Why don't "tough" and "dough" rhyme? - Arika Okrent
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Explore the evolution of English spelling conventions throughout history, and find out why it's such an inconsistent language.
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Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from “action,” and you could argue that “g-h-o-t-i” spells “fish.” So, how did English get like this? Arika Okrent explores the complexity of English spelling conventions.
Lesson by Arika Okrent, directed by Emily Howells, Aaron Brady.
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Animator's website: www.emilyhowells.com and aaronbrady.uk
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the subtle "huh" when things got confusing killed me 😭
I was like whose Gen Z a** put that in there. 😂
Agreed
Fr 💀
Huh is best the way to describe the feeling when you see English spelling.
Huh
In my country we have a saying; English looks like one language from afar when in-fact it’s 3 children wearing the same raincoat. ☔️ 🧥
This is the best explanation of English I’ve ever heard of
Where's that from?
that's AMAZING
@@Becky_CoolingArmenia
@@ITO_junji_Fan-zi9ss Ah, cool.
My man snuck in the HUH sound effect multiple times casually in a TED-Ed video
It perfectly fits
You mean "HOUGH" ?
When the screen says ‘WTF’ there’s also one
How come I didn't notice it???
@@markjosephbacho5652 thats what im saying lol
@@markjosephbacho5652 it's easier to notice the first time if you have a speaker.
Perchance
English is hard, though through tough thorough thought you can learn it little by little
my semantic satiation instantly activated after reading that
Compared to other languages it’s actually pretty easy.
easier translation:
"English is hard, it is difficult through the entire way but throughout your thinking you can learn it bit by bit"
had a seizure reading that and I can only speak English 😭
@lolatiffhur maybe some, but if you are a native speaker, you have to remember that things might seem way easier for you than others. I have learned Spanish and it's easier. Italien is easier. You can argue that Mandarin is easier too. Dutch might be easier. I don't know a lot about other languages than that, but they are some examples
I find it absolutely hilarious they decided to use the "huh??" Sound effect XDD
And multiple times and in different variations too lmaoooo
Exactly lol
Exactly 💯
wonderful! can't get *enough* of these "english spelling is complicated but there's actually a reason behind it" typa things
Yep, thats how it is
watch otherwords
but.... there's no reason behind it? It just happened?? 4:10
@@Rabbitforce97 i didn't mean it like "we know EVERY SINGLE nook and cranny about why its like this, i meant like "oh this word was originally said how it was spelled and then OOPS great vowel shift happened."
no way matenatixxx
I can't believe that one of the most respected educational channels in youtube would put the "HUH?" sound effect in their videos
2:27 It's the subtle WTF for me. 😂
holy- I didn't notice that! That's WILD
WTF - Wow that's Fun
saw it tooo 😂
The title made me say “tough” like “toe” just so it could rhyme with dough 😭
And then admitted that it was originally pronounced like that...
Same
Ken ia Keno?
While me pronouncing dough as duff to rhyme with tough lol
English: There has to be a way to blame this hot mess on the French.
i love the french
Mon dieu!
can we just take a moment to appreciate how insane the animation and visual storytelling is?
Yes!
I always wondered why English pronunciation rules were a bit difficult, and now I hope this video provides an answer.
“making it especially tough”
absolutely adorable dough ball ☺️ i adore the printing press animation, that was lovely
0:20 Lmao one of the protestors holding a sign saying "Have I nothing better to do?" 😂
the baby's sign saying "language is arbitrary, change my mind" SENT ME HAHAHHAHA
I love the one saying "silent letters are dum", that is SO smart
gotta love the "huh" sound effect being used like thrice in this video lol
To anyone who has learnt English as a second language: Well done! English isn't easy, even if (like me) you've spent your whole life speaking it!
literally, i admire people who speak more than one languages and/or english
Why are you monolingual? So sad
My first language is french so I know that spelling can be a nightmare 😂 (I also speak german and a bit of italian).
To be fair, being a native speaker, they a lot of stuff in English that go "HUH?"
@@jimmyseavp i can speak 3
omg
I never realised until now that "daughter" with the guttural "ch" sounds like "Tochter", the german word for it
thank you!
German underwent a consonant shift, part of which was d shifting to t. The youtube channel RobWords has a neat video about how to read German without knowing German by unshifting the consonants to make it look more like English.
At 4:09 the “hus” pronunciation reminded me of how we tend to pronounce house in Scotland. I guess because Scots and Scottish English have retained more Germanic roots?
