Why must we spell things incorrectly? (1 Viewer)

[BrettB]

Tip of the day: If you ever witness someone try to pronounce crispy or creme as 'S'rispy or 'S'creme run away very quickly.

Edit: Krap! It's kool now. ;-)

 

[MarkHastings]

Brett, he mentions regional issues. I'm sure non English speaking countries would find it easier to pronounce Kripsy with a hard K rather than Cripsy with a hard C because there are times when C can be soft sounding like an 'S'.

It may seem obvious to us English speaking individuals because we understand (at least sometimes do ) the language, but it's always hard to remember the rules when English isn't your native tongue.

Case in point: I never know how to order "Chicken Francaise" in an Italian restaurant...is it pronounced (Fran-kays), (Fran-says), (Fran-chays)?

 

[BrettB]

Revised tip of the day: If you ever witness someone who speaks English as their native language, or whom you know to have studied English to the point that they have become quite fluent with the language, try to pronounce crispy or creme as 'S'rispy or 'S'creme run away very quickly.

I like the original one better.

 

[MarkHastings]

try to pronounce crispy or creme as 'S'rispy or 'S'creme

I find it hard to roll my R's when trying to speak German or Spanish.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

> I never know how to order "Chicken Francaise" in an Italian restaurant...is it pronounced (Fran-kays), (Fran-says), (Fran-chays)?

Just ask for the freedom chicken.

 

[andrew markworthy]

The letter 'K' is not ambiguous.

Indeed it isn't at the start of a word. It's always pronounced as 'k' except when followed by 'n' when it becomes silent.

However, 'c' at the start of a word is always pronounced hard (as in 'carrot') rather than soft (as in 'celery') when the next letter is 'r'. As Brett has correctly pointed out, 'sr' at the start of a word is very difficult to pronounce (is there a word beginning with 'sr' in regular usage?). So 'Krispy Kreme' could be written 'Crispy Creme' without any great loss of comprehension. But then it wouldn't be as memorable.

 

[Kevin Thompson]

"However, 'c' at the start of a word is always pronounced hard (as in 'carrot') rather than soft (as in 'celery') when the next letter is 'r'. As Brett has correctly pointed out, 'sr' at the start of a word is very difficult to pronounce (is there a word beginning with 'sr' in regular usage?)..."

Yes, there is, if your name is "Bubba"

(Lemon Srimp, Srimp Creole, Srimp Sandwich, etc.)

 

[David Lawson]

Sri Lanka?

 

[andrew markworthy]

Sri Lanka?

The exception that proves the rule. It is a non-English word that in effect is using the orthography of English to represent a different phonetic system.