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AIBU?

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Original poster

Is O for onion?

30 replies

Shadow666 · 02/12/2017 12:15

A discussion at work.

The context is an alphabet book for young learners learning the alphabet. It says O is for onion. It then has writing practice for Oo and an octopus to colour in. I thought it was odd, but next week we are doing "u is for uniform".

Is it just me who thinks they should stick to things that work phonetically or am I wrong here?

OP posts:
InsomniacAnonymous · 02/12/2017 12:21

Well it might prevent them thinking that you spell 'onion' as 'union' and recognise that a letter can sound different in different words. We don't spell every word phonetically after all.

ferrier · 02/12/2017 12:24

I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't phonics based if that's any help.

jaimelannistersgoldenhand · 02/12/2017 12:25

Having read lots of alphabet books. O is for octopus and u is for umbrella in most. I speak with a Southern accent so octopus and umbrella sound phonetically closest.

fricative · 02/12/2017 12:50

o - octopus.
u - umbrella, umbilical, unimaginative, upheaval ...

Anything else is a hindrance for phonics.

CheapSausagesAndSpam · 02/12/2017 12:52

I'm a Northerner so onion sounds like UNion when I say it.

Original poster
Shadow666 · 02/12/2017 13:47

Well it might prevent them thinking that you spell 'onion' as 'union' and recognise that a letter can sound different in different words. We don't spell every word phonetically after all.

Yes, that's what I am wondering about even though it is a phonics-based course. I've kind of come to the conclusion that the people who make these ESL materials can't speak English very well.

OP posts:
zeebeedee · 02/12/2017 14:14

We have a big alphabet poster up where I work, and on it, g is for giraffe - it's okayish if you say 'gee' but if you use 'guh' it really doesn't work - what's wrong with a gate?

SnoozeTime · 02/12/2017 14:16

Phonetic alphabet: O is for Oscar
For children learning sounds in School: O is for Orange

fricative · 03/12/2017 03:48

SnoozeTime

As someone who works in Linguistics, calling that the phonetic alphabet drives me crazy. I know that it's the proper name but it's confusing as hell for many people.

Of course, the purpose of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc is for clarity and not initial sounds.

SnoozeTime · 03/12/2017 13:27

fricative what is the correct word? I thought that is what it is called. The school book for sounds has Phonics in the title. Is that the correct word?

Crunchymum · 03/12/2017 13:30

Phonics and the phonetic alphabet are actually very different things (we're doing phonics with our reception age DC)

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 03/12/2017 13:31

I moved into a new classroom once which had a letter chart on the wall.

G is for gnome......

runningoutofjuice · 03/12/2017 13:58

.... and K is for knowledge
P is for pneumonia
T is for tsar
W is for wrestle

Trying to think of the worst alphabet book examples Grin

KurriKurri · 03/12/2017 14:49

O for the garden wall (is what one of my old teachers used to say) Grin

runningoutofjuice · 03/12/2017 15:35

Ooh yes, the cockney alphabet.
A for 'orses
B for mutton
C for miles
D ?
E for brick
F for vescence etcGrin

insancerre · 03/12/2017 15:41

I binned a jigsaw at the nursery where I work that had g for giraffe and i for ice cream

KurriKurri · 03/12/2017 17:31

I can't remember D either runningoutofjuice (My teacher used to say C for the Highlanders - which was supposed to be Seaforth Highlanders - but he was pretty ancient, that regiment maybe doesn't exist any more !)

runningoutofjuice · 03/12/2017 21:50

D for est-ation. That's the best I can do! Grin

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 03/12/2017 22:00

Wouldn't 'D' be for Mutton... as in 'mutton and jeff - deaf'?

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 03/12/2017 22:02

No, it’s B for Mutton as in beef or mutton.

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 03/12/2017 22:02

I do remember ‘L for Leather’

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 03/12/2017 22:04

Oh. Ignore me, I've got this very muddled I can see. Blush

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 03/12/2017 22:04

A for 'orses (hay for horses)
B for mutton (beef or mutton)
C for 'th highlanders (Seaforth Highlanders)
D for 'ential (deferential)
E for Adam (Eve or Adam)
F for 'vescence (effervescence)
G for police (chief of police)
H for respect (age for respect)
I for Novello (Ivor Novello)
J for oranges (Jaffa oranges)
K for 'ancis, (Kay Francis), or K for undressing
L for leather (Hell for leather)
M for 'sis (emphasis)
N for 'adig (in for a dig, or infra dig.)
O for the garden wall (over the garden wall)
P for a penny (pee for a penny)
Q for a song (cue for a song), or Q for billiards (cue for billiards)
R for mo' (half a mo')
S for you (it's for you)
T for two (tea for two)
U for films (UFA films)
V for La France (vive la France)
W for a bob (double you for a bob)
X for breakfast (eggs for breakfast)
Y for Gawd's sake (why, for God's sake)
Z for breezes (zephyr breezes, see West wind)

PiggyPlumPie · 03/12/2017 22:05

D fer ential

fricative · 04/12/2017 09:16

@SnoozeTime

No, sorry, I wasn't clear.

You're sadly correct but I wish you weren't. The alpha, bravo, charlie ... is referred to as the phonetic alphabet.

Phonetic notation is when you see the International Alphabet used as a visual representation of phones (sounds in speech)

example /iɡˈzampəl/

Phonetics is the study of speech sounds and how we can classify and analyse them.

Phonics usually refers to a method of teaching reading by looking at which letters make which sounds. There are graphemes, digraphs etc but it's basically knowing that the /k/ from /kæt/ can be "c", "k" or "ck" and so on.