The propa way to spel

Jim   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 03:40 GMT
Bill,

You're probably right. I never use the word anyway so what would I know.
HHHHHHHH   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 22:24 GMT
Some unnecessary spellings.

''taxxeecab'' and ''boxxing''. I don't think doubling ''x'' is necessary. We never do that. Why do we need to start. Why not keep ''boxing'' spelled as it is. Jim, I say taxicab as ''taxi'' + ''cab''. Do you pronounce ''taxi'' as [t@ksi] I pronounce it as [taxi(:)]. I think the English word ''rouille'' is spelled ''rouille''. The dictionary lists two pronunciations, [ru:i(:)] and [ru:j]. I've never used the word but if I did I'd say the pronouncable pronunciation [ru:i(:)]. [ru:j] is probably more correct because the word was borrowed from French and is a French word.

island-eyeland

Someone suggested this spelling. Doesn't it look odd?
hhhhhh   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 22:26 GMT
Quote-''Also I'd say [t@ksik@b] not [t@ksi:k@b].'' You would or you do?
Joe   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 22:39 GMT
I know "guy" is pronounced [gai] but the "u" is there to stop the "g" going [dZ]. Jim, The ''u'' in ''guy'' is not there to stop the ''g'' from going [dZ]. ''Buy'' is pronounced [bai]. Why is the ''u'' in ''buy''.

Anyway how about these?

buy-bie
guy-gie
fungi-fungie- ''fungih'' in your accent.
gymnasium-jimnaizeum
general-jenneral
Bill   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 23:15 GMT
''You suggest ''siberspase'' and ''hiperspase'' instead of Joe's "siberspaiss" and "hiperspaiss". Why not? Well, they could be mistaken for [saib..(r)speiz] and [haip..(r)speiz]. Think about the word "laser". Why is it pronounced [leiz..(r)] not [leis..(r)]?''

Well, ''laser'' is just an exception. Most ''ase'' words are pronounced [eis] and not [eiz]. What about these words ''base'', ''case'', ''chase'', and ''vase''. They're pronounced [beis], [keis], [tSeis] and [veis] and not [beiz], [keiz], [tSeiz] and [veiz]. ''phase'' is an exception. It's pronounced [feiz].
Bill   Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 23:17 GMT
Is Joe going to respell ''base'', ''case'', ''chase'' and ''vase'' as ''baiss'', ''caiss'', ''chaiss'' and ''vaiss''. I don't see anything wrong with them as they are now.
Jim   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 00:41 GMT
TAXI TAXXEE TAKSEE TAXY TACCY

Perhaps I do say [taksi(:)] instead of [taksi] but I certainly don't say [taksi:].

ISLAND EYELAND IGHLAND IELAND ILAND

I doubt that the person suggesting "eyeland" could have been serious. You might as well have "ighland" at least then it would fit with "highland". Propably the best idea would be to go back to "iland" as it used to be before some fool threw the "s" in.

FUNGI FUNGUY FUNGIE FUNGIH FUNGGY

I don't know why there is a "u" in "buy" but "buy" and "guy" are different words. Perhaps they spelt it "buy" so we wouldn't confuse it with "by" but there is no word spelt "gy". If there were a word spelt "gy" the normal way to pronounce it would be [dZai] as in "gyroscope".

LASER LAZER LAIZER LAYZER LAEZUR

No, Bill, "laser" is not any exception. What "laser" is is a perfect example of a very general rule at work. That very general rule is that an "s" between two vowel letters usually gets voiced to [z].

The origin of the word is "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation" (not "Light Aimplification by Zdimulated Emission of Radiation"). So first we had the spelling "laser" from which the pronunciation [leiz..(r)] derived (via the aforementioned rule).

What you've given us (''base'', ''case'', ''chase'' and ''vase'') are exceptions to this rule ... all except "vase" which cannot really count because of the total lack of concensus on how it should be pronounced ([va:z], [veiz] & [veis]).

How about "bace", "cace", "chace" and "vaas"?
Bill   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 00:49 GMT
How about "bace", "cace", "chace" and "vaas"? I think the original spellings ''base'', ''case'', ''chase'' and ''vase'' are fine. I pronounce ''vase'' as [veis] so ''vaas'' won't work for me. How about these,

base-base
case-case
chase-chase
vase-American-vase Canadian-vaze British-vaaz ''vaas'' is the plural of ''vaa''. Only plurals should end in ''s'' and be pronounce ''z''. Similarly ''news'' should be respelled ''newz'' since it's not a plural.

