Vagaries of the English Language

[Candy_Kane54]

I've always been fascinated about how words in the English language are so varied since English has appropriated a lot of words from other languages.

One group of words that has always caught my attention are homographs that are heteronyms (words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently depending on their meaning).

For example:

bow - "When I went down to the dock, I saw that someone had tied a (1) bow on the (2) bow of the ship."

interestingly enough, both pronunciations of bow are also homonyms (words that are spelled the same and pronounced the same but have different meanings)

(1) bow - The violinist had tied a bow on the end of his bow.
(2) bow - The performers took a bow from the stage located in the bow of the ship.

What's your favorite homograph that is a heteronym?

 

[MetaBob]

.bow.

 

[AlinaX]

I don't know if I'm missing the point. To my British ear, the bow of the violin is like my handsome beau, while the bow of a ship, or to take a bow, is like the bough of a tree.

 

[MetaBob]

I don't know if I'm missing the point. To my British ear, the bow of the violin is like my handsome beau, while the bow of a ship, or to take a bow, is like the bough of a tree.

That's what my American ears heard, too. The bow that is tied or plays the violin's string rhymes with "hoe", while the bow of the ship rhymes with "how".

But then I re-re-re-read, and I think maybe Candy_Kane54 was just being unclear even while asking a worthwhile (though somewhat esoteric) question: "What's your favorite homograph that is a heteronym?"

Not a thing I've thought about before, but still a worthy question.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I don't know if I'm missing the point. To my British ear, the bow of the violin is like my handsome beau, while the bow of a ship, or to take a bow, is like the bough of a tree.

Same here to an Aussie ear. "He took a bow after wind surfing over the bow wave of the speedboat wearing nothing but a bow tie."

Phonetically - "He took a bough after wind surfing over the bough wave of the speedboat wearing nothing but a beau tie."

English is weird...

 

[Sextified]

"He took a bow after wind surfing over the bow wave of the speedboat wearing nothing but a bow tie."

A wonderful turn of phrase and imaginative imagery! Well done!

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I don't know if I'm missing the point. To my British ear, the bow of the violin is like my handsome beau, while the bow of a ship, or to take a bow, is like the bough of a tree.

Correct. That's what makes 'bow' a homograph and a heteronym. There are many more examples like this.

 

[RetroFan]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

 

[SimonDoom]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

I confess I have never thought about this. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it.

 

[MetaBob]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

This is reflected in how the river's name is pronounced. In Kansas (and its headwaters in Colorado) it is reportedly the "ArKANsas" river. In Arkansas it is the "ARkansaw" river, perhaps by legislative fiat.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

I so like to sew while I sow these seeds with my pet sow along for company

 

[ElectricBlue]

I confess I have never thought about this. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it.

"We're not in Ar kansas any more, Toto," said Susie.

You can train penguins, Simon, instead of Munchkins. Your mom can play Glinda .

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

Act-Lee the Ar-Kan-Saw River rizes in Call-Rah-Do flows thru Kan-Sas, Ind-Yun Terr-Torry, (Weze Old, sum pee-pul call it Ok-Homa now daze) an enz yup in Arkn-Saw.

Ewe kin trust us, Weez got kin eN both Arkn-Saw N Weez-Yana.

 

[Jada59]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

I was born in Kansas so I know how both are pronounced. But earlier, I saw "Arkansas" in print and in my head, I pronounced it "Ark-can-sauce". I had to do a double take. I guess I was craving applesauce or something.

But to further muddy the waters, there is Arkansas City. We used to call it Ark City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_City,_Kansas

 

[jaF0]

I will read this thread again later, after I've read one about some red stuff.

 

[Handley_Page]

Same here to an Aussie ear. "He took a bow after wind surfing over the bow wave of the speedboat wearing nothing but a bow tie."

Phonetically - "He took a bough after wind surfing over the bough wave of the speedboat wearing nothing but a beau tie."

English is weird...

Being English, I would not agree with that last statement, of course.
But I think it's because we got invaded a time or three back in the past.
So, Danish /Norwegian + Pictish /Gaelic + Norman French;
and these are the ones I can think of now; there are others, I don't doubt.

 

[HectorBidon]

Can one buy lima beans in Lima, Peru? This is one of a few words that changes its pronunciation when capitalized. Actually there turn out to be a lot more heteronyms than I would have thought. I read about them on Wikipedia. You can read about them there too. Use them wisely. Put them to good use. Else you may wind up blowing in the wind.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

One that always gets me is the two American States Kansas and Arkansas.

They nearly border each other, with only a small area of the Ozarks region of Missouri separating them. Yet Kansas is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled (Kan-Sas) while Arkansas is pronounced completely differently (Ark-Kan-Saw).

I confess I have never thought about this. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it.

Well Arkansas isn't an English word per-see <--- another non-english word. It come from a Native American word which is definitely not English. Same for most of the States in the Union. Kansas is also. As is Colorado, Arizona, etc.

 

[Privates1stClass]

The word "sewer" is pronounced differently depending on its usage. If it is a waste conduit, it's pronounced like "sue-er" but if one is sewing, it's pronounced as "sower." However, I'd prefer to use the word "seamstress" for a lady who sews.

Another word which is pronounced differently when capitalized is "polish."

 

[SimonDoom]

I think an interesting group of words of this type is verbs that end in "ead":

read

lead

When used as present tense verbs they are pronounced with a long "E," but when used as past tense verbs they are pronounced with a short "e." It's kind of weird, when you think about it. And there other, similar words that are treated completely differently:

"knead" becomes "kneaded."

"feed" becomes "fed."

"seed" becomes "seeded."

On the other hand, the verb "tread" is pronounced with a short "e" and its past tense is "treaded."

So go figure.

 

[jaF0]

And then there was the guy named Red Reid who lived down the road by the reeds.

 

[AlexBailey]

Our lead man lead the troops into the hail of lead bullets.

 

[jehoram]

Our lead man lead the troops into the hail of lead bullets.

I think that second "lead" should be "led."

 

[bowlerhat]

I think an interesting group of words of this type is verbs that end in "ead":

read

lead

When used as present tense verbs they are pronounced with a long "E," but when used as past tense verbs they are pronounced with a short "e." It's kind of weird, when you think about it. And there other, similar words that are treated completely differently:

"knead" becomes "kneaded."

"feed" becomes "fed."

"seed" becomes "seeded."

On the other hand, the verb "tread" is pronounced with a short "e" and its past tense is "treaded."

So go figure.

I beg to differ, aint no such word as treaded. To quote Sabine Baring-Gould "Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod."

To be serious about it, whilst I have seen "treaded" written both on here and other sites, I have never heard it said by any English speaker be they British Transatlantic or Antipodean. I have always heard it as trod or has trodden. Sounds like another relic of saxon or norse.

 

[jaF0]

If you plead guilty in a court case, you have pleaded guilty rather than pled guilty.


English sucks. English combined with Legalese/Latin sucks harder.