School vs. schedule

Question

Please tell me why you pronounce the word 'school' (skool), but the word 'schedule' (shedule).Many thanksCLB

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Because you're British.

The Linguist

Mister Micawber · Answer

Again, not very helpful, Linguist.

Hello, CLB. As Linguist has tried unsuccessfully to suggest, the pronunciations of 'schedule' are different in the US and the UK. The modern British pronunciation ("shed-yul") is from French influence, while the U.S. pronunciation ("sked-yul") is from the practice of Noah Webster (the US dictionary writer), and is based on the Greek original.

The /sk/ pronunciation of 'school' goes back much further: O.E. scol, from L. schola, from Gk. skhole

Anonymous · Answer

Mr Micawber!

First my answers are too long, then they're too short. I just can't catch a break with you.

Anyway, thanks for the question, CLB. I love thinking about language, and your question gave me something to think about.

A trip to the dictionary shows me that there is a general rule:

Sch- words of Germanic origin are pronounced /sh/: schnapps, schottische, mensch.

Sch- words of Greek origin are pronounced /sk/: schizophrenia, scheme.

There are exceptions: schist, a word of Greek origin, but borrowed from French and pronounced /shist/ and schism, another Greek word borrowed from French and commonly pronounced /sizm/.

So that would seem to answer the question....

WARNING! I am about to go into total wonk mode. Mr Micawber, please step away from the computer!

but does it really?

Because here's the thing. We can find school spelled scole in Middle English and scol in Old English.

So let's not ask the question, Why is school pronounced /skool/?
Let's ask the question, Why is /skool/ spelled school?

In other words, where did that -h- come from?

Best guess: During the Renaissance when scholars began to study Latin and Greek, they noticed that the Greek word was spelled sigma-chi-omicron-lambda-eta. Chi usually shows up as -ch- in English. (Christ, charisma). So they (the scholars) said, We're educated people, We know there's supposed to be a -ch- in there, Let's put it back!

(Students. Please do not emulate my use of commas in your school papers. I'm writing in an informal style.)

Wild speculation: When the first printing presses came to England in the late 1400's
Dutch speaking typesetters came along with them. They're the ones who are said to have put the -h- in ghost. Could they have put the -h- in school?

Okay, but what about schedule?

The dictionary tells me that we find sedule in Middle English and cedule in Old French, presumably pronounced /s/.

Oh gosh.

The scholars got their hands on it and decided to put back the -ch-?
(Late Latin schedula, from the Greek word for papyrus leaf)

The Brits decided it was elegant to pronounce it like a French word?

The Americans decided it was educated to pronounce it like a Greek word?

Or was it the post-revolutionary war lexicographer Noah Webster who, in his enthusiasm for the new country of America, decided to change the spelling of words like colour and centre?

Ya got me by the ears.

The Linguist

School vs. schedule

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