Ok, but x sounding like sh is not ok. We need to normalize spelling stuff like it’s pronounced. Otherwise every language is going to become like the English.
I have bad news for you. Spelling like it’s pronounced is heavily subjective and opinion based. Virtually every single language in living use has deviating pronunciation to some degree.
I disagree. X is a useless letter in English; it’s always copying other letters or combinations of letters. Meanwhile, there’s a special rule where putting an ‘s’ and an ‘h’ together makes a different sound. Why not have a single letter for that?
Because a diphthong is fine. Taking a already used character and assigning a new sound to it is going to make things hard.
Also I need you to argue not just from the English point of view, but all Latin alphabet using languages, in particular those with strict rules of pronunciation like German.
Exactly. Different languages have different phonology that you have to be familiar with, there is no one way to “spell it like it’s pronounced” (except IPA and even that can be tricky).
Bad take. You don’t shame people for being unable to make sounds that aren’t in their native language. If someone spoke Mandarin all their life and learned English, but had to approximate the “L” sound with “R”, you wouldn’t have this reaction claiming that allowing that approximation is turning everything into Mandarin
It doesn’t really sound like “sh” though, it’s a different phoneme. You place the tip of your tongue in the centre of the gum ridge behind your bottom teeth, rather than the top one. They have that noise as well, and - unsurprisingly I suppose - it is written “sh”. The former is a totally unfamiliar sound to a native English speaker, most people need that kind of specific coaching to produce it. Pinyin isn’t perfect, I agree, but it primarily exists to be used by Chinese people who already know how their own language sounds.
Ok, but x sounding like sh is not ok. We need to normalize spelling stuff like it’s pronounced. Otherwise every language is going to become like the English.
I have bad news for you. Spelling like it’s pronounced is heavily subjective and opinion based. Virtually every single language in living use has deviating pronunciation to some degree.
I disagree. X is a useless letter in English; it’s always copying other letters or combinations of letters. Meanwhile, there’s a special rule where putting an ‘s’ and an ‘h’ together makes a different sound. Why not have a single letter for that?
Because a diphthong is fine. Taking a already used character and assigning a new sound to it is going to make things hard.
Also I need you to argue not just from the English point of view, but all Latin alphabet using languages, in particular those with strict rules of pronunciation like German.
“Eichhörnchenschwanz” is spelt exactly like it’s pronounced. Does this help you pronounce it?
Yes, but only because I’m familiar with German. And I’d still mess it up when trying to pronounce it.
Exactly. Different languages have different phonology that you have to be familiar with, there is no one way to “spell it like it’s pronounced” (except IPA and even that can be tricky).
Bad take. You don’t shame people for being unable to make sounds that aren’t in their native language. If someone spoke Mandarin all their life and learned English, but had to approximate the “L” sound with “R”, you wouldn’t have this reaction claiming that allowing that approximation is turning everything into Mandarin
It doesn’t really sound like “sh” though, it’s a different phoneme. You place the tip of your tongue in the centre of the gum ridge behind your bottom teeth, rather than the top one. They have that noise as well, and - unsurprisingly I suppose - it is written “sh”. The former is a totally unfamiliar sound to a native English speaker, most people need that kind of specific coaching to produce it. Pinyin isn’t perfect, I agree, but it primarily exists to be used by Chinese people who already know how their own language sounds.