Progarchives.com has always (since 2002) relied on banners ads to cover web hosting fees and all. Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
Joined: November 20 2006
Location: Greece
Status: Offline
Points: 7026
Topic: More pronunciation: right/write Posted: June 29 2013 at 10:40
My last thread here (the Ian-thread) was a big hit. Now I have a problem with Norwegians saying that the "w" in "write" is pronounced. I tell them that it isn’t; "write" is pronounced exactly like "right". Am eye write?
He say nothing is quite what it seems;
I say nothing is nothing
(Peter Hammill)
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65268
Posted: June 29 2013 at 17:20
Of course the 'W' is, or was supposed to be, pronounced. That's why it's there. Just like the K in Knudsen and the X in xylophone. There's no such thing as "silent" letters. It's absurd. Why use them if they're silent when another indica would serve.
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65268
Posted: June 29 2013 at 19:42
No I'm not kidding, and I wouldn't tell that to the French anyway because it would be rude () and also I suspect many of their "silent" letters only appear, or have mutated, into silence. I took French, there's nothing silent about it. Subtle, but not silent.
Joined: November 20 2006
Location: Greece
Status: Offline
Points: 7026
Posted: June 30 2013 at 09:06
Thanks for your answers, everyone! I also asked my English friend Caz in Ipswich, and she wrote:
To answer your question regarding “right” and “write”, you’re correct the pronunciation is the same for both words.
Atavachron wrote:
Of course the 'W' is, or was supposed to be, pronounced. That's why it's there. Just like the K in Knudsen and the X in xylophone. There's no such thing as "silent" letters. It's absurd. Why use them if they're silent when another indica would serve.
The Norwegians are right.
No silent silent letters? How do you pronounce "knight" and "psalm"? Or "Close to the Edge"?
He say nothing is quite what it seems;
I say nothing is nothing
(Peter Hammill)
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65268
Posted: June 30 2013 at 16:27
refugee wrote:
Thanks for your answers, everyone! I also asked my English friend Caz in Ipswich, and she wrote:
To answer your question regarding “right” and “write”, you’re correct the pronunciation is the same for both words.
Atavachron wrote:
Of course the 'W' is, or was supposed to be, pronounced. That's why it's there. Just like the K in Knudsen and the X in xylophone. There's no such thing as "silent" letters. It's absurd. Why use them if they're silent when another indica would serve.
The Norwegians are right.
No silent silent letters? How do you pronounce "knight" and "psalm"? Or "Close to the Edge"?
You would - or were supposed to - pronounce 'knight' with a very subtle "k" at the beginningand an equally subtle "gh" in the middle, just like you pronounce 'sword' with a subtle "sw" sound. Again, that's why those letters are there. If you pronounced 'knight' with no "K", how is someone supposed to know you don't mean 'night' ? Sure context plays an important part but it's not everything. Language is not unlike math in that way, it was meant to be very precise.
Joined: May 29 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 8368
Posted: June 30 2013 at 17:09
First, pronunciations change over time. Knight In older varieties of English, knight was pronounced (roughly) k-neekht. Now, the k is silent. I don't know for sure about write, but I assume it's a similar thing.
Second, pronunciation varies by regional dialect. I'm from the American south, and while I don't have a strong southern accent, I was raised with no one pronouncing the "h" in which, when, where, etc., "pen" and "pin" being homophones and accenting the first syllable rather than the second in words like "umbrella" and "thanksgiving."
There is really no right and wrong when it comes to pronunciation. If the Norwegians want to slip a little w in at the beginning of write, wrong and wring, it doesn't bother me, although it's not something I've heard in any of the dialects with which I am familiar.
In most American/English dialects, write and right are pronounced the same.
Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34055
Posted: December 29 2013 at 05:24
Atavachron wrote:
refugee wrote:
Thanks for your answers, everyone! I also asked my English friend Caz in Ipswich, and she wrote:
To answer your question regarding “right” and “write”, you’re correct the pronunciation is the same for both words.
Atavachron wrote:
Of course the 'W' is, or was supposed to be, pronounced. That's why it's there. Just like the K in Knudsen and the X in xylophone. There's no such thing as "silent" letters. It's absurd. Why use them if they're silent when another indica would serve.
The Norwegians are right.
No silent silent letters? How do you pronounce "knight" and "psalm"? Or "Close to the Edge"?
You would - or were supposed to - pronounce 'knight' with a very subtle "k" at the beginningand an equally subtle "gh" in the middle, just like you pronounce 'sword' with a subtle "sw" sound. Again, that's why those letters are there. If you pronounced 'knight' with no "K", how is someone supposed to know you don't mean 'night' ? Sure context plays an important part but it's not everything. Language is not unlike math in that way, it was meant to be very precise.
I wish you a good knight, and god knew year, and hopes it bring joy and sLaughter
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
This page was generated in 0.273 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
More pronunciation: right/write
Topic Options
Atavachron wrote:
) and also I suspect many of their "silent" letters only appear, or have mutated, into silence. I took French, there's nothing silent about it. Subtle, but not silent.
