Showerthoughts

29773 readers

1111 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

All posts must be showerthoughts
The entire showerthought must be in the title
Avoid politics
- 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
- 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
- 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
Posts must be original/unique
Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

168

It's pretty cruel, particularly for non-native English speakers, that 'lose' and 'loose' seemingly switched spellings, meanings and pronunciations with each other when no one was looking (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

121 comments fedilink hide all child comments

'Choose' rhymes with 'lose'? I mean c'mon, someone did that shit on purpose 👀

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

You seem like the sort of person that would pronounce the word often with a hard T,

Not at all. Used to make fun of people who did.

yet still pronounce the letter A as if it was an O.

No - there are two sounds for A, bath (short, as in cat) for tub of usually hot water and Bath (long, as in car) for the city famous for its hot water. Never heard it like O - no, wait... RP has an O sounding A doesn't it? Lloyd Grossman was famous for his mangling of vowel sounds.

ETA that distinction for the A sound is probably familial rather than regional; grew up with Geordie mam and Home counties dad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_pronunciation_differences

Meanwhile, why do we pronounce cheese as cheeze?

Who threw the Z sound in there?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeh cheese as cheeze is an odd one - especially considering the z is "zed" not "zee"... I guess cheese is where the idea of "zee" came from?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Additional question..

Who decided to include the letter D in the pronunciation of the letter Z?

Zed?

Where did that come from? We don't say it that way over here in the states, we just say zee..

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I would ask "why did you left ponders choose to change the pronunciation to zee?" - though given many USAian pronunciations are, apparently, closer to Elizabethan English than the current UK sounds I wouldn't like to guess which came first the zed or the zee....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Probably because D has absolutely nothing to do with Z.