Legal Writing

Is ?Religulous? A Word?

By Maeve

Since it’s the title of a movie, “religulous” must be said to be a word, but it’s not a very good one.

I object to it as I do to any movie title that spreads and reinforces incorrect forms of English spelling or idiom.

Critics to the contrary, English spelling has rules and the portmanteau word “religulous”, a combination of religion+ridiculous, or religion+incredulous, breaks one of them.

The letter g represents two different sounds, “hard g” and “soft g.”
The “hard” sound of the letter g is /g/ as in gun.
The “soft” sound of the letter g is /j/ as in gin.

Here’s the rule:
G has the “soft sound” when followed by the vowels e, i, or y.
Examples: genuine, ginger, gypsy, and gyves (the little leather ties used on the legs of hunting birds)

Before you ask: the g in girl is not followed by the vowel i. It is followed by the vowel/consonant combination ir and retains the “hard” sound: /gurl/

In spoken advertising, the movie is called /re-lij-u-lus/, but according to the rule, it would be /re-lig-u-lus/.

Is “Religulous” A Word?

Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on November 04, 2008 (boomark / email).