Ancestors

Written by Yoïn van Spijk on 2025-01-27 at 18:29

A popular meme says the word 'queue' is just a Q with a bunch of silent letters waiting in line.

Well, 'queue' comes from Old French, and in that language, its spelling actually made a lot of sense:

• (1) QU denoted a /k/ sound before an E;

• (2) EU was a diphthong;

• (3) E, a feminine ending, was still pronounced.

'Queue' came from Latin 'cōda' ("tail").

Click the video to hear how 'cōda' became 'queue' in French and English, step by step.

=> View attached media

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from yvanspijk@toot.community

Toot

Written by mirabilos on 2025-01-29 at 21:15

@yvanspijk oh so it’s not pronounced kwejü’e?

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from mirabilos@toot.mirbsd.org

Descendants

Written by Yoïn van Spijk on 2025-01-29 at 22:13

@mirabilos In English? :D

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from yvanspijk@toot.community

Written by mirabilos on 2025-01-29 at 22:50

@yvanspijk … in “language”, I don’t know French, and I learnt most of English by reading/writing, but the word also appears in tech German, so…

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from mirabilos@toot.mirbsd.org

Written by Yoïn van Spijk on 2025-01-29 at 22:54

@mirabilos In French and English it's pronounced as in the video, and in German as 'Köh', if I'm not mistaken. If someone would say 'Kwejüe', that could only be a spelling pronunciation.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from yvanspijk@toot.community