So how come it's "portuguese" (with two Us), but "Portugal" (with only

[Redstone]

one U)?

I've never understood that.

(Just the kind of useless thing a manic brain like mine seizes on now and again.)

Redstone

[BurtWorm]

1. It signifies that the G is hard, which would be less clear without the u.

The spelling is borrowed from Portuguese.

[Redstone]

2. It signifies that the **what** is hard? The second U?

Redstone

[BurtWorm]

3. G

Sorry. Typing this on an iPhone. I repeat, that the g is hard.

[Redstone]

4. Aha. Thank you. I had not known that about that language.

Redstone

[Xipe Totec]

7. G is soft before a, o, u, but hard before e, i.

Just as in Spanish, a 'u' is inserted before e, or i, to make them soft but then the 'u' becomes silent.

If the 'u' is to be sounded, it is marked with a dieresis.

That is why words like güero (blondie) have the umlaut or dieresis.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. How then, would one pronounce Portugual ...?

what does that second "u" do in this case?

[Xipe Totec]

9. Yes, the second 'u' would be sounded in that case

cacophonically.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. like this...

Port-u-gu-al

:shrug:

[Xipe Totec]

15. Exactly!

You have it right.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. ok, thanks. Wanted to make sure I understood.

:)

[petronius]

10. Did you mean that the other way around? Portuguese and guero are

pronounced with the hard 'g', but without the 'u' it would be soft? If 'g' is hard before 'e', why is the 'u' needed?

[Xipe Totec]

11. No, I have it right

Portugese would be pronounced as if spelt Portukhese. Guttural, half way between an x and hacking a loogie.

[petronius]

17. Oh, I guess a hard g is harder than I thought. I think of

hard g as 'guh', and soft g as 'jeh'. So the guh-like sound in Portuguese is actually a soft g?

[Xipe Totec]

18. Yes. The hard G is closer to H as in Herbert, Soft G is like G in Geese nt

[petronius]

19. Interesting, I've learned a new thing today

Thanks! :hi:

[Bucky]

20. Is that why it's called the G-spot? Because it's hard next to U, but soft next to I?

[Xipe Totec]

24. LOL!

:rofl:

Good one!

[mcollins]

5. Why do people misspell Finland all the time?

Sue me.

[Redstone]

6. Do they? I did not know. How to they missspell it? "Finnland?" My doctor's last

name is "Hautaniemi," whic I guessed to be North African, but turns out to be Finnish. I'd never have guessed it, given the absense of two Ks or two Ps together.

Redstone

[KamaAina]

14. It's a groaner pun

The name of Finland in Finnish, as shown on their hockey uniforms for instance, is "Suomi".

[mcollins]

21. yup.

[Redstone]

22. And the Koreans' name for Korea is "Hankook." Dunno know why we don't

just use their names for their countries.

Redstone

[KamaAina]

23. Cool! That means Rev. Moon "puts the kook back in Hankook".

:P

[WinkyDink]

25. Who does that?

[madinmaryland]

13. LOCKING. NO SEX THREADS.