At 01:31 PM 12/08/1999 -0800, John Cowan wrote:
>"Reynolds, Gregg" wrote:
>
> > [I]t's actually highly rational, but it is
> > designed for native speakers, not those who needed a phonemic
> transcription.
>
>Most of it. But if a fairly small number of irregularities are repaired
>(there is no reason why there should be nine different pronunciations of
>"-ough"), it would be far more so.
I forget who perpetrated it but someone (using different ways of spelling
the required pronunciation) came up with GHOTI as the "correct" spelling of
the word "FISH" (GH as in TOUGH, I as in ?, etc) in an essay on the odd
spelling of English Words.
>--
>
>Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! || John Cowan
><jcowan@reutershealth.com>
>Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau, || http://www.reutershealth.com
>Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau, || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
>Und trank die Milch vom Paradies. -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)
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