Silent Letters by Gunnarolla Lyrics

There's one thing that I find so amusing
About this language that we're using
Others may find it so confusing
It's silent letters
Shhh...

The following letters should be seen, not heard
To non-native speakers this may seem absurd
So use these tips to help you pronounce these words with silent letters
Shhh...

B is silent when it follows an M
G and K are silent followed by an N
G and H you don't hear before a T
And L is silent before F, M, K, D
See it's easy, it makes total sense

For pysch- and pneu-, you remove the P
U is gone between a vowel and a G
WH as in "Where did the H go?"
I don't know where it went; why was it there in the first place?
So you may wonder why we keep them around
When these letters don't even make a sound
Listen closely to the reason I found for the silent letters
Shhh...

The magic E when it ends a word
Ensures that a long vowel sound is heard

Some letters help to emphasize the syllable that we should prioritize

And finally some other letters due to spellings retained
So the origins of the words can be ascertained

So with all this is mind, let's try to pronounce the following words
Shhh...

Salmon
Aisle
Colonel
Isthmus
Cockburn
Schenectady
"Though the tough cough and hiccough plough him through."

So some may say my list is not comprehensive
That's true, I'm not gonna get defensive
Rules and exceptions are quite extensive with silent letters
Shhh...
And although we make it so complicated
Their importance can't be overstated
I really wish they were appreciated

The silent letters
Shhh...