Comments on: The Oddest English Spellings, or, Thinking of O. With My Compliments to the Conference of the Spelling Society in Coventry, UK. http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/ Introducing brilliant authors to the blogosphere. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:43:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: John http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-154150 John Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:01:58 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-154150 Coventry shares the same first-syllable vowel as dozen, as does Romsey. Tell me how do you pronounce "coven" ?? Coventry shares the same first-syllable vowel as dozen, as does Romsey.

Tell me how do you pronounce “coven” ??

]]> By: John Cowan http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-149128 John Cowan Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:00:51 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-149128 I suspect that the spelling "wuther" is an illiteracy of Bronte's, or her publisher's, anyhow; the OED is clear that the initial consonant is /W/, from a Norse etymon in kv-, and it uses the spelling "whither" for the headword (the oldest uses are Scots, and have the expected "quh-" representing /xw/). We might well expect /E/ and /U/ as variants of the normal /I/ vowel, and indeed we find them in the OED. But I suspect that the STRUT vowel is a modern spelling pronunciation; the Earnshaws surely spoke Yorkshire dialect with no FOOT/STRUT split, and would have used a vowel close to FOOT. I suspect that the spelling “wuther” is an illiteracy of Bronte’s, or her publisher’s, anyhow; the OED is clear that the initial consonant is /W/, from a Norse etymon in kv-, and it uses the spelling “whither” for the headword (the oldest uses are Scots, and have the expected “quh-” representing /xw/).

We might well expect /E/ and /U/ as variants of the normal /I/ vowel, and indeed we find them in the OED. But I suspect that the STRUT vowel is a modern spelling pronunciation; the Earnshaws surely spoke Yorkshire dialect with no FOOT/STRUT split, and would have used a vowel close to FOOT.

]]> By: Realtime Democratized Spelling, & Famous Quotations Evaluated ‘Statistically’ | BradFidler.net http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-145554 Realtime Democratized Spelling, & Famous Quotations Evaluated ‘Statistically’ | BradFidler.net Fri, 02 May 2008 02:02:17 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-145554 [...] at the Oxford University Press OUP Blog, Anatoly Liberman wrote a 1,437-word “blog” entry, complaining that common people ruin pronunciation [...] [...] at the Oxford University Press OUP Blog, Anatoly Liberman wrote a 1,437-word “blog” entry, complaining that common people ruin pronunciation [...]

]]> By: mollymooly http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-145538 mollymooly Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:35:29 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-145538 "Womb and woman, which also have o contiguous to w, are still pronounced with the vowel of wuther." Merriam-Webster gives three different vowels in these: respectively those of GOOSE, FOOT and STRUT. I personally have the STRUT-vowel in 'woman' and the FOOT-vowel in 'wuthering'. “Womb and woman, which also have o contiguous to w, are still pronounced with the vowel of wuther.” Merriam-Webster gives three different vowels in these: respectively those of GOOSE, FOOT and STRUT. I personally have the STRUT-vowel in ‘woman’ and the FOOT-vowel in ‘wuthering’.

]]> By: John Cowan http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-145536 John Cowan Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:25:26 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-145536 OED lists the pronunciation of <i>Coventry</i> as in <i>cover</i>, so it must be common. Although I know of no dictionaries that show them, I myself use a somewhat rounded vowel in <i>pulp</i>, <i>pulpit</i>, <i>bulb</i>. OED lists the pronunciation of Coventry as in cover, so it must be common. Although I know of no dictionaries that show them, I myself use a somewhat rounded vowel in pulp, pulpit, bulb.

]]> By: Gemma http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-145535 Gemma Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:48:32 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-145535 "Elementary, my dear Watkins?" Conan Doyle would have been very unlikely to get Watson's name wrong, surely? ;) Now I can go back and read the rest of the article. “Elementary, my dear Watkins?” Conan Doyle would have been very unlikely to get Watson’s name wrong, surely? ;) Now I can go back and read the rest of the article.

]]> By: Pinon Coffee http://blog.oup.com/2008/04/the-oddest-english-spellings-or-thinking-of-o-with-my-compliments-to-the-conference-of-the-spelling-society-in-coventry-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-145534 Pinon Coffee Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:56:45 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1758#comment-145534 How _do_ you pronounce Coventry? How _do_ you pronounce Coventry?

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