Why do Dumb and Numb Have Silent 'b's? opus 961
| 8 October 2026 0722 Hours | | Linguistics, Communication, Current Events, Custom, History, Politics |
Mr. Trump, in a typical, rambling speech,
Began criticizing his opponents, throwing out the word 'dumb',
And 'coining' the word 'Dumbocrats.
He emphasized that people don't spell correctly
And have no idea that there is a 'b' at the end!
I began thinking about this, wondering just why that is so.
Well, my research uncovered an interesting narrative.
Words like 'dumb' and 'numb' have silent 'b's because of
A great shift in English pronunciation
Called 'consonant cluster simplification'.
The 'b' sound disappeared long ago, but the spelling remained.
Old English was pronounced 'dum-b' and 'num-b',
And this is still heard in some Germanic languages
Such as in Icelandic, where lamb (lam) is voiced 'lam-b'.
The sounds 'm' and 'b' together were awkward.
Dropping the final 'b' made speech smoother and faster.
This is called phonotactics: the 'rule'
Of making sounds easy to say together.
So, Mr. Trump, would one now be able
To further criticize you for 'dumbness'?