Re: [tied] Oddity of English (was: Pronunciation of "r" - again?)

Andrew Jarrette wrote:

> > Further examples: "hot", "goat", and "boat", from Old English ha:t,
> ga:t, ba:t -- why does "hot" have a different vowel? And I'm quite
> sure that "hot" is the only word in which Old English a: becomes this
> vowel!

Don't be too sure of anything. OE a: is irregularly reflected as "short
O" in <gone> and <shone>, and of course in several compounds where the
shortening goes back to Middle English, such as <holiday> and <bonfire>.

Piotr