this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2024
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Showerthoughts

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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.

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The word "phonetic" is not spelled phonetically. (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by Zerlyna@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 27 points 7 months ago

Sure it is. English just has multiple generations of "phonetic" that overlay, and are not consistent with, one another. It has, if you will, codebases that were forked, re-forked, and then occasionally merged back in after developing on their own for a few centuries, and no official steering committee was ever established. There is semi-official documentation, usually from self-appointed pedants, but even that adjusts as more features are merged in willy-nilly and workarounds emerge.

English spelling is hard not because it lacks any logic, but because this entire language is a case study in modularity and extensibility at all costs.