頭の体操 ( 前回のスウィフトの改革案とはほぼ無関係ですが面白い話です。 )
スペイン語とは大違いで、英語の発音は嫌になるほど難しいですね。さて、ghoti を何と読むのでしょうか?
スペイン語とは大違いで、英語の発音は嫌になるほど難しいですね。さて、ghoti を何と読むのでしょうか?
あまりにも有名な話と、あまり知られていない話、二本立てです。
Ghoti is a constructed word used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling. It is a respelling of the word fish: i.e., it is supposed to be pronounced /ˈfɪʃ/. It comprises these phonemes:
▪ gh, pronounced /f/ as in tough /tʌf/;
▪ o, pronounced /ɪ/ as in women /ˈwɪmɪn/; and
▪ ti, pronounced /ʃ/ as in nation /ˈne͡ɪʃən/.
An early known published reference is in 1874, citing an 1855 letter that credits ghoti to one William Ollier (born 1824). Ghoti is often cited to support the English spelling reform, and is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw, a supporter of this cause. However, the word does not appear in Shaw's writings, and a biography of Shaw attributes it instead to an anonymous spelling reformer. Similar constructed words exist that demonstrate English idiosyncrasies, but ghoti is the most widely recognized. Linguists have pointed out that the placement of the letters in the constructed word is inconsistent with the claimed pronunciation.
In Finnegans Wake, James Joyce alludes to ghoti: "Gee each owe tea eye smells fish."
The speech synthesizer in version 10.6 (Snow Leopard) of Mac OS X by default pronounces "ghoti" as "fish."
Silent ghoti
Using the same method and reinforcing the original point, ghoti can be a silent word, where:
▪ gh as in though (/ðoʊ/) ;
▪ o as in people (/'piːpəl/) ;
▪ t as in ballet (/'bæleɪ/) ;
▪ i as in business (/'bɪznəs/)
最後の business は 特に注意してください。日本語では「ビジネス」ですが、英語では
/'bɪzinəs/ ではなく、/'bɪznəs/ なのです。business の i は発音しない､と覚えましょうね。
It is very important to understand that English spelling and English pronunciation are not always the same.
ご意見、ご質問等ございましたら、 <ernestotaju@yahoo.co.jp> へ。
