Robert Bridges - On English Homophones

graze, greys.

greaves, grieves.

groan, grown.

grocer, grosser.

hire, higher.

herd, heard.

hist, hissed.

hose, hoes.

hawse ( naut. ), haws, &c.

eaves, eves.

use ( v. ), ewes, yews.

candid, candied.

clove ( s. ), clove (fr. cleave ).

clause, claws.

cold, coaled.

courser, coarser.

court, caught.

cause, cores, caws.

coir, coyer (fr. coy ).

crew ( s. ), crew (fr. crow ).

quartz, quarts.

lighter ( s. ), lighter (fr. light, adj. ).

lax, lacks, &c.

lapse, laps, &c.

lade ( v. ), laid.

lane, lain.

lead ( mineral ), led.

left ( adj. ), left (fr. leave ).

Lent, leant, lent (fr. lend ).

least, leased.

lees ( of wine ), leas, &c.

lynx, links.

mind, mined.

madder ( plant ), madder (fr. mad ).

mustard, mustered.

maid, made.

mist, missed.

mode, mowed.

moan, mown.

new, knew, &c.

nose, knows, noes.

aught ( a whit ), ought (fr. owe ).

pact, packed.

paste, paced.

pervade, purveyed.

pyx, picks.

please, pleas.

pause, paws, pores.

pride, pried [ bis ].

prize, pries.

praise, prays, preys.

rouse, rows.

rasher ( bacon ), rasher (fr. rash ).

raid, rayed.

red, read ( p. of to read ).

rex, wrecks, recks.

road, rode, rowed.

rote, wrote.

rove ( v. of rover ), rove (fr. reeve ).

rose, rows ( var. ), roes ( var. ), rose ( v. ).

ruse, rues (fr. rue ).

side, sighed.

size, sighs.

scene, seen.

seize, seas, sees.

sold, soled ( both inflected ).

sword, soared.

sort, sought.

span ( length ), span (fr. spin ).

spoke ( of wheel ), spoke (fr. speak ).

stole ( s. ), stole (fr. steal ).

stove ( s. ), stove (fr. stave ).

tide, tied.

tax, tacks ( various ).

tact, tacked.

tease, teas, tees.

toad, towed, toed.

told, tolled.

tract, tracked.

trust, trussed.

chaste, chased ( various ).

choose, chews.

throne, thrown.

through, threw.

wild, wiled.

wind ( roll ), whined.

wax, whacks.

wade, weighed.

weld, welled.

word, whirred.

wilt ( wither ), wilt (fr. will ).

ward, warred.

wont, won't.

warn, worn.

beam, beam ( of light ).

bit ( horse ), bit ( piece ), bit (fr. bite ).

brace, brace.

diet, diet.

deck ( cover ), deck ( adorn ).

deal ( various ).

dram ( drink ), drachm.

drone ( insect ), drone ( sound ).

jest, gest ( romance, and obs. senses ).

jib ( sail ), jib ( of horses ).

fine ( adj., v. senses ), fine ( mulct ).

flower, flour.

fleet ( s. ), fleet ( adj. ), Fleet ( stream ).

grain ( corn ), grain ( fibre ).

indite, indict.

incense ( v. =cense ), incense ( incite ).

kind ( adj. ), kind ( s. ).

canvas, canvass.

cuff ( sleeve ), cuff ( strife ).

cousin, cozen.

cord, chord ( music ).

coin, coign.

cotton ( s. ), cotton ( v. ).

crank ( s. ), crank ( adj. ).

quaver ( v. ), quaver ( music ).

levy, levee.

litter ( brood ), litter ( straw ).

mantle ( cloak ), mantle ( shelf ).

mess ( confusion ), mess ( table ).

mussel, muscle.

nail ( unguis ), nail ( clavus ).

patent ( open ), patent ( monopoly ).

pommel ( s. ), pummel ( v. ).

refrain ( v. ), refrain ( s., in verse ).

retort ( reply ), retort ( chemical vessel ).

second ( number ), second ( of time ).

squall ( v. ), squall ( a gale ).

slab ( s. ), slab ( adj. ).

smart ( s. and v., sting ), smart ( adj. ).

stave ( of barrel ), stave ( of music ), [ stave in (v.) ].

stick ( s. ), stick ( v. ).

stock ( stone ), stock ( in trade ), &c.

strut ( a support ), strut ( to walk ).

share ( division ), share ( plough ).

sheet ( sail and clew ), sheet ( -anchor ).

shear ( clip ), sheer ( clear ), sheer off ( deviate ).

tack ( various ), tack ( naut. ).

ton, tun.

wage ( earnings ), wage ( of war ).

ah! are.

arse, ass.

ask, aske ( newt )

ayah, ire.

bah! bar, baa.

barb, barb ( horse ).

bask, basque.

barn, barne = bairn.

budge, budge ( stuff ).

buff, buff.

buffer, buffer.

berg, burgh ( suffixes ).

bin, bin = been.

broke ( v. of broke ), broke (fr. break ).

broom, brume ( fog ).

darn, darn.

fizz, phiz.

few, feu.

forty, forte.

hay, heigh!

hem ( sew ), hem ( v. , haw ).

hollow, hollo ( v. ).

inn, in.

yawl ( boat ), yawl ( howl ).

coup, coo.

lamb, lam ( bang ).

loaf, loaf ( v. laufen ).

marry! marry ( v. ).

nag ( pony ), nag ( to gnaw ), knag.

nap ( of cloth ), nap ( sleep ).

nay, neigh.

oh! owe.

ode, owed.

oxide, ox-eyed.

pax, packs.

pants, pants (fr. pant ).

prose, pros ( and cons ).

sink ( var. ), cinque.

swayed, suede ( kid ).

ternary, turnery.

tea, tee ( starting point ).

taw ( to dress skins ), taw ( game, marbles ), tore (fr. tear ).

cheap, cheep.

tool, tulle,

we! woe.

ho! hoe.

The facts of the case being now sufficiently supplied by the above list, I will put my attitude towards those facts in a logical sequence under separate statements, which thus isolated will, if examined one by one, avoid the confusion that their interdependence might otherwise occasion. The sequence is thus:

1. Homophones are a nuisance.

2. They are exceptionally frequent in English.

3. They are self-destructive, and tend to become obsolete.

4. This loss impoverishes the language.

5. This impoverishment is now proceeding owing to the prevalence of the Southern English standard of speech.

6. The mischief is being worsened and propagated by the phoneticians.

7. The Southern English dialect has no claim to exclusive preference.

An objector who should plead that homophones are not a nuisance might allege the longevity of the Chinese language, composed, I believe, chiefly of homophones distinguished from each other by an accentuation which must be delicate difficult and precarious. I remember that Max Müller [1864] instanced a fictitious sentence