Actually, yes.
As a native English speaker, I always figured it had to do with the word’s original origins, but this video makes it much more clear!
'Tough, Trough, Through, Though, Thorough, Thought' and 'Pause, Pores, Paws, Pours' are 2 examples of why English probably looks confusing and doesn't make much sense to non-native speakers. I also find it silly a lot of the time as a native speaker, and it makes it even more apparent as I have 2 native languages and my second language although complex and difficult to learn, has many rules that give it structure and order. Since it isn't based on other languages if you understand the rules you will know the pronunciation and often be able to deduce the meaning of some words just by reading them.
Something interesting though, in defence of English as a language, is an example the Spanish language writer J. L. Borges brought up once in an interview which also demonstrates the complexity and nuance of English. Having roots in Germanic and the Latin language means that for many ideas or examples you may have, you often can find words that have different meaning and nuance, which can express a subtle or important difference and distinction in the idea, object, or situation you are describing. The examples he gave were the words 'fraternal' and 'brotherly' or 'regal' and 'kingly' which all have different meaning, as well as the use of 'Holy Spirit' and 'Holy Ghost', which in a poem would evoke a different feeling, as the former is a light Latin word and the latter is a dark Saxon word, as he described them.
Other examples he gave were the freedom and adaptability of verbs and prepositions such as 'laugh off', 'dream away', or to 'live something down', 'live up to something'. Maybe it's the chaos and nonsensical things sometimes about English that also bring the best out of it too.
One good thing about English spelling: “queue” is certainly worth more points when playing Scrabble than “q.”
It’s 9AM just took a blinker and I’m locked tf in for the day. Thank you for the education I didn’t know I needed 😂🙏🏽
Moral of the Story: Never underestimate tough dough
0:03 This quote is brilliant!
Can you explain?
English is not my first Language
@@Santiinodouble "o" in blood & flood sounds "uh" but in food it's "u" only i.e bluhd, fluhd, fu:d and similarly in mould, "oul" sounds like "owl" unlike in should & would where it sounds "u" only i.e mowld, shud, wud. Quote is used basically targeting the chaos in English regarding it's pronunciation, words & rules which applies to one or some case but not all or many.
@@lovwanshichetanoh.. i thought it would have like a metaphor under it with the mix of the wordplay😭
the animation is soooooo cute!
2:25 I was not expecting the "Huh" sound effect here lol
Another cheeky one at 4:55. They're like little easter eggs, I love it.
@@Twas-RightHere i just commented that here hahaha
and at 2:51
Also WTF is spelled out
Didn't notice the initials at 2:23 paired with the HUH sound effect lmao.
The animation quality is just amazing!!! Brilliant job 👏 😍
2:52 Ted ed stop I’m dying why are you using this sound effect😂
Lol love the little bread 🍞 with the rolling pins at the end! So cute! Should be a digital phone wallpaper!
Beautiful explanation. Thanks for sharing.
2.25 was a HILARIOUS (and unexpected) touch!!! 😫😆😂🤣🤣
2:25 i agree
@@yellowstarproductions6743 😆
I didn't even notice! 😂
All the little faces on inanimate objects. 😆 The animation is amazing!
Great to have such a clear and upbeat lesson on why English is such a difficult language to learn for non native speakers. Never knew I was interested in this until this lesson.
This video blew my mind in ways I didn't expect it would 🤯
Love your animation, as always.
In my country most people consider english grammar easy or a little chalenging, but everybody thinks the writing makes no sense
What an amazing video. Congratulations to all involved
Congratulations on 20M subscribers!
the "huh" sound took me out, I didn't expect it to be in a Ted Ed vid 😭
2:26 HUH
4:56 HUUUHH
Don't think we didn't see what you did with the three manuscripts at 2:25 !
Have often said that English is one of the most difficult languages. This is a brilliant explanation of why
Thank you!
2:26 HUH
2:52 H U H
4:56 H U H
Thanks
Everything aside the visual representations are so good💟
0:53 ‘Ghoti’ also refers to Bengalis who do not originate from what we now call Bangladesh.
And also the utensil
Excellent. Thank you
The "un peu" to "la vache" scale is a nice touch
Thank you Ted-Ed ! Now please do the same with the Spanish, French, and Portuguese languages !
My last is Knapp, a German last name. In English the K is silent so it sounds like "Nap" but in German, the K isn't silent and is said in a tough German accent. This video reminded me of that, thanks Ted-Ed!