Okay, Jim, Name how many more words have ''ase'' pronounced as [eiz] than they have ''ase'' pronounced as [eis]. How more common is it for ''ase'' to be pronounced [eiz]. I didn't invent the word ''laser''. How would you have pronounced it if you invented it?
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 00:56 GMT
herr-her
yirr-yir
err-er
hot water heater-hotwaaterheater
water heater-waaterheater

Do you think the person that was suggesting these spellings was being serious?

British Santa Claus's Spellings

find-fynd
vitamin-vittamin
depot-deppo
thought-thort
bought-bort
water-warter
Tuesday-Choozday

Do you think the person that was suggesting these spellings was being serious?

Pistol Star-Pistulstar
violoncello-violinchello
uh-oh-uhoh
uh-uh-uhuh
uh-huh-uhhuh
''do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do''.- ''doa, ray, mee, fah, soal, lah, tee, doa''.
black hole-blakhole
white hole-witehole

Do you think the person that was suggesting these spellings was being serious?

Others

Contretemps-contrataan'
Grand prix-graan' pree
court-coort
four-foor
herr-her
yirr-yir
err-er
hot water heater-hotwaaterheater
water heater-waaterheater
boxing-boxxing
smoke detector-smoke dettecter
hot water heater-hotwotterheeter
ex-friend-eksfrend
Kookaburra-Kukaburra

Do you think the person that was suggesting these spellings was being serious?
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 00:58 GMT
All of those spellings look messy to me. Don't they look messy to you?
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 01:13 GMT
TAXI TAXXEE TAKSEE TAXY TACCY


''Taccy'' is a funny spelling. It looks like it should be a homonym of ''tacky'' to me.
Jim   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 01:23 GMT
Bill,

We can agree on one thing: "the original spellings 'base', 'case', 'chase' and 'vase' are fine."

We all pronounce ''vase'' differently. There are so many words like this. This is one of the problems with spelling reform. Perhaps it's the greatest problem. Perhaps it's enough reason to forget the whole idea. I think it's at least enough reason to forget the notion of a phonemic reform.

vase

American - vace
Canadian - vaze
British, Irish, Australian, New Zealander, African, etc. - vaaz

''vaas'' is the plural of ''vaa'' as "bus" is the plural of "bu" and "gas" is the plural of "ga". There is no such word as "vaa" nor is there "vaas".

Why should only plurals end in ''s'' and be pronounced [z]? No attack: I'm just asking. I mean, you've given us one counter example: ''news''. Why should it be respelt ''newz''?

The rule I was talking about is more general than ''ase'' pronounced as [eiz]. Of course I could give you "maser" but this is a bit of a cheat. Nor did I invent the word ''laser'' but if I had, I would have pronounced it as it is.

What's more usual than "ase" for [eis] is "ace": this is to avoid the confusion. This brings us back to Joe's suggestion why change "space" to "spaiss" when "space" was fine to begin with?
Jim   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 01:30 GMT
TACCY

It is funny. I wasn't being serious with "taccy". Though according to the usual rules it should become [t@ksi(:)] not [t@ki(:)]. Before "y" the letter "c" becomes [s], e.g. "cylinder", "cycle", "cynic", etc.

A CORRECTION WHILST I'M AT IT

Perhaps I do say [t@ksi(:)] instead of [t@ksi] but I certainly don't say [t@ksi:].
Bill   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 01:41 GMT
''s'' should always make the [s] sound while ''z'' should always make the [z] sound with the exception of pluralization because for one thing some ''plurals'' end in the [z] sound while others end in the [s] sound. Imagine writing ''cats and dogz'' or ''kats and dogz'' for ''cats and dogs''. So, ''s'' is fine in plurals regardless of whether it says [s] or [z].
Bill   Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 01:44 GMT
Capitalize/ise-cappitalize
Organize/ise-organize
exercise-exercize or even ''exersize''.
rise-rize
wise-wize
buys-''bies'' not ''bize''
fries-fries not ''frize''
vase-vase/vaze/vaaz
bass-bace
base-base