From: "Strong, Lee" <strongl at sddc.army.mil>
To: "WSFAList (E-mail)" <WSFAList at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Minding One's P's and Q's
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 08:31:18 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

    Ron Kean is reminded of "English's useless letter:  q."  This is
part of the more general question of isomorphy -- the relationship of
written symbols to auditory symbols.  English is one of the least isomorphic
languages in the world since there are so many ways to indicate a sound in
writing.  For example, there are 12 different ways to indicate the sound
"ee."
    "Q" is not the the only "useless" letter.  Phonetically, "c" should
be replaced by "k" or "s", and "x" should be replaced by "ks", "z" or "zh."
On the other hand, "ch", "ng", "sh", "th", "th" and "zh": are really single
sounds.  Various science fiction writers have exploited these pecularities
to various effects including L. Sprague de Camp and Robert Heinlein.  Other
languages have their own pecularities.  The only way that I can pronounce
Spanish "r" and "rr" correctly is by mentally visualizing the symbol[s] that
I am supposed to be pronouncing.  That seems to satisfy Spanish speakers.
    As to why we have these pecularities, this is a function of the fact
that written symbology changes more slowly than spoken symbology.  When
writing was invented, it was probably completely isomorphic for the
inventor, but written symbols persist unchanged while spoken language
changes around them.  The result is "useless" letters and other fossils.
Various Roman and Greek authors commented on the problem, and, probably, so
did Ug the Caveperson.