The English Language
Created | Updated Mar 9, 2002
I was just reading the forum entries at the discussion Body Hair and the conversation got on to the subject of the different ways we pronounce words here in the UK to the way they are pronounced in the US. The word in question is BUOY pronounced boy here and booee or boowe in the US.
If you're wondering how the conversation started out as Body Hair and is now talking about the way we pronounce Buoy you will have to go there and take a look for yourself .
Anyway this made me start to think why do we spell it Buoy but pronounce it boy. Then I started to think about words we spell the same way but when they are spoken they sound completely different.
IE: The word 'LEAD' pronounced Leed meaning the length of rope, leather or chain that you use to take the dog for a walk. And the word 'LEAD' pronounced Led meaning the soft mettle that pipes were made of years ago (these have been replaced by plastic and copper nowadays) Lead or should I say led is used in the manifacture of solder and it is still used on the roofs of houses, it is a very heavy metal.
Other words that have similar spelling but are pronounced differently are SLOUGH a town in the UK pronounced 'slaow', and the word TOUGH meaning stiff and dense, hard to cut, robust, is pronounced 'tuff'.
Surly it should be pronounced 'taow' or maybe Slough should be pronounced 'sluff'.
If you're wondering how the conversation started out as Body Hair and is now talking about the way we pronounce Buoy you will have to go there and take a look for yourself .
Anyway this made me start to think why do we spell it Buoy but pronounce it boy. Then I started to think about words we spell the same way but when they are spoken they sound completely different.
IE: The word 'LEAD' pronounced Leed meaning the length of rope, leather or chain that you use to take the dog for a walk. And the word 'LEAD' pronounced Led meaning the soft mettle that pipes were made of years ago (these have been replaced by plastic and copper nowadays) Lead or should I say led is used in the manifacture of solder and it is still used on the roofs of houses, it is a very heavy metal.
Other words that have similar spelling but are pronounced differently are SLOUGH a town in the UK pronounced 'slaow', and the word TOUGH meaning stiff and dense, hard to cut, robust, is pronounced 'tuff'.
Surly it should be pronounced 'taow' or maybe Slough should be pronounced 'sluff'.
