# Tongue twisting English



## absquatulation (Nov 3, 2008)

A related thread started me thinking, English is a rich language full of hidden silent letters and strange pronunciations. 

Can you pronounce this poem?

"Farming with the Goughs

In long lazy sweeps, the crow-like chough
Returns to nest across the lough.
The farmer, with asthmatic cough
Walks down the pathway,
Sometimes through a valley,
Where the wind may sough its music,
Over many a bough.
His wife prepares the Sunday dough
While Bert, their son, whose hands are rough
Gets ready to hitch up the plough."

This is a exercise on how the words "ough" change. OUGH is one of those words where you either know the pronunciation or you don't.

Gough = Goff
Chough = Chuff
Lough = Lock
Cough = Coff
Sough = So
Bough = Bow (as in bow down)
Dough = Doh (!)
Rough = Ruff
Plough = Plow

Any more?


----------



## kgkev (Nov 3, 2008)

I think Lough is an Irish word I would tend to use Loch Which is a Scottish word.  Or Lake.


I once heard of an American getting in a taxi and asking to go to 

loogerberooger.

can you guess where he wanted to go??


----------



## Norie (Nov 3, 2008)

Eh, Lufbra?


----------



## kgkev (Nov 3, 2008)

spot on


http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loughborough&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

What a mental way of spelling it though.


----------



## DonkeyOte (Nov 3, 2008)

Norie, are you on holiday downunder ?


----------



## PaddyD (Nov 3, 2008)

In a simliar vein, George Bernard Shaw once noted that, given the weirdness of English, 'fish' may as well be spelt 'ghoti':

'gh' pronounced 'f' as in rou*gh*
'o' pronounced 'i' as in w*o*men
'ti' pronounced 'sh' as in na*ti*on


----------



## SydneyGeek (Nov 3, 2008)

> Gough = Goff
> Chough = Chuff
> Lough = Lock
> Cough = Coff
> ...


 
Through
Thought



> In a simliar vein, George Bernard Shaw once noted that, given the weirdness of English, 'fish' may as well be spelt 'ghoti':
> 
> 'gh' pronounced 'f' as in rou*gh*
> 'o' pronounced 'i' as in w*o*men
> 'ti' pronounced 'sh' as in na*ti*on


 
... and someone had fun with potato, too.

p = hiccou*gh*
o = d*ough*
t = recei*pt*
a = *eigh*t
t = bure*tte*
o = bur*eau*

giving the final 

ghoughpteightteeau

Denis
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->


----------



## Stormseed (Nov 3, 2008)

Wonderful  I always look forward to learn these type of stuff ! Very useful !!


----------



## riaz (Nov 4, 2008)

T as in phthisis
UR as in colonel
N as in gnat
ER as in myrrh

Turner = phtholognyrrh


----------



## absquatulation (Nov 4, 2008)

As you are getting the hang of this, perhaps you would like to try to have a go that this one. 


That rough bough we saw as we passed through Lough Neagh - do you remember, you had hiccoughs - ought to be made into a trough for kneading dough thoroughly.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Nov 4, 2008)

I hope this is received well by both German and English speaking people. 

See here


----------



## riaz (Nov 4, 2008)

Originally from an article by George Bernard Shaw, adapted in the early sixties by Reader's Digest (I remember reading it in Junior Treasury when I was a junior ).

Still true today....


----------



## yytsunamiyy (Nov 4, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> I hope this is received well by both German and English speaking people.
> 
> See here



sur meks it ezier for me


----------



## Darren Bartrup (Nov 23, 2008)

riaz said:


> T as in phthisis
> UR as in colonel
> N as in gnat
> ER as in myrrh
> ...



So is that one for the phtholognyrrh prize then?  Makes as much sense.


----------

