On 13 Jul 05 at 8:33, Jim McKenney wrote: > Since the bolding did not come through in my previous post, I > want to be sure everyone understands what was bolded. > > I bolded Ben's phrase " that has > > forgotten to adapt the written words to the spoken words." > > That is the crux of the whole matter as far as I'm concerned. > Ben got it exactly right. The matter is rather more complex. It's that English underwent a sea change in its pronunciation *after* the advent of printing had resulted in the stabilization of spellings. Thought, though, night, tough: those gh's all reflect that these words were once pronounced more or less as spelled, something like "ugh" with various other letters fore and aft. Some may say "well why don't we adjust the spelling to match the pronunciation now?" Two big reasons: first, it would render older literature much more difficult to read; and second, *which* of many English pronunciations would be selected? The rather effete, fluting tones of a British twit? The broad musical tones of an American black? The nasality of Rochester, New York? The r-less Noo Yawk accent? Or is that Nyew Yawk? -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island