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ArchivesRe: Caleigh/Kaleigh spellings
in reply to a message by helianth0s
I think it's because English spelling typically expects the "short a as in cat" (/æ/) in a word like this to be followed by a double consonant. Callie, Calleigh, Calley, Callee would all have the short a.
When there is no double consonant, we assume that the vowel is "long a" (eɪ). Caley, Caleigh, Calie, Calee would contrast with the above.
Other examples would be Amy/Amie/Amee vs. Tammy/Tammie/Tammee, or pairs like Laddie vs Lady, Cammie vs. Mamie.
I knew a girl in high schooly named Ammie pronounced Amy, and she had a lot of trouble with that. Her parents apparently had not grasped the general spelling concept. I also know a woman named Kalee prnounced Callie, and she said her mother was baffled by people who assumed it was Kaylee. "K-A-L is Cal, and E-E is "ee," so it's obviously "KAL - EE." But it isn't obvious. If it had been spelled Kallee, there would have been no confusion.
Raleigh is an exception--it's neither "Rally" nor "Raylee"--and that's unfortunately the way English spelling is, always with exceptions to the rules. We just have to memorize the exceptions.
As for the popularity of the Leigh ending, I think people like it because it looks fancy or elegant, and more definitely feminine than some of the alternatives. (If you heard of a person named Stanleigh, you'd probably assume that was a woman, or at least wonder). No real need to look farther than that
When there is no double consonant, we assume that the vowel is "long a" (eɪ). Caley, Caleigh, Calie, Calee would contrast with the above.
Other examples would be Amy/Amie/Amee vs. Tammy/Tammie/Tammee, or pairs like Laddie vs Lady, Cammie vs. Mamie.
I knew a girl in high schooly named Ammie pronounced Amy, and she had a lot of trouble with that. Her parents apparently had not grasped the general spelling concept. I also know a woman named Kalee prnounced Callie, and she said her mother was baffled by people who assumed it was Kaylee. "K-A-L is Cal, and E-E is "ee," so it's obviously "KAL - EE." But it isn't obvious. If it had been spelled Kallee, there would have been no confusion.
Raleigh is an exception--it's neither "Rally" nor "Raylee"--and that's unfortunately the way English spelling is, always with exceptions to the rules. We just have to memorize the exceptions.
As for the popularity of the Leigh ending, I think people like it because it looks fancy or elegant, and more definitely feminine than some of the alternatives. (If you heard of a person named Stanleigh, you'd probably assume that was a woman, or at least wonder). No real need to look farther than that
This message was edited 1/14/2025, 7:51 PM
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Replies
Yes, "vowels followed by double consonants are short" is the general rule in English. Though there are of course people like the parents of your friend Ammie who don't get that. One of the elephants at the Omaha zoo's name is Omma, but they pronounce it to rhyme with coma or Roma instead of rhyming it with comma, which always irritates me. :)
Unfortunately, "vowels followed by a single consonant are 'long'" is not as strict in English spelling. There seem to be many women with the name Marisa who rhyme it with Melissa rather than Lisa.
Of course there's also the fact that what the general American public calls a "long vowel" is really usually a diphthong, I think, in linguistic terms.
Unfortunately, "vowels followed by a single consonant are 'long'" is not as strict in English spelling. There seem to be many women with the name Marisa who rhyme it with Melissa rather than Lisa.
Of course there's also the fact that what the general American public calls a "long vowel" is really usually a diphthong, I think, in linguistic terms.
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