GH: Difference between revisions
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'''GH''' is a notorious digraph in English in such words as '''nîght''' and '''cóugh''' (pronounced *nîte and *cóff: the accents show pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]). It is the sorry relic of a sound ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] χ) no longer pronounced except in exclamations of disgust, '''úgh! yeùgh!''', the sound of Scottish '''ch''' in '''lóch''' (which in Ireland is indeed spelt '''lóugh''') - or mutated into the sound of | '''GH''' is a notorious digraph in English in such words as '''nîght''' and '''cóugh''' (pronounced *nîte and *cóff: the accents show pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]). It is the sorry relic of a sound ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] χ) no longer pronounced except in exclamations of disgust, '''úgh! yeùgh!''', the sound of Scottish '''ch''' in '''lóch''' (which in Ireland is indeed spelt '''lóugh''') - or mutated into the sound of [f] and 'ph'. | ||
It is pronounced | It is pronounced [f] in: '''tróugh, cóugh, Góugh, enoúgh, toúgh, roúgh, sloúgh''' ''skin'' (cf. '''slòugh''' ''swamp'', and the English town '''Slòugh''', both *slòu). | ||
More often it is silent as in '''slòugh''' ''swamp'' - with quite a variety of preceding vowel sounds and spellings: '''ŏught, sŏught, bŏught, cåught, nåughty, Våughan, Våughn, dôugh, èight, nèigh, wèigh, slèigh''' ''ride'' (= '''slây''' ''kill''), '''wèight''' ''heavy'' (= '''wâit''' ''time''), '''frèight, heîght, bòugh, throûgh, thôugh, Búrrôughs, sîght, nîght, nîgh''', and '''ough''' is even sometimes a [[schwa]] | More often it is silent as in '''slòugh''' ''swamp'' - with quite a variety of preceding vowel sounds and spellings: '''ŏught, sŏught, bŏught, cåught, nåughty, Våughan, Våughn, dôugh, èight, nèigh, wèigh, slèigh''' ''ride'' (= '''slây''' ''kill''), '''wèight''' ''heavy'' (= '''wâit''' ''time''), '''frèight, heîght, bòugh, throûgh, thôugh, Búrrôughs, sîght, nîght, nîgh''', and '''ough''' is even sometimes a [[schwa]] [ə] as in BrE '''bòrough, Scàrborough''' and '''thòrough''', which in AmE are '''bòrôugh, Scàrborôugh''', and '''thòrôugh''', rhyming with '''fúrrôw'''. British English pronounces '''fürlôugh''' this way too. | ||
'''gh''' uniquely sounds like | '''gh''' uniquely sounds like [p] in '''híccoúgh''' (a variant spelling of '''híccup'''). In other words the digraph merely represents a hard '''g''', whether Germanic, as in '''ghôst, ghoûl, ghāstly''', or Italian, as in '''spaghéttì'''; and '''h''' serves to distinguish '''dínghy''' ''boat'' (which can have hard '''g''' or silent '''g''', but always the '''ng''' sound) from '''díngy''' ''dirty'' (soft '''g''': *dínjy). | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 19:51, 24 December 2008
GH is a notorious digraph in English in such words as nîght and cóugh (pronounced *nîte and *cóff: the accents show pronunciation: see English phonemes). It is the sorry relic of a sound (IPA χ) no longer pronounced except in exclamations of disgust, úgh! yeùgh!, the sound of Scottish ch in lóch (which in Ireland is indeed spelt lóugh) - or mutated into the sound of [f] and 'ph'.
It is pronounced [f] in: tróugh, cóugh, Góugh, enoúgh, toúgh, roúgh, sloúgh skin (cf. slòugh swamp, and the English town Slòugh, both *slòu).
More often it is silent as in slòugh swamp - with quite a variety of preceding vowel sounds and spellings: ŏught, sŏught, bŏught, cåught, nåughty, Våughan, Våughn, dôugh, èight, nèigh, wèigh, slèigh ride (= slây kill), wèight heavy (= wâit time), frèight, heîght, bòugh, throûgh, thôugh, Búrrôughs, sîght, nîght, nîgh, and ough is even sometimes a schwa [ə] as in BrE bòrough, Scàrborough and thòrough, which in AmE are bòrôugh, Scàrborôugh, and thòrôugh, rhyming with fúrrôw. British English pronounces fürlôugh this way too.
gh uniquely sounds like [p] in híccoúgh (a variant spelling of híccup). In other words the digraph merely represents a hard g, whether Germanic, as in ghôst, ghoûl, ghāstly, or Italian, as in spaghéttì; and h serves to distinguish dínghy boat (which can have hard g or silent g, but always the ng sound) from díngy dirty (soft g: *dínjy).