## [Playing with the letter “c” ](/en/blogue-blog/playing-with-the-letter-c-eng) Posted on October 28, 2024 Written by [Claudia Rathjen (About the author)](/en/blogue-blog/playing-with-the-letter-c-eng#auteur-author) ![](/sites/default/files/blog_playing-with-letter-c_376x250.png) The English language is a wondrous thing, is it not? It has an alphabet of only 26 letters but a soundscape almost twice as strong, with 44 different phonemes, or word sounds, represented by various letters and letter combinations. The sounds, in turn, fall into two categories: consonants and vowels. I could go on about the multifarious ways of spelling all these sounds, but I would digress. After all, this post is about the letter **c** and the curious and crazy things we can do with it if we flout the rules for just a moment. Before we get into the fun, though, a recap on the many guises the main character comes in: the s sound /s/, the k sound /k/, the sh sound /sh/ or the ch sound /tsh/, depending on what letters surround it. - the s sound /s/: ice, cell, recipe - the k sound /k/: call, cat, picnic - the sh sound /sh/: chef, champagne, rapacious - the ch sound /tsh/: cherry, arch, birch And of course there are many words that contain more than one **c** sound: cycle, cancel, success. Talk about phonetic flexibility! If you’re thinking, “Yeah, well, the letter **c** could probably be replaced by all those letters,” think again. My goal here is to mess things up graphemically and illustrate how versatile this letter is and how very much we (I) would miss it if it ceased to be. ## What’s in a letter? That which we call a “c” … Would all the words containing this versatile letter really ring (or look) just as sweet if **c** were replaced by the letters representing its phonemes? In other words, would the text be just as attractive? I think not. My reflection about this started the first time I saw my name spelled with a **k**: Klaudia. Wrong, I thought. Take a famous Shakespearian sonnet—for example, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?”—and see just how jarring a text without **c** can be: > … And often is his gold komplexion complexion spelled with an initial k dimmed; > And every fair from fair sometime deklines declines spelled with a k, > By tshance chance spelled with the letters t, s and h at the beginning, or nature’s tshangingchanging spelled with the letters t, s and h at the beginning kourse course spelled with a k, untrimmed… Or a more modern poem, such as Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”: > And hast thou slain the Jabberwokk Jabberwock spelled with two k's at the end? > Kome Come spelled with a k to my arms, my beamish boy! > O frabjous day! Kallooh Callooh spelled with a k! Kallay Callay spelled with a k!” > He tshortled chortled spelled with the letters t, s and h at the beginning in his joy. Even an innocent nursery rhyme comes off as outlandish: > Jakk Jack spelled with two k's at the end and Jill went up the hill > To fetsh fetch spelled with the letters t, s and h at the end a pail of water; > Jakk Jack spelled with two k's at the end fell down and broke his krown crown spelled with a k > And Jill kame came spelled with a k tumbling after. Charming? I think not. Removing the letter **c** from the alphabet, as Benjamin Franklin hoped to do in the late 18th century, would irretrievably impoverish the English language. My view as a language professional is the following: Language isn’t supposed to konfuse confuse spelled with a k; it’s supposed to elusidate elucidate spelled with an s. Kommunikation Communication spelled with two k's in any form should be klear clear spelled with a k and free of konfounding confounding spelled with a k kodes codes spelled with a k or siphers ciphers spelled with an s. Unless you are a dekoder decoder spelled with a k, kryptanalyst cryptanalyst spelled with a k or kryptographer cryptographer spelled with a k, you shouldn’t have to unskramble unscramble spelled with a k text as if it were sekret secret spelled with a k writing. Or unless, of kourse course spelled with a k, you are kreatively creatively spelled with a k tweaking language by using speshial special spelled with the letters s and h in the middle of the word devises sutsh such spelled with the letters t, s and h at the end as grapheme substitution or lowerkaselowercase spelled with a k letters at the beginnings of lines—e. e. kummings cummings spelled with a k, anyone? ## Conclusion Leave the letter **c**—and all its articulations—be. Arising from *gamma* in the Greek alphabet, taking on varied signs and sounds in the Corinthian, Latin, Etruscan, French—and more!—alphabets, and assuming the voiced and unvoiced sounds we use today (along with myriad exceptions), the letter **c** has a rich and complex etymology, leaving us with multiple pronunciations. This history is reflective of the English language itself, which ingeniously borrows and adapts words from other languages and makes them its own. So, although in this post I admittedly enjoyed cavorting with **c**, I wouldn’t change it for the world (or a **k** or an **s** or a c h **tsh**). ## Disclaimer The opinions expressed in posts and comments published on the Our Languages blog are solely those of the authors and commenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Language Portal of Canada. - [Leave a comment](#article-comments) - [Read the comments (3) ](#comments) ## Get to know Claudia Rathjen ![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/user-claudia-rathjen.png?itok=TKTgTpBy) ### Claudia Rathjen Claudia is a translator, mother of two and confirmed language lover. She enjoys the finer things in life—Quebec daily drama series, visits to the dog park and poutine on the canal. Having grown up trilingual, she strives to keep up on her reading in German, English and French, and to pass this delight on to her children. ## More posts by Claudia Rathjen - [My love affair with English poetry](/en/blogue-blog/my-love-affair-with-english-poetry-eng) - [A few of my favourite English words](/en/blogue-blog/few-of-my-favourite-english-words-eng) ## Search by related themes Looking for more blog posts on the same themes? Click on the links below to see all the posts on the Our Languages blog that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in [Language Navigator](/en/navigateur-navigator). - [General knowledge](/en/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=1416&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A464#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results) ## Leave a comment Please consult the “Comments and interaction” section on the [Canada.ca Terms and conditions page](https://www.canada.ca/en/transparency/terms.html) before adding your comment. The Language Portal of Canada reviews comments before they’re posted. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or remove any question or comment that violates these commenting guidelines. By submitting a comment, you permanently waive your moral rights, which means that you give the Government of Canada permission to use, reproduce, edit and share your comment royalty-free, in whole or in part, in any manner it chooses. You also confirm that nothing in your comment infringes third party rights (for example, the use of a text from a third party without his or her permission). Join in the conversation and share your comments! You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Your name **(required)** Email address (Example: yourname@domain.com) Comment **(required)** Submit Leave this field blank ## Comments Comments are displayed in the language they were submitted. Read comments Submitted by Anne Brierley on October 28, 2024, at 13:09 Loved this! Thanks for the good laugh. Kouldn't agree with you more. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/102759/comment/7745) In reply to [Loved this! Thanks for the](/en/comment/7745#comment-7745) by Anne Brierley Submitted by Claudia Rathjen on October 29, 2024, at 11:28 Haha, thanks. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/102759/comment/7750) Submitted by Desmond Fisher on November 12, 2024, at 12:51 Delightful, indeed! Thanks! I suspect most of our negative reaction to the replacement of "c" in the excerpts above stems from unfamiliarity. In the end, if people start to drop it in their writing, it may eventually disappear. Usage always wins. But there may be other letters on the chopping block first.... - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/102759/comment/7764) ## Related links - [Our Languages blog archives](/en/blogue-blog-archives) - [Write a post for the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/contribute-contribuer) - [Editorial policy for the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/politique-policy-eng) - [The Golden Quill: An initiative of the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/plume-dor-golden-quill-eng) - [Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog-index) (home page) - [Contact the Language Portal of Canada](/en/apropos-about-eng#a8) - 462 views - [Join in the conversation and share your comments!](/en/blogue-blog/playing-with-the-letter-c-eng#comment-form "Share your thoughts and opinions.") Language English