Re: CHAT: Essentialist Explanation

Hello:

> > > Here's an essentialist explanation.
> > >
> > > Manx orthography is essentially what happens when the people who
> write
> > > pronunciation guides for dictionaries get a whole
> language to be in
> > > charge of.
>
> Except that pronunciation guides for dictionaries tell you
> how a word is
> pronounced, whereas Manx spelling rarely gives you any clues as to a
> word's pronunciation! ;-)
No, pronunciation guides don't!!!! How am I supposed to know of the
author's idiolect??? Hm, what would you make of "_ew_ [in Cornish
([ew]-diphthong)] is how many people say the _ow_ in "cow" in some rural
areas of Cornwall"?. Gah! And the guide in my Welsh dictionary is based
on Welsh English! Truly useless to a non-linguist

Pavel