Fix English, part 1. - nouns

While learning English, I was amazed with the number of cases where history had beat logic. You know, the regularly irregular stuff, like irregular verbs, irregular plurals, hundred ways to pronounce gh and all sorts of misfortune that happen to the poor H. The one proposition I have is to do away with the exceptions, but in a different manner. All the previous attempts were aimed toward elimination of the exceptions (i.e. you shouldn't say "sat ", you should say "sitted"), which never had a chance to take root. I'm proposing something completely different: add new rules, so yesterday's exceptions would become regular cases. If there are rules on so many incredible things (which continue to amaze anyone trying to learn this puzzling language), a few more won't hurt. We may even save a few nice exceptions from becoming extinct. Let's take women for example. The 'o' in this form of plural is pronounced as short 'i', like in 'bit'. Well, how many other -man/-men pairs have this? None? So this is the sole exception? No, I say, make it a rule. Try to pronounce "postmen" as "pistmin", "policemen" like "pilicemin" - you will find the rest, make it your homework. Another one, which is actually two. What's the plural of 'mouse' and 'louse'? 'Mice' and 'lice', right? Two don't make a rule yet, but... let's try

last refresh 10/26/2008 07:09:19 PM
(enough of this, get me back)

Suffix Singular Plural
-ice blouse blice
douse dice
grouse grice
house hice
jalouse jalice
louse lice
mouse mice
souse sice
spouse spice
twouse twice
ouse ice
offouse office
advouse advice
suffouse suffice
-man, -men German germen
Oklahoman Oklahomen
Oman omen
Ottoman Ottomen [otimin]
Raman ramen
Roman Romen [rimin]
abdoman abdomen
acuman acumen
aman amen
ataman atamen
bituman bitumen
carman Carmen
chessman chessmen
hyman hymen
luman lumen
noman nomen
panaman panamen
rastaman rastamen
regiman regimen
seaman seamen
speciman specimen
turkman Turkmen
woman women [wimin]
yeman Yemen
yeoman yeomen [yaymin]
-us bus bi
cactus cacti
circus circi
ficus fici
focus foci
kuskus kuski
lotus loti
minus mini
plus pli
rebus rebi
thus thi