rank system question

[ChrisReid]

I don't agree with I in Women more like a short O.

The whole thing is just a silly exercise. All of those letters are pronounced a certain way because of the surrounding letters. If you rearrange them, they certainly don't sound out as "fish."

 

[Bandit LOAF]

If you can find a completely logical language, speak it.

 

[Don]

i was looking over blair's profile in the encyclopedia section and i was wondering since blair was killed in action wouldn't he be automatically promoted up two ranks to vice admiral instead of Commodore. just wondering.....

The Terran Confederation military is divided into four branches: Navy (starship crew), Space Force (most of the pilots), Army, and Marines. Officers are allowed to transfer between branches, thus explaining Christopher Blair's new rank of Commodore (before, he was a Colonel).

Navy ranks dont mix with the space forces...

 

[Edfilho]

all languages have a certain measure of arbitrariety (sp?) on them. Some more, some less, some on spelling, others on grammar.

English is pretty crazy on this pronounciation issue, compared to latin languages, at least. It is not only a matter of sorounding letters, Tough is completely different from though. But THAT is precisely why languages are interesting in the first place, the quirks an oddities. Esperanto is 100% logical and reasonable, and is the single most boring and silly language ever.

Don, your explanation is fine, but I don't see how it ties with the original question...

 

[Dragon1]

Tempting. I know I shouldn't, but do it anyway:
There's the story of a guy (most of the times it's attributed to G.B. Shaw) offering a huge cash prize for someone to give a logical structure to English pronunciation.

As an example, he asks about the pronunciation of this word:

GHOTI

...which is pronounced as "fish". Why?

F as in rouGH
I as in wOmen
SH as in naTIon.

No need to mention that no one has yet won the prize.

[EDIT: Added link.]

Modern languages are the almagamations of older, dead languages and dialects from other modern ones.

Prior to the Norman Conquest of England and the subsequent colonization, English was a far different language. An entirely new vocabulary was intermixed with the Anglo-Saxon and older Celtic tongues of the island. English is difficult for some to learn because it is a mixture of Germanic and Romantic language and follows both of their sometimes conflicting rules.

 

[Iceman16]

and instead of using existing English words to name something newly discovered, they would instead use the native words (the word 'Bannock' is acceptable where I live, and its an Aboriginal word).

 

[AD]

and instead of using existing English words to name something newly discovered, they would instead use the native words (the word 'Bannock' is acceptable where I live, and its an Aboriginal word).

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/bannock?view=uk

Actualy it isn't. The word Bannock has celtic and scotish origins. Although the natives may have had a similar fried food in their diet the flour stuff was introduced by pioneers, setlers, and fur traders and later became a staple amongst the aboriginals. But I'm sure there's probably other examples, though you'ld be pretty hard pressed to find one that isnt a name.

 

[All That Remains]

The Terran Confederation military is divided into four branches: Navy (starship crew), Space Force (most of the pilots), Army, and Marines. Officers are allowed to transfer between branches, thus explaining Christopher Blair's new rank of Commodore (before, he was a Colonel).

Navy ranks dont mix with the space forces...

i thought blair was promoted to Brigadier General after stopping Tolwyn in WC4. then i thought he was transferred to the Navy with the rank of Commodore.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

i thought blair was promoted to Brigadier General after stopping Tolwyn in WC4. then i thought he was transferred to the Navy with the rank of Commodore.

That's correct.