by Tom Shafer
March 1, 2020
Okay, and some observations. So we don’t have a singular, gender-neutral pronoun — though I don’t really understand why we can’t just invent one. I propose the word “bu,” pronounced “byou,” for multiple reasons: one, it is short like all of the other personal pronouns; two, it is not currently a word, which is quite a thing in our language because by far we have invented the most words; three, it actually incorporates and blends two words, “both” and “you,” a contraction of sorts; and four, it’s cute!
But I do have some questions and observations about our language that leave me scratching my head. I will share mine with you, but I encourage you to share with me. Here we go.
If you can drink a drink, why can’t you food a food?
Isn’t the word “queue” just the letter “Q” followed by four silent vowels?
Is the “s” or “c” silent in the word “scent”? Or for that matter “science,” “scintillate,” “scissors,” or “scenic”?
Why does “fridge” have a “d” in it but “refrigerator” does not?
Why are “Zoey” and “Zoe” pronounced the same but “Joey” and “Joe” are not?
Why is the “w” pronounced “double-u” when it is clearly a “double-v”?
Why am I more than bothered by the fact that “Kansas” and “Arkansas” are pronounced differently?
