Pronunciation Weirdness

In the phrase:
(meaning "What is this?"), why does the letter sound more like "sh" than "ch"?

Simple: you try pronouncing "ch'to" . Hard on your tongue, isn't it? Now try pronouncing it as "shto" . Easier, isn't it? Sometimes a sound has to shift a little to make things easier on our vocal apparatus.

What would you like to do next?

  1. Find out why the is pronounced differently in the two words.
  2. Find out where the word "is" went.
  3. Continue with the tutorial.
  4. Go back to the "What is this" page.