Quote:
Originally Posted by Dylrob
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68
And now for something completely unrelated: In the english written language, why are so many sounds assigned to multiple letters? C and K both share the same hard sound, as C also shares a sound with S. Likewise, the letter combinations of ER, IR, and UR all share the same sound. Then the is the C and K ending of words, where some words (stick, kick, and brick) end in CK, while others (plastic, prosaic, and basic) end with just the C.
Added to this are the silent letters, like K (knight, knife, and knowledge) and E (face, name, and plane), and the strange combinations like GH as an "f" sound (enough, tough, and cough) and TION as a "shun" sound (situation, elucidation, and inebriation).
All this makes for a very confusion situation when it comes to spelling. Often, it seems like you just have to memorize the spelling since the spelling sometimes is far different from he way the word sounds (colonel).