yacht...pought...knacht

[GoodTaste]

I can't figure out the correct spellings out for "pought" and "knacht". Can you?


=============
Richard Dawkins tweeted
@RichardDawkins·20h


Poem on English spelling by my grandfather, Clinton George Evelyn Dawkins:-


There once was a bonny wee yacht.
Her owner, a canny young Scacht.
But whenever he sought
To steer her to pought
He tied himself up in a knacht.

 

[Raymott]

Pronunciation: yot; Scot; sort, port, knot. These are the meanings and pronunciation in English to make it rhyme.
Lines 1, 2 and 5 have to rhyme for a Limerick as do 3 and 4.
The point of this poem seems to be that the line 1 and line 3 set up an unusual spelling to rhyme with.
So 'yacht' is followed by 'Scacht' and 'knacht' even though lines 2 and 5 are misspelt.
'Sought' is followed by 'pought' - even though line 3 is misspelt.
I imagine the limerick is meant to be yet enough demonstration of the irregularities in spelling in English.

 

[Tarheel]

I'm assuming that the Scottish pronunciations of sought and port are similar. (They wouldn't be in American English.)

Limericks often play with spelling.

 

[GoesStation]

I'm assuming that the Scottish pronunciations of sought and port are similar.

No. Like most Americans, most Scots pronounce their syllable-ending Rs. Most English people don't. The limerick is written for them.

 

[Tarheel]

No. Like most Americans, most Scots pronounce their syllable-ending Rs. Most English people don't. The limerick is written for them.

The limerick is written for those who live south of Scotland?

 

[GoodTaste]

Well, what do "Scacht", "pought" and "knacht" mean?

 

[Tarheel]

Scot, port, and knot.

 

[GoesStation]

Well, what do "Scacht", "pought" and "knacht" mean?

They're humorous re-spellings of Scot, port, and knot. "Pought" only works in a non-rhotic accent like those of most English people.

 

[Tdol]

The limerick is written for those who live south of Scotland?

He appears to be colonial and English: http://www.thekingscandlesticks.com/webs/pedigrees/22436.html

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

As Goes suggests, the problem in American English is that port sounds nothing like the other last words.

 

[GoesStation]

As Goes suggests, the problem in American English is that port sounds nothing like the other last words.

It's meant to rhyme with sought. Some Americans with non-rhotic accents pronounce those words similarly.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's meant to rhyme with sought. Some Americans with non-rhotic accents pronounce those words similarly.

I know. But it looked like our poet was shooting the moon, trying to rhyme all five words, not just the inside pair.

Anyhow, either way, port doesn't fit as a rhyme in most American English styles. Sawt and . . . pawt? I don't think so! Well—maybe here in Maine. . . .

 

[emsr2d2]

I didn't get the impression he was trying to do that. For me, he followed the standard rhyming pattern of all limericks: lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme with each other; lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other. However, I accept that "sought" and "port" don't rhyme in rhotic accents.

All he's done is invent spellings for some of the words.

 

[GoesStation]

Sawt and . . . pawt? I don't think so! Well, maybe here in Maine. . . .

That's the very accent I had in mind.