Ghoti
Encyclopedia
Ghoti is a constructed word used to illustrate irregularities in English
spelling. It is a respelling of the word fish: i.e., it is supposed to be pronounced ˈ. It comprises these phonemes:
An early known published reference is in 1874, citing an 1855 letter that credits ghoti to one William Ollier Jr (born 1824). Ghoti is often cited to support the English spelling reform
, and is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw
, a supporter of this cause. However, the word does not appear in Shaw's writings, and a biography of Shaw attributes it instead to an anonymous spelling reformer. Similar constructed words exist that demonstrate English idiosyncrasies, but ghoti is the most widely recognized. Linguists have pointed out that the placement of the letters in the constructed word is inconsistent with the claimed pronunciation.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
spelling. It is a respelling of the word fish: i.e., it is supposed to be pronounced ˈ. It comprises these phonemes:
- gh, pronounced /f/ as in tough /tʌf/;
- o, pronounced /ɪ/ as in women /ˈwɪmɪn/; and
- ti, pronounced /ʃ/ as in nation /ˈne͡ɪʃən/.
An early known published reference is in 1874, citing an 1855 letter that credits ghoti to one William Ollier Jr (born 1824). Ghoti is often cited to support the English spelling reform
English spelling reform
For hundreds of years, many groups and individuals have advocated spelling reform for English. Spelling reformers seek to make English spelling more consistent and more phonetic, so that spellings match pronunciations and follow the alphabetic principle....
, and is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, a supporter of this cause. However, the word does not appear in Shaw's writings, and a biography of Shaw attributes it instead to an anonymous spelling reformer. Similar constructed words exist that demonstrate English idiosyncrasies, but ghoti is the most widely recognized. Linguists have pointed out that the placement of the letters in the constructed word is inconsistent with the claimed pronunciation.
Silent ghoti
Using the same method and reinforcing the original point, ghoti can be a silent word, where:- gh as in though (/ðoʊ/) ;
- o as in people (/'piːpəl/) ;
- t as in ballet (/'bæleɪ/) ;
- i as in business (/'bɪznəs/)
Cultural references
- In Finnegans WakeFinnegans WakeFinnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
, James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
alludes to ghoti: "Gee each owe tea eye smells fish." (p. 299) - In the constructed languageArtistic languageAn artistic language is a constructed language designed for aesthetic pleasure. Unlike engineered languages or auxiliary languages, artistic languages usually have irregular grammar systems, much like natural languages. Many are designed within the context of fictional worlds, such as J. R. R....
of KlingonKlingon languageThe Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....
, ghotI’ is the word for "fish". - In the episode of BatmanBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
"An Egg Grows in Gotham", Egghead uses Ghoti Œuf as the name for his caviar business, and Batman explains the reference to Robin. - Ghoti HookGhoti HookGhoti Hook was a pop punk band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band formed in 1991, signed to Tooth & Nail Records in 1996, and disbanded in 2002.-History:...
is a 1990s Christian punk band. - The Speech! allophoneAllophoneIn phonology, an allophone is one of a set of multiple possible spoken sounds used to pronounce a single phoneme. For example, and are allophones for the phoneme in the English language...
-based speech synthesiser ROM for the BBC MicroBBC MicroThe BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
was tweaked to pronounce ghoti as fish. Examination of the ROM's code reveals the string GHOTI used to identify the special case. - In the online game NeopetsNeopetsNeopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
, an aquatic petpet, which is distinctly fish-like in appearance, is called Ghoti. - The speech synthesizer in version 10.6 (Snow Leopard) of Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
by default pronounces "ghoti" as "fish".
External links
- How to pronounce "ghoti"
- Hau tu pranownse Inglish, an essay on spelling-to-sound rules that discusses "ghoti"
- "What is ghoti?" by Jim Scobbie
- Information on the phonetic Shaw Alphabet