Re: Country names

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tristan McLeay" <kesuari@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 8:28 AM
Subject: Re: Country names


> Joe wrote:
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Stone Gordonssen" <stonegordonssen@...>
> >To: <CONLANG@...>
> >Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 5:11 AM
> >Subject: Re: Country names
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>>No, everyone else can't say Australia properly, and it has a very
> >>>obvious pronunciation from its spelling :P
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Obvious? In English? A language where one can findl orthography to make
> >>_ghoti_ be pronounced [fIS]? :P
> >>
> There are rules to the English orthography. Many words can have an
> obvious pronunciation. Just because the rules are often complex and some
> more common words have exceptional spellings doesn't mean that there
> aren't rules...
>
> >Only we can't.
> >
> I agree, but your explanations aren't perfect.
>
> >  |gh| is a diagraph found only at the end of syllables, for a
> >start.
> >
> ghost
Oh yes...well, it adds to my point, really, because the |gh| would be
pronounced [g], definitely not [f].

> >And is only [f] in the tesseragraphs(is that right?) |augh|[&f]
> >
> unless you speak properly, when it's [a:f] :P
Odd, I don't acutally say [&f], I say [A:f]

> > and
> >|ough| [Qf], and [Vf].  |o| is only pronounced [I] in |women], and |ti|
is,
> >again, only prounounced [S] in the tesseragraph |tion|[S@n].
> >
> >
> More generally than that, e.g. ratio. It does need a vowel after it,
though.
>
Ah, you're correct.