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No, the "pen" in "penguin" means "head" - it's from Welsh. English spelling is a lot easier if you know the languages it was derived from or influenced by. An
by scatters 5y ago
No, the "pen" in "penguin" means "head" - it's from Welsh. English spelling is a lot easier if you know the languages it was derived from or influenced by.
An advantage of non-phonetic spelling is that it doesn't privilege any one accent over any other, so allowing a polycentric acrolect with each variety picking up accent and vocabulary from the local dialect, but maintaining mutual comprehension in writing.
- gg80 5y agoIt’s still debated if that is the correct etymology. A different hypothesis has “penguin” deriving from the Latin “pinguis” (fat).
- smcl 5y agoCertainly in Czech the two are related: tučňák = noun, penguin tučný = adjective, fat I don't know if that helps determine the origin of the English word, but it's definitely funny to think that there’s a nation which calls penguins “fatties” :D
- trainsplanes 5y ago>English spelling is a lot easier if you know the languages it was derived from or influenced by. Knowing a bunch of languages in order to have a proper context for English spelling is surely a higher threshold than memorizing the characters in your own language.