this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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[–] Bezier@suppo.fi 13 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

So, as a non-native English speaker, I'd like to ask:

If these letters weren't supposed to be pronounced, why the hell did you even put them there in the first place?

[–] Johanno 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

English is a mixture of many languages. Often English just took a word from another language and kept the spelling the same.

Examples:

Kindergarten. A German word which is pronounced like the German word. If you would pronounce it like it should then you would say kinder like in kind.

Bureaucracy. French word. Nobody knows how to write or pronounce it. French people are weird.

[–] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But isn't kindergarten pronounced as kindergarden?

[–] benbrain@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Depends on the person and English-speaking region

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