Originally posted by ORJ_JoS:
That's not really how it works.
The pronunciation of a certain letter always depends on the 'place' of that letter in relation to the other letters.
For example, look at the word 'station'.
The second T is not nearly the same sound as the first T. This is just one example. There are so many combinations like that... the letter 'y' for example... compair 'year' to 'many'. If you would replace all the letters in English with the letters they actually sound like, you'd alter the entire spelling of the language.
The pronunciation of a certain letter always depends on the 'place' of that letter in relation to the other letters.
For example, look at the word 'station'.
The second T is not nearly the same sound as the first T. This is just one example. There are so many combinations like that... the letter 'y' for example... compair 'year' to 'many'. If you would replace all the letters in English with the letters they actually sound like, you'd alter the entire spelling of the language.
That is to do with the combination of letters forming a single sound (and acting as if they were a single letter), -'tion' in the case of 'station'. This is not the case with 'color'.
And with 'year' and 'many' the sound that the letter 'y' represents changes across words, but it doesn't change within the word itself. This is the case with 'color'.
'Ferrum' and 'Aurum' prove the point exactly, in that they are outdated archaisms that we don't use anymore, just like 'alluminum'.
Science has the ability to correct its mistakes, and does so all the time.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. " - Bertrand Russell
The Triumph of Stupidity in Mortals and Others 1931-1935
The Triumph of Stupidity in Mortals and Others 1931-1935