Have you ever wondered why a word is not pronounced as it is spelt? I am
sure, you would have felt awkward more than once over this issue.
Sometimes they arise due to silent letters whereas at other times it is
due to stressed pronunciation. These are the two major categories of
confusion when it comes to English pronunciation. In this article we
would explore the possibilities and nuances of silent words and their
pronunciation.
Let us begin by understanding what a silent letter is in alphabetic writing system. A silent letter is a letter that appears in a particular word, but it has no effect on the pronunciation of the word. In other words silent letters effectively exist in written world whereas they do not make their presence felt in verbal world. This fine line of difference not only causes problems for non-native English speakers but also for the native English speakers. It becomes difficult to guess the spelling of the word by hearing its pronunciation.
Causes for silent letters:
Over the period of time the sound has dropped out of the spelling of the word. This essentially means they would still be retaining the same spelling but a different pronunciation. The word knot would fit this historical change quite aptly. Apart from this historical change, the major cause of these silent letters is English language borrowings from other languages. Words like Khaki made their presence felt from non-native English origins. Since accent and pronunciation differ, letters may be silent for some speakers but not for the others. In some accents, is silent in such words as hard, feathered; in h-dropping accents, is silent. A speaker may pronounce in “often” or “tsunami” or neither or both. All of these make silent letters more than important for English communication. Just to quote an example, how else would you differentiate a whole from a hole or a plumb from a plum without the help of silent letters?
Examples of Silent Letters
Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules to learn silent letters. Their usage is learnt by prior exposure and experience. Here is a list of silent letters for your learning purpose.
Great post! I think it's important to teach learners about silent letters in English. Many learners want to know "why" but unfortunately, we sometimes have to say "just because!" I also tell my students that even native English speakers have to memorize these rules. This makes them feel better!
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