this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
155 points (93.3% liked)

Showerthoughts

30000 readers
720 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    • 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    • 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    • 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
quinten
vatlark
forkball
Thekingoflorda
155
The letters "gh" in the word "ought" are silent but "ought" is not pronounced like "out" (self.showerthoughts)
submitted 1 day ago by abrake to c/showerthoughts
44 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

At least in my dialect/accent of English

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't think I've ever heard it pronounced the way you're describing. I know the sound you mean. Another language that I'm learning and which is influential on place names here has it. I just don't think I've ever heard it used in the English word "ought". Which dialects of English do you have in mind?

[–] themeatbridge 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Don't you pronounce "ought" like awt, with the back of your tongue pressed back in your mouth? Make that "ough" sound, and then a "g" sound. It should almost feel like your gagging. That tongue position is there for most words that use the "gh" phoneme. Sometimes you add an "f" sound because speakers didn't know how to make the precise sound without gagging, like "cough." That's the remnant of the abandoned glottal fricative.

Ok now be honest, have you been sitting by yourself making "awgh" sounds? Gold star if you felt like vomiting at some point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

For me it's just a vowel sound and a T consonant on the end, the tongue isn't closing the airway enough to approach a consonant on the vowel sound. The restriction is at the back of the mouth, but it certainly doesn't feel like gagging

A glottal fricative is the consonant at the start of "happy" or "hello". The gh I'm thinking of is a voiced velar fricative. The voiced counterpart to the ch in Scottish English "loch" or the German "Buch"

Ok now be honest, have you been sitting by yourself making "awgh" sounds?

Well of course! Few things make me so grateful to live alone as any time I'm trying to figure out the specifics of how I say a thing