Split digraph/magic E

[ItsIcyOutsideIThinkINeedThorin]

Are there any split digraphs other than 'magic E' or are they one and the same?

Not sure of the relevance, but would dropping the 'h' in khaki or jodhpurs actually change the pronunciation? Whereas dropping the 'e' at the end of these girls' names would change the pronunciation and, in some cases, would simply turn them into the equivalent boys' name.

The relevance is that when foreign words enter the English language often the spelling is retained as in names ...I would imagine if the spellings had been Anglicised they would have become - Justeen, Pauleen, Ceceel, Christeen as the pronunciation would be retained.

But they didn't! Actually, one of them is anglicised and it is the pronunciation, not the spelling, that is different. It is Pauline, pronounced Paul-line - generally pertaining to St Paul.

I don't know any Paul lines but I know a few Paul eens

and no they didn't Anglicise the names they retained the original spellings which is why your point about dropping the final is moot

No, you wouldn't be likely to know any Paul-lines. It is used as adjective to describe all things St Paul.

Never mind, must go now.

Actually, one of them is anglicised and it is the pronunciation, not the spelling, that is different. It is Pauline, pronounced Paul-line

I know what she's talking about, mrz. It's what she said. 'Paul ine' is used to describe things pertaining to St Paul.

I think that this 'ine' is a tricky one . When I read 'pristin', and whatever the other one was, I immediately thought of it as 'in' rather than 'een'.

Perhaps Mumsnetters have discovered a new split digraph . Wouldn't that be exciting?

Happy Christmas

Yes I understood the bit about St Paul but we were talking about the names Pauline, Christine, Justine et al

and to you

Does a split digraph always have to end with 'e'? Does 'baby' have a split digraph?

I'm not sure what the real answer is, but I'm trying to think of a split digraph which doesn't end with e. When you split sh by putting a c in it you get something else entirely. In the word maxim ai is split with x and the word max is created destroying the digraph, in in the word orange oa is split with an r and once again the digraph is ruined. So, I'm still not sure what the answer is but I'll keep looking on food packets all morning!

According to one source
"There are six split digraphs in English spelling: ?a-e?, ?e-e?, ?i-e?, ?o-e?, ?u-e?, ?y-e?, as in make, scene, like, bone, cube, type.

A very few words have more than one letter in the middle of a split digraph (e.g. ache, blithe, cologne, scythe).

I think they always end in an e...

With orange i thought that the child would sound out each letter individually but learn that the g makes a different sound in this particular word (I could be wrong though)...

No baby doesn't have a split digraph the letter represents the sound "ai" and the represents the sound "ee"

Split digraphs are < e-e>< i-e>< o-e> and

with orange the represents the sound "j" the sounds are "or" "a" "n" "j"

is just an alternative spelling for "ie"

Does the y-e count, mrz? I did think not because I was always told the split digraph "made" the vowel say its name rather than its sound ( so the "a" in make becomes the "ai" sound) whereas the makes the "y" say "ie" rather than the "why" you would expect.
( and why is writing sounds so difficult!!)

Cross posted!

and you need to think in terms of sounds rather than letters ( are single sounds but two letters)

Magic e is misleading because lots of words end in the letter but they aren't part of a digraph (I prefer split vowel or split spelling)

Orange is o-r-i-n-j phonetically, not or-a-n-j. The a makes an i sound.

And you hear the r, not or.

I would also agree that i-e represents two split digraphs, eye and ee.

I say or-a-n-j, not o-r-i-n-j!
One of the joys of dialect

You can hear the "r" when I say "or"
and there is definitely an "a" in my accentin orange

You're right - I did wonder whether it was accent related.

mrz complains that lots of magic e-s don't work, like some, come and what have you.

Com isn't a word, so you can't add a magic e, you can only do that when the word changes from one word to another.

A magic e makes the letter say its name, rather than its sound.

rat rate

them theme

writ write

pop pope

cut cute

double consonants after a vowel also tell you the vowel says its sound not its name.

So
berry
cherry
apple
cattle

so you can have

sit - i says its sound
site - i says its name I
sitter - i says its name because of the double t

the same with

cat
cater
cattery