the expectations of the "phonetics" fall victim to the rules of orthography.
Yes, "gh" can be pronounced as /f/, but only when it's at the end of a syllable, not the beginning.
Yes, "o" can be pronounced as /I/, but only when it is in certain unstressed syllables. The way this word is written, the first syllable is likely to be stressed.
Yes, "ti" can be pronounced as /sh/, but only in certain constructions where the "i" is followed by a vowel.
For all the weirdness of English spelling, there really are rules. There are always exceptions, but those are usually based upon the etymological derivation of the word. That's why spelling bee participants ask for the country of origin. It lets you know what orthography will likely be followed.
Rrhain
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