Stahlke Adoption

Mnemonic

The hot weather necessitated open windows in our red car as we sped down the highway. Between the sound of the wind and my hearing loss, it was difficult to make out the words:

"When we get there, can you give me a ___?"

"Do you mean a 'card'"?

"No, mom, a __!"

"Spell it for me."

"C-O-M!"

"Oh! When you say that word, use more of an 'O' sound, and a strong 'M' at the end, and then it will be easier for me to understand you. And also, 'comb' is one of those weird English words that isn't spelling like it sounds--it's C-O-M-B."

This conversation made me think of the word "comb" in a new way . . .

"I know a way you can remember how to spell "comb." In Ukrainian school, you learned about the myakiznak (м’який знак ), one of the letters in the Ukrainian alphabet. It's the one that looks like 'b' but doesn't ever make a sound, because it just tells you how to pronounce the consonant that falls before it."

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, think of the 'b' in comb as a myakiznak for the letter 'm.'

And sure enough, I looked up the etymology, and there's an Old Church Slavonic word similar to 'comb.' Whether the 'b' in comb is a myakiznak or not, it's certainly useful to me as a spelling lesson.

posted by Stahlkes @ 10:20 AM