On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 16:31:00 -0500 Julia told Dean > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 14:05:02 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: > > > > >The ie/ei rule is complicated, and has 8 exceptions that have been > > >brought to my attention, but I can never remember more than 7 of > > >them: > > > > > >either > > >foreign > > >forfeit > > >leisure > > >neither > > >seize > > >weird > > > > > >There's at least 1 more. Anyone? > > > > Their? > > That falls under the main rule: > > I before E except after "c", or when combined they make the sound of > long "a". (There's a nice little ditty for that last bit which I don't > remember.) > > "Neighbor" fits the general rule. "Their" does, as well, as does > "weigh". > > "Conceive" fits the part about "after 'c'".
...uuuf!, and those rules are simple. Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote -Canterbury Tales, Prologue, 1-2. Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400) When in April the sweet showers fall That pierce March's drought to the root and all ...and to think that the former could have been spoken if Gutemberg hadn't circa 1450 come up with the printing press. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
