O! Linguistics

While I was working, I came across a vignette on the Penn home page about Bill Labov, the father of American linguistics.

Profressor Labov was an interesting teacher. He didn't feel that it was neccessary to learn the subject materal in class, therefore his general lecture class never had an attendance requirement. However, unless one were a linguist, Bill didn't think that one could actually understand everything in the course material without being in class.

My favorite trivial item that Bill shared with us was a humorous one-up on George Bernard Shaw. Many of you know about suggested Shavian spelling of fish, as ghoti. (with the "gh" from cough, the "o" from women" and the "ti" from nation.) Labov, first alluded to Shaw's fish spelling, and then wrote the word "breakfast" on the blackboard. He asked the class to pronouce the word and in unison the lecture hall said, "breakfast." He said, "No, it's pronounced [silence]." He paused and continued, saying if one takes the "b" from comb, etc.* etc. the "a" from aisle, etc. etc. and finally the "t" from ballet, one gets a word pronounced as [silence].

* Unfortunately, I don't remember whence each of the silent letters came, but I promise you that all of the letters of breakfast, including two examples of a's, are silent in words used enough in English.