My entire life I have known speach to mean the verb that describes the act of speaking in the present tense, while speech to be the verb that is the past tense act of speaking professionally/publicly to a group.

According to google :The correct spelling is speech. “Speach” is an outdated spelling from hundreds of years ago and is now considered a spelling mistake.

  • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
    9·
    5 hours ago

    English degree and retired schoolmarm typing here.

    If you and I were speaking in person, what we were doing could be described as the act of speech. (act and speech are both nouns in that phrase) For the past tense you would say we spoke.

    Einstein up there looks like he’s giving a speech. Speech is a noun, like a candy, or a damn, which he could also give if he chose to.

    Sounds like somewhere in elementary school you got corrected on the spelling in the context of “he gave a speech” and decided that spelling was special to that meaning.

    Which is reasonable and allowed you to continue thinking

    (incorrectly, but also reasonably)

    speak–>speach

    But the truth is more boring, it’s only the one word for ordinary and special speech. And the correct spelling is not the reasonable one you derived.

    As to how it’s been this long…It’s the kind of error people might notice but assume it’s a typo and not bother to mention, because it’s not confusing.

    • spazzman6156@sh.itjust.works
      12·
      5 hours ago

      I can’t let this one go.

      That’s not Einstein, that’s Christopher Lloyd as “Doc Brown” in Back To The Future.

      His character’s look was likely influenced heavily by Einstein’s appearance, so I guess I see the confusion. But hard to believe you’re old enough to be retired and haven’t seen that movie, or at least references to that character.

    • Mr.Chewy@lemmy.world
      7·
      5 hours ago

      I don’t know what I’m more annoyed at. That you confused Doc from back to the future with Einstein or that as I’ve now seen “speach”, I can’t help but “ew” at “speech” despite first time ever hearing of “speach”. “Speach” is SO much better Dx

  • snoons@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    5 hours ago

    Does your family use it that way? Did you go to public school, home schooled?

    I could see overworked teachers not noticing, especially if your hand writing is ‘messy’ or just that it’s good enough.

    I’m thinking your family has used it that way since forever and taught you that way as well, which I think would be pretty cool.

  • dadarobot@lemmy.ml
    28·
    11 hours ago

    is speech (or speach i guess) ever a verb? its a noun describing the talking. you don’t speech, you speak.

    “slow speech” “give a speech” “her speech” “speech writer” “speech class”

    vs

    “speak with an accent” “speaking of the mandella effect” “i love to listen to you speak”

    i feel like youre getting ”speech” and ”speak" confused here…

  • TaterTot@piefed.socialEnglish
    6·
    8 hours ago

    Okay… fuck… I too was convinced it was speach. As in “to give a speach”. Welp, glad there’s someone else from my original Everett branch.

    • human@slrpnk.net
      3·
      7 hours ago

      I would pronounce that like the sound an old man would make when he’s clearing his throat. Perhaps before he gives a speech.

  • Trump Rapes Kids@lemmy.world
    81·
    9 hours ago

    “Speach” must be common usage in whatever universe you came from. It definitely isn’t in this one. People are getting much more dumber, though, so if you starts using it more people might will does it too.