No, can you? How did you determine how the two spellings are pronounced exactly? How does the spelling "yacht" relate to any pronunciation other than a learned one *not* based on the spelling? Are you applying the usual rules for "yot" and then not applying them for "yacht". Why is "plough" not the spelling for "pluf" when "cough" is the spelling for "coff"?
The Great Turmerc Debate 623On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 08:49:36 +0100, The Reid Spelling was generally fairly phonetic when first established - it's the pronunciations that have since...
I'm not trying to establish the perfect phonetic spelling for the sound of the word we write "yacht", just give a simple example of the uselessness for pronunciation of English spelling. However, "yot" is vastly closer to what we say than "yatch". If you are trying to argue you can tell how "yacht" is pronounced (or any English word with certainty) from its spelling or that spelling it in a way that would be expected to be pronounced "ya-ch-th" or similar is useful, you are not looking at it with an open mind, I'm afraid.
Why do so many learners mis spell yacht? Because the spelling is illogical. For once the Americans have moved slightly in the right direction by dropping the "u" from "colour" etc. For some reason many Brits see this as some sort of heresy and a threat to our culture rather than a small common sense improvement. -- Mike Reid I do like a bit of a row, I must get a boat.
