Silent Letters At End of Root
The rule is expressed in spelling of the verbs, but is actually related to pronunciation. So if the spelled root ends in a silent letter, this letter should be ignored in applying the rule. This includes also the apostrophe ⟨'⟩ occurring in some verb spellings.
For example:
| Infinitive | Inf. pronunc. | Verb root | Past simple | Past simple pronunc. | Past participle | Past ptc. pronunc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| timen (to time) | /ˈtɑimə(n)/ | time | ik timede | /ˈtɑimdə/ | getimed | /ɣəˈtɑimt/ |
| racen (to race) | /ˈreːsə(n)/ | race | ik racete | /ˈreːstə/ | geracet | /ɣəˈreːst/ |
| deleten (to delete) | /diˈliːtə(n)/ | delete | ik deletete | /diˈliːtə/ | gedeletet | /ɣədiˈliːt/ |
| sms'en (to send a text message) | /ɛsɛmˈɛsə(n)/ | sms | ik sms'te | /ɛsɛmˈɛstə/ | ge-sms't | /ɣə(ʔ)ɛsɛmˈɛst/ |
| gsm'en (to phone using a mobile phone) | /ɣeːɛsˈɛmə(n)/ | gsm | ik gsm'de | /ɣeːɛsˈɛmdə/ | ge-gsm'd | /ɣəɣeːɛsˈɛmt/ |
| petanquen (to play pétanque) | /peːˈtɑŋkə(n)/ | petanque | ik petanquete | /peːˈtɑŋktə/ | gepetanquet | /ɣəpeːˈtɑŋkt/ |
Read more about this topic: 't Kofschip
Famous quotes containing the words silent, letters and/or root:
“They seldom looked happy. They passed one another without a word in the elevator, like silent shades in hell, hell-bent on their next look from a handsome stranger. Their next rush from a popper. The next song that turned their bones to jelly and left them all on the dance floor with heads back, eyes nearly closed, in the ecstasy of saints receiving the stigmata.”
—Andrew Holleran (b. 1943)
“In one instance, we understood that a woman was the post- mistress, and they said that she made the best one on the road; but we suspected that the letters must be subjected to a very close scrutiny there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“To those who despair of everything reason cannot provide a faith, but only passion, and in this case it must be the same passion that lay at the root of the despair, namely humiliation and hatred.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)