A rare find?

[Dalmania]

While editing this aft, I came across a (pair of?) homonym that I had no idea existed:

 

sooth & soothe

 

So is this a rare, little known find or are most of you already aware of its existence?

 

Just wondering...

[corvus]

While editing this aft, I came across a (pair of?) homonym that I had no idea existed:

 

sooth & soothe

 

So is this a rare, little known find or are most of you already aware of its existence?

 

Just wondering...

 

Honestly, no. I didn't know 'sooth' was a word, although I've seen 'soothsayer' and 'forsooth.' Also, I pronounce them a bit differently. I give the 'th' a bit of a harder sound in 'sooth' than in 'soothe;' it's a bit like Tolkien's discussion of his 'th' and 'dh,' though that was so long ago I don't really remember.

[rec]

Forsooth, I say.

 

Truly, though, I think the 'th' in sooth is pronounced much harder than the 'the' in soothe, so they aren't homonyms--like the 'th' in teeth versus the 'the' in teethe.

 

 

 

While editing this aft, I came across a (pair of?) homonym that I had no idea existed:

 

sooth & soothe

 

So is this a rare, little known find or are most of you already aware of its existence?

 

Just wondering...

[TalonRider]

Most generally, I've only come across one version of the word, soothe. It got my curiosity up so I looked both words up.

 

sooth

 

Main Entry:¹sooth

Pronunciation: \ˈs

[Tristan Thinks]

In the U.K. I've come across both words relatively regularly. They are definitely pronounced differently.

 

Sooth, as in Forsooth (Truly), is sue-th

Soothe, as in 'the medicine will soothe your throat', is sue-the

 

The syllables are run together rather than pronounced separately.

 

The ending is the same as the difference between 'breath' and 'breathe'.

[Hylas]

I don't think they are really that different. The etymological origin is the same. With Sooth deriving from the noun form and Soothe from the verb form of the same Old English root.

 

It's akin to Breath and Breathe, just with the adj/noun form archaic and rare.

[S.L. Lewis]

Wow, that is something I haven't seen before. But then again, I am in the US and most of those works that I've edited come from US inhabitants.

And I sound like my cousin with that sentece....

[Tiff]

Dalmania, did I do that?!? :wacko:

 

Personally, when writing, I don't consciously know of the difference between the two. Perhaps it was just typing too fast and the brain working on auto-pilot.

 

But now that iit's being discussed- which one is supposed to be used and does it really matter? The basic meaning of the sentence/statement would get across, regardless.

 

I must go back and reread my story...

[sat8997]

Dalmania, did I do that?!? :wacko:

 

Personally, when writing, I don't consciously know of the difference between the two. Perhaps it was just typing too fast and the brain working on auto-pilot.

 

But now that iit's being discussed- which one is supposed to be used and does it really matter? The basic meaning of the sentence/statement would get across, regardless.

 

I must go back and reread my story...

 

It depends on what you're trying to say in your sentence and yes, it does matter. They are two different words with two different meanings.

 

This is one of my pet peeves, when similar sounding words are mixed up. The one that irritates me the most is waist/waste. I can not tell you the number of stories I've read where someone has put their hand on someone else's "waste." I don't know about you, but I really don't think I want to read anymore after that, the mental image is a major turnoff.

 

Sharon

[Tiff]

It depends on what you're trying to say in your sentence and yes, it does matter. They are two different words with two different meanings.

 

This is one of my pet peeves, when similar sounding words are mixed up. The one that irritates me the most is waist/waste. I can not tell you the number of stories I've read where someone has put their hand on someone else's "waste." I don't know about you, but I really don't think I want to read anymore after that, the mental image is a major turnoff.

 

Sharon

 

Oh yes, I agree with the "waste/waist" one. It does matter of course, which word you're using, but for "sooth/soothe" I'm not sure which is the proper use. I think it was more of a typing mistake than anything. Knowing the story, I'd go with "soothe" because of the 'trying to calm them down' aspect.