From: "Tristan" <zsau@...>
> > Other first-stage reformed words, most of these involving removed silent
> > "gh": fite, laff, ot or aut (ought), eit (eight), coff, troff, caut
>
> My opinion is that it should be <ait>. <ei> has too many readings to
> reliably expect one, indeed, 'either' can be either /aiD@(r)/ or
> /i:D@(r)/! Also, I (and the people on Aussie forums etc. with dodgy
> spelling) would prefer to spell 'ought' as <ort> but I can see why that
> wouldn't be a common feeling ;)
Any possible influence by "arse" by chance? ;) What would a Scotsman say?
> > (caught), alright (currently non-standard for "all right"), furlow,
>
> Shouldn't that be 'alrite'? And what's 'furlow'?
d'oh, yes it is "alrite"; there's two changes in the word group that would
be made: fusion and apostrphe. "Furlow" would replace "furlough", meaning a
lay-off from a job or an early release from a jail term.
> > I'm thinking of some sort of diacritic like a macron over one word to
> > distinguish it from the other homograph. I was taught phonics in first
grade
> > by using numbers over letters and letter groups, so that the first
"wound"
> > was "wou^1nd" and the second "wou^3nd".
>
> For some reason, I doubt (dout?) English speakers would take very well
> to diacritics. Take a look at the way they've already been practically
> abolished! (It is my role in this cafe to announce that Dvorak has a
> fiancee.)
Well congrats Dvorak! And you found another one, "dout" for "doubt". Maybe
not diacritics, but maybe adding extra letters. But there we are back at the
silent letter spelling problem again. What are we gonna do people?
> > A hyphen in the second: numb-er?
>
> Or just get rid of the silent 'b' from 'numb' and make it 'nummer'. A
> much more elegant solution.
You're ahead of me here, found another one. Forgot about that silent b.
> BTW: What's a parkway? (Dictionary.com seems to be down ATM.)
A type of freeway in a city. Why "park" is in the word I do not know, unless
parkways originally led to parks....
~Danny~