Orthography is typically more conservative than pronunciation, so when the language was written down, all letters were pronounced.
Comparing cognates can be interesting.
For example English 'night' with German 'nacht', the original English pronunciation was closer to the German one.
Or 'knife' with French 'canif' (pronounced like it's spelled, for once).
Orthography is typically more conservative than pronunciation, so when the language was written down, all letters were pronounced.
Comparing cognates can be interesting.
For example English 'night' with German 'nacht', the original English pronunciation was closer to the German one.
Or 'knife' with French 'canif' (pronounced like it's spelled, for once).