Earliest Reference to "Ghoti"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

Yep, by "foreigner humor" I meant "humor about foreigners (and
stereotypes thereof)". Shoulda written "furriner humor".

--Ben


On 12/13/06, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Isn't that more likely to be *anti*-foreigner humor? It's extremely
> unlikely that a non-native speaker would have the command of English
> necessary to work out 'ghoti" as a spelling for "fish."
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 12/13/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> >
> > On 12/13/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > CSM has "ti" as in "nation" -- also note the reference to a
> > > "foreigner" -- which might bring it in line with that later cite about
> > > the "stage-Frenchmen" (i.e., it was intended to satirize the
> > > difficulties of foreigners learning irrational English spelling).
> > >
> > >         In Lighter Vein
> > >         Christian Science Monitor, Aug 27, 1938, p. 17
> > >         A foreigner who insisted that "fish" should be spelled
> > >         "ghoti" explained it in this fashion: "Gh" is pronounced
> > >         as in "rough," the "o" as in "women," and the "ti" as in
> > >         "nation" -- so maybe he's right.
> >
> > Further evidence that it was originally foreigner humor:
> >
> >          Oakland Tribune, May 11, 1938, p. 28/3
> >          A visitor from Eastern Europe has been making merry
> >          with English spelling. One of his suggestions is that
> >          "fish" ought to be spelled "ghoti." He argues that the
> >          "gh" is pronounced as in "rough," the o" as in "women,"
> >          and the "ti" as in "nation." So obviously "ghoti" spells
> >          "fish." --Exchange.

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