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It's a difficult language to master and the statement is aimed squarely at the pronunciation. The same group of letters is pronounced differently even in simila
by close04 7y ago
It's a difficult language to master and the statement is aimed squarely at the pronunciation. The same group of letters is pronounced differently even in similar words (take "this" vs. "thin").
The comparison with Chinese, Arabic or Bengali is a bit unfair since the first hurdle is to learn the writing. But there are plenty of phonetic (phonemic) languages/writing systems that at least make it easier to pronounce even if you have no idea what you're saying, just as long as you understand the alphabet and the sound each letter corresponds to.
- brutt 7y ago> (take "this" vs. "thin"). Better example. Read "c" in "Changes in science of Pacific Ocean".
- close04 7y agoThe advantage of the "this vs. thin" example is that they are pretty much identical in structure. They both start with the "th" group, followed by the same vowel "i", and finally end in a consonant even if it's a different one. None of the usual "but it's grouped with this", "but it's followed or preceded by a vowel or a consonant", etc. should make a difference. The "ch" is pretty much always read "tʃ" instead of individual letters. And I think "ci" is also pretty much always pronounced as "si" (Pacific, specific, city, scarcity, etc.). As an individual letter yes it changes but you can find a semblance of a rule when using the ch vs. ci examples. Fun read: Ghoti is a creative respelling of the word fish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti