Somewhere in Finnegans Wake, James Joyce wrote 'Gee each owe tea eye smells fish.' What Joyce was really saying was that the letters G, H, O, T, and I spell FISH. Can you explain why they do?
Question #24212. Asked by Jake.
tented
Answer has 2 votes
tented
Answer has 2 votes.
It's about word or letter pronounciations. Think of the gh as in a word such as 'tough' the o as in a word such as 'women' and the ti in words such as {'nation;} and if you pronounce them as in the example words you get .... fish
Nov 13 2002, 11:35 AM
Barrow boy
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Barrow boy 22 year member
532 replies
Answer has 2 votes.
This wasn't James Joyce's joke. Fellow Irishman George Bernard Shaw was the originator.
Nov 13 2002, 12:38 PM
Gnomon
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Gnomon 24 year member
1331 replies
Answer has 2 votes.
The spelling of English really annoyed George Bernard Shaw. This was the example he used to demonstrate the point. He wanted a standard phonetic spelling to be used so that everybody could talk the same.
Nov 13 2002, 2:26 PM
Friar Tuck
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Friar Tuck
Answer has 2 votes.
On the same lines you can get 'potato' out of 'ghoughpteighbteau' P hiccough O though T ptomaine A neigh T debt O bureau
Nov 13 2002, 5:06 PM
Seamus
Answer has 2 votes
Seamus
Answer has 2 votes.
Can't think why Shaw thought English was odd. Irish is really odd. Niamh pronouced Neeve, Murchu pronounced Murphy etcetcetcetcetc
