October 03, 2003
Isn't English Great?
(Category:
True Stories
)
There are nine different ways to pronounce 'ough' in English, each exemplified in this sentence:
"A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."
(Hat tip G)
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Wizbang linked in Bonfire of the Vanities - Week 14 on October 7, 2003 10:04 PM
Many people leave out "hiccough". Glad to see you didn't make that critical error.
But isn't the "ough" in "hiccough" the same as "thoughtful"? Or is there a pronunciation I'm not hearing? Go 'head, try and describe the sound! I dare ya!!!
Oh wait, nevermind. ;\
The combination ough can be pronounced in fourteen different ways:
1. awe: thought, bought, fought, brought, ought, sought, nought, wrought
2. uff: enough, rough, tough, slough, Clough, chough
3. ooh: through, slough
4. oh: though, although, dough, doughnut, broughm, Ough, furlough, Greenough, thorough
5. off: cough, trough
6. ow: bough, plough, sough
7. ou: drought, doughty, Stoughton
8. uh: Scarborough, borough, thorough (alt), thoroughbred, Macdonough, Poughkeepsie
9. up: hiccoughed
10. oth: trough (alt)
11. ock: lough, hough
12. oc[h] (aspirated): lough
13. ahf: Gough
14. og: Coughlin (also #5)
The following sentence contains them all:
Rough-coated(2), dough-faced(4), thoughtful(1) ploughman(6) John Gough(13) strode through(3) the streets of Loughborough(2+8); after falling into a slough(2) on Coughlin(14) road near the lough(12) (dry due to drought)(7), he coughed(5) and hiccoughed(9), then checked his horse's houghs(11)and washed up in a trough(10).
Wait a sec, isn't lough pronounced like "low" (opposite of "high") also? That would be yet another pronunciation.