The English language is notorious for its spelling, where there are a bunch of silent letters in many of its words, and how there is a many-to-many correspondence between many of its letters and sounds. From the 'w' in place names like Greenwich but not Sandwich to the inconsistencies in the pronunciation of the '-ough' … Continue reading Why don’t we pronounce the ‘k’ in ‘knight’ anymore?
sound changes
Why do we pronounce ‘tomato’ differently but not ‘potato’?
I want to start today's Word Bites installment with yet another poll. This time, I want to ask, how do you pronounce 'tomato'? Do the last two syllables sound similar or identical to those of 'potato? For two words that might sound strangely similar for some, the presence of two possible pronunciations (or predominant patterns … Continue reading Why do we pronounce ‘tomato’ differently but not ‘potato’?
When ‘th’ becomes an ‘f’
Let's start off today's essay with a little poll. How do you pronounce the word "three"? Is it closer to a "free", or is it closer to a "tree", or perhaps just a plain old "three"? As we covered really long ago, the 'th' sound is actually a pretty rare sound across the world, but … Continue reading When ‘th’ becomes an ‘f’
The birth of a toneme in Khmer
The languages of Southeast Asia are known for their tones. Sure, there are notable exceptions such as the Austronesian languages spoken in the Malayan Peninsula, but for the majority of languages, including the Kra-Dai languages spoken in Thailand, Laos, and northern Vietnam, Hmong-Mien languages spoken in northern Vietnam and Laos, and the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken … Continue reading The birth of a toneme in Khmer
Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
The letter 'å' (typed using Alt+0229) is perhaps one of the most recognisable letters in the languages of Scandinavia, as you may have recalled the last time you went strolling about in an Ikea store. It is even the entire name of certain places in Norway and Sweden. So too does it represent a unit … Continue reading Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
Why does “ph” make an “f” sound?
Phone. Phase. Phoenix. These words start with a "ph", yet this digraph is pronounced with an "f". In some other languages, we see such a pattern as well. Take French, for example. The word for "the seal", le phoque, also has its "ph" pronounced as an "f". We also see such a pattern in Vietnamese, … Continue reading Why does “ph” make an “f” sound?
The Language Closet 