Day 8 – One Significant Sound (phoneme) and its Many Representations in Script

All the vowels and a few consonants like /c/ and /g/ are example of one significant sound that has many representations in script. 

Many letters, one sound :

/awe/ is read as /ᴐ/, /owe/ is /ou/ which is a diphthong, /should/ is read as /ʃud/, could is /khud/, would is /wud/.

Same set of many letters,  many pronunciations :

/ough/ tough /thuf/ (where ‘t’ is in initial position so the sound gets aspirated) , through  /θru/.

‘Though’ is pronounced as /ðou/ where /ou/ is a falling diphthong, ‘thought’ is /θᴐt/, ‘thorough’ is /θǝrǝ/.

 eat is /i:t/, ear is /iǝ:/, earth is /ǝ:θ/, heart  /ha:t/ , health  /helθ/, bear is /beǝ:/

Sounds/phoneme which do not have any letter :

/ʃ/ ship is read as /ʃip/, caution as /kᴐʃǝn/, ocean as /oʃǝn/, cautious /kᴐʃǝs/, conscience /kᴐnʃens/, facial /feʃiǝl/.

/θ/ think /θiŋk/, thought /θᴐt/, author /ᴐθǝ:/, anthem /ꬱnθm/ maths /mꬱθs/, fifth /fifθ/.

/ð/ this /ðis/, that /ðꬱt/, bother /bᴐðǝ:/, brother /brǝðǝ:/, although /ᴐlðou/.

/tʃ/ church /tʃǝ:tʃ/, charm /tʃa:m/, chat /tʃꬱt/, chip /tʃip/.

match /mꬱtʃ/, search /sǝ:tʃ/, stitch / stitʃ/ .

/dʒ/ judge /jǝdʒ/, edge /edʒ/, ledger /ledʒ:/, lodge /lᴐdʒ/ .

/ʒ/ pleasure /phleʒǝ:/, vision /viʒan/, luxary /lǝʒri/.

Silent letters:

/e/ is silent in age /ej/, cage/kej/, else /els/, name /nem/, mare /mꬱr/, sole /sol/ role /rol/.

/b / is silent in doubt /daut/ here /au/ is diphthong, debt /det/, subtle /sǝtl/ .

/p/ in psychology /saikᴐlǝji/, here /ai/ is a falling diphthong,  pneumonia  /nyumonia/, pneumatic /nyumꬱtic/ , receipt /risi:t/.

/l/    palm /pham/, psalm /sam/, almond /amǝnd/, hymn /him/,  salmon /samǝn/,  talk /thᴐk/, walk /wᴐk/.

/k/ is silent in know /no/, knee /ni:/, knot /not/, knob /knob/.

/n/ column /kᴐlǝm/, solemn /sᴐlǝm/, hymn /him/.

/h/ hour /awǝ:/, honour /ᴐnǝ:/, honest /ᴐnest/.

 Words with same spelling but different pronunciation:

read /ri:d/ present form, read /red/ past tense form of read.

live /liv/ present form of ‘to live’ /laiv/ one which has life as in ‘live show’ or ‘live wire’.

wind /wind/ is ‘strong breeze,’ and /waind/ ‘to roll’ something.

wound /wund/ or    /waund/ Is past tense of wind .

 Words with same pronunciation but different spelling:

see/si:/and sea /si:/; sun /sǝn/and son /sǝn/.

tale /theil/ and tail /theil/ where /ei / is diphthong.

reed /ri:d/ and read /ri:d/ and many more.

Words with same spelling, same pronunciation but different meaning:

‘Page’  is page of a book vs  ‘page’ is personal servant.

‘Watch’ is a time showing device as in ‘wrist watch’, another ‘watch’ is to see carefully as in ‘watch a step, or watch a game’

‘Ring’ which is worn on finger, and ‘ring’, sound of bell (it’s a verb here)

‘Right’ is correct, ‘right’ that which is not left and many more.

‘Worn’ is past tense of wear, ‘worn’ tattered cloth, worn out cloth

‘Rest’ to take respite, ‘rest’ is everything else as in ‘rest is history’ 

  

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