You know that English is completely broken when*
Go = go
So = so
To = tuuuuu.............
part of the vowel shift
02:26, that "huh" meme has made it into a Ted video 😂
Congratulations on 20 million subscribers
This video is great!
Hey Ted -ed sugestion to next history video about Los Angeles ritos of 1992
That's so interesting!!
great animation, thank you
FASCINATING!
It's funny how in many countries such a thing as a spelling bee wouldn't even be posible because everything is written exactly how it sounds
loving the duolingo sound effects
Animation is so cool!
no way i just wanted a ted ed video that includes the "HUH" sound effect multiple times
English is a fascinating language!
nice explanation thanks
Ted ed I love your videos!!❤❤
I’ve been spelling it fish all my life. I’m not changing now!
2:25 the "WTF really got me💀💀
Very interesting 👏 👏 👏 👏
As someone who speaks German, learning English was pretty easy once I accepted that some things just were the way they were and couldn't be changed. Happens in German all the time :D
German is one of the languages I'm trying to learn. So far, the hardest thing seems to be the gendered articles because I haven't figured out the tricks for determining when to use der, die, das, etc. when it comes to things that normally don't have a gender in English. In Spanish, there are rules that work the majority of the time (o/a = el/la, with a few exceptions). But I haven't figured out those rules for German articles yet.
2:27 “wtf” 😂😂😂
Maybe it's time to create an “Easy English" where everything makes sense
Not really possible. Too many different countries speaking it and too many dialects
I love your astounding video TED ED 💛💙
Such a nice animation :)
when I learnt writing English, for some words I memorised how to pronouce it in my language, so in my head when writing beautiful I think "Be-au-ti-ful" or for language "lan-gu-a-ge"
Gotta love what the large letters spell out at 2:24.
I would like to point everyone to a Gallagher video where he tackles the flaws in the English language.
It is fascinating when you encounter Old-English words that sound familiar in your language. I am from Denmark, where we still say "hus" like he pronounced it in the video. It is a real shame we didn't keep this standardization. Almost weird germanic languages grew farther apart in the modern day. However, now that English has the same role as Latin and French played many centuries ago, we may end up changing our own languages as all European countries steadily embrace English. Still, I am all for simpler spelling that conveys how they sound.
A series of videos about languages would be nice, like the top 10 most spoken, one down nine more to go?
Hey VSauce, Micheal here. That reference was great... or was it? *Moon men plays*
As a French 1:32 "ooh la la" on the castle and 4:48 frenchness degree "la vache" were hilarous! 😂
the animator went nuts over this topic XD
the transitions, the scenes, it's all so random and chaotic lol
somewhat like Bocchi the Rock!
Huhhhhh 🙀🙀
moment.
congratz on 20m!
Love all em TED ED vids
The "ghoti" thing doesn't really work for me because otherwise I'd pronounce it as "fœush"...
Everyone:
Why is English spelling so weird?
French:
Uhhh
English is so reasonably complicated. It reminds me of how hard spelling bees were when the words were actually so simple.
Arika Okrent , I knew it sounded familiar, she is the author of the book highly irregular
Interesting history.
As a person who learned english intentionally,,l didn't even notice anything wrong/weird when learning it.I just got used to it as l listened and read
Why should it always make sense when humanity itself sometimes don’t
The way we know a lot of old pronunciations is because the lack of standardized spelling left many people writing words as they were spoken. Being unstandardized actually tells us a lot about our linguistic past.
as someone that comes from a language that is very phonetic , i always found spelling bees fascinating , it does feel english doesnt even need to use strange words from other languages just to fill a spelling bee, thanks to the "inconsistencies" in its spelling vs pronunciation. in spanish you can fabricate a word and the spelling more or less would make sense
THE HUH SOUND
2:25 I never thought ted ed would do this
The strange thing about english though is that the reason it is ultimately become the dominant spoken language on the planet is because it is easy to be understand and or decern what someone is trying to despite being very difficult get correct which is a feature that many languages in the world lack i.e. if you get it wrong in most european or arabic languages its very difficult to then infer or decern meaning from what some is saying
The unhinged nature of this video was unconvincingly hidden. I loved it
Interesting history
Me as a non-native English speaker was very easy to understand and learn English grammatically but when it came to speaking, pronunciation was and still is very hard to understand.
The animation, like other Ted-Ed videos, is top-notched
How to master any spellings:
Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice!💯