"R, M, and D are strong, unbending and faithful. The sometimes silent B and G and the slippery K follow strident codes of conduct. Even the redoubtable H, which can make P sound like F and turn ROOM into RHEUM, obeys etymology. Consonants are the camels of language, proudly carrying their lingual loads.
Vowels, however, are a different species, the fish that flash and glisten in the watery depths. Vