I happened again this week...I can't remember the exact context anymore, but off I went on my rant...
"How do you pronounce this part of a word?" as I write -ough on the board. The students usually respond in chorus:
"Uff." "Ooo." "Owe." "Off."
So I start writing:
-enough
-trough
-slough
-through
-though
-thorough
-thought
About this time the class starts laughing...as they start to realize what I'm getting at.
---
So we proceed:
On the board I write: mouse louse house
I ask, "What if you have more than one mouse? Then you have..."
"Mice."
I ask, "What if you have more than one louse?"
(Depending on the group, there is sometimes quite a pause here before someone eventually proposes:) "Lice?"
I ask, "How about more than one house? Hice? NO." and I write houses on the board.
---
We go on.
On the board: goose moose caboose
By now they are getting it: "Geese!" "Meese! Cabeese! HA!"
---
Finally, the clincher: "How would you pronounce this word?" as I write ghoti on the board.
Predictably: "Goatee."
To which, I respond, "Wrong!"
They look at me, bemused. "Of course it should be pronounced 'fish.'"
More bemused faces.
I explain:
"gh" says "f" in enough.
"o" says "i" in women.
"ti" says "sh" in motion.
Clearly, ghoti should be pronounced "fish."
With a wink and a smile, "I hate English."
---
My students do know I'm joking. (Really.) They know me well enough to know that I like to chase rabbit trails like this just for sport. Generally, these just-for-fun mini-lessons are a one shot deal that help them get to know me, and hopefully help them see that I have interests and thoughts beyond just the subject I'm teaching them.
But then, a thoughtful student shared this with me this week after our exchange in class. Good points here. English is actually a wealth of treasures--and the oddities only add to the luster!
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