Blaze (he/him)@sopuli.xyz to Linguistics Humor@sh.itjust.worksEnglish · 1 month agoThe wonders of English spellingfiles.catbox.moeimagemessage-square103fedilinkarrow-up1486arrow-down127
arrow-up1459arrow-down1imageThe wonders of English spellingfiles.catbox.moeBlaze (he/him)@sopuli.xyz to Linguistics Humor@sh.itjust.worksEnglish · 1 month agomessage-square103fedilink
minus-squarePyr_PressurelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up6·edit-21 month agoAnd why is “kn” even a thing in English? Knowledge? Knight? Knee? Knapsack? Knitting? How does that make any sense at all? Edit" and then there’s Gnome! Why isn’t it Knome? Or Gnowledge?
minus-squareSwedneck@discuss.tchncs.delinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up7·1 month agobecause it was literally pronounced like that not too long ago, compare “knight” to “knekt” in swedish.
minus-squareNostraDavid@programming.devlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up4·1 month agoIn Dutch we still have “knecht” (knave/servant), and I recall that Dutch and English have some overlap, so it makes sense. I also recall a video about English, having adopted the Latin alphabet, made less sense than English under the previous Futhark (runes).
minus-squareEirilinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up2·1 month agoI’ll be honest I’ve always found it weird that they decided to stop pronouncing those consonants at some point. Those words just sound better with the K pronounced!
minus-squarevaultdweller013@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up2·1 month agoGreat voul shift and the Normans.
And why is “kn” even a thing in English?
Knowledge? Knight? Knee? Knapsack? Knitting?
How does that make any sense at all?
Edit" and then there’s Gnome! Why isn’t it Knome? Or Gnowledge?
because it was literally pronounced like that not too long ago, compare “knight” to “knekt” in swedish.
In Dutch we still have “knecht” (knave/servant), and I recall that Dutch and English have some overlap, so it makes sense.
I also recall a video about English, having adopted the Latin alphabet, made less sense than English under the previous Futhark (runes).
I’ll be honest I’ve always found it weird that they decided to stop pronouncing those consonants at some point. Those words just sound better with the K pronounced!
Great voul shift and the Normans.
It’s gnomic.