This is a short clip of real-life wife and husband Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz reading a children’s book on their 1950’s television show, I Love Lucy. While they perform the skit for its comedic value, it shows one of the many idiosyncrasies of the English language that as a writer drives me crazy. How can the same letters in the same order be pronounced differently?

As I write, I try to remember that the English language is a complex set of words adopted from a variety of languages. These nuances can be maddening, but they also give the English language its spice and variety.