English : A Punny Language

take8easy

Well-known member
Jul 27, 2014
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Well, the title is self-explanatory. But the thread is not about puns really. Anything quirky about English language is welcome.

I will start with this:

'GH' in enouGH makes sound of F.
'O' in wOmen makes short i sound.
'TI' in naTIon makes 'sh' sound.

Hence GHOTI can be pronounced as FISH.
 

badbadboy

Well-known member
Nov 2, 2006
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In Lust Mostly
Well, the title is self-explanatory. But the thread is not about puns really. Anything quirky about English language is welcome.

I will start with this:

'GH' in enouGH makes sound of F.
'O' in wOmen makes short i sound.
'TI' in naTIon makes 'sh' sound.

Hence GHOTI can be pronounced as FISH.
Thanks for the laugh. I've pondered about the English language with respect to new immigrants trying to get up to speed with conversational English. It must be quite daunting for someone where spoken English language was a rarity.
 

JimDandy

Well-known member
May 17, 2004
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Lower Mainland, B.C.
The word "queue". One of the very few words in the English language that has 4 vowels in a row. And yet they are totally wasted! The word would be pronounced exactly the same if you removed all 4 vowels.

JD
 

ddcanz

curmudgeon
Feb 27, 2012
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right here and now
Thanks for the laugh. I've pondered about the English language with respect to new immigrants trying to get up to speed with conversational English. It must be quite daunting for someone where spoken English language was a rarity.
Which is why I have HUGE respect for travellers to our city struggling with our language- yet persevering while so many dip-shits just get impatient or critical of their efforts.
English is a bitch to learn conversationally- yet so much of the world makes English their second (or third...) language- while so many of us just blunder along, expecting others to step up. "Dos cervezas, por favor" Really, is that the best we can do when abroad?
Sorry- no thread jack intended.
 

LM987

Active member
Dec 28, 2015
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Sort of, I don't pronounce it wimmen, more w uh men.
SO that would be FUSH
 

Avery

Gentleman Horndog
Jul 7, 2003
4,816
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Winnipeg
Well, the title is self-explanatory. But the thread is not about puns really. Anything quirky about English language is welcome.

I will start with this:

'GH' in enouGH makes sound of F.
'O' in wOmen makes short i sound.
'TI' in naTIon makes 'sh' sound.

Hence GHOTI can be pronounced as FISH.
Courtesy of George Bernard Shaw, I believe.
 

thodisipagal

Active member
Oct 23, 2010
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Surrey
Here's a bit of confusion.

T8E lay in bed with Miss Yujin.
T8E laid the naked Miss Yujin in bed.
T8E likes to lie with (not to) Miss Yujin in bed and do naughty things. When he was lying in bed yesterday with her, he wasn't being untruthful but playing naughty games.

Lie/Lying, Lay, Lain.
Lay/Laying, Laid, Laid.
Lie/Lying, Lied, Lied.
 
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pinky2

Member
Sep 17, 2007
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two more: manoeuverability contains all five vowels; bookkeeper is the only word having three consecutive double consonants.
 

take8easy

Well-known member
Jul 27, 2014
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When I started this thread the idea was to share humour relating to English language. So trying to stay on track, I found this online.

There's no egg in eggplant not ham in hamburger. Neither Apple nor Pine are in Pineapple. Quicksand works slowly. Boxing Rings are Square. A Guineapig is neither from Guinea nor a Pig. If Teacher Taught then why don't Preachers Praught? If Vegetarians eat vegetables then what do Humanitarians eat?

Why do Noses Run and Feet Smell? How come Slim Chance and Fat Chance mean the same? Why a wise man mean different from a wise guy?

The examples are limitless. Having said that, it's just not limited to English. Every language has it's own oddities.
 

take8easy

Well-known member
Jul 27, 2014
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Once a new store opened and name of the store was A AND B CO. . When the sign was made, the sign had a bit of a mistake. It was written as A_AND__ B CO. (The spaces were not even.)

So in other words, the spaces between A and AND and AND and B were not even.
 

jgg

In the air again.
Apr 14, 2015
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Varies now
Sorry pinky but BOOKKEEPER only has one set of double consonants; OO & EE are vowels! You'll have to redo last night's homework! ;D
Stay after school with the teacher and get extra tutoring!
 

FreeG

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2015
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The worst for me was always "Colonel" - how its pronounced as "kernel" will never make sense.

Personally, I blame the British - the same dudes who turn "Lieutenant" into "LEFT-tenant".

(like a good nerd, I did look up "Colonel" and there's a reason for the pronounciation.
 

thodisipagal

Active member
Oct 23, 2010
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Surrey
When you go see a lady you surreptitiously park in her DRIVEWAY. When you drive back home, you drive on a PARKWAY.

PALINDROME doesn't read the same backward as forward.

When France and United Kingdom built the Chunnel, a lot more Frenchmen crossed the channel to Fcuk British ladies.
 

BaconNeggs

New member
Jan 13, 2017
269
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BC Canada
English is a messed up language.
Knot.
Knife.
Onion.

The list of peculiar words could go on and on.

Butt their isnt enuff thyme four mee too cuver al ov themm know.
 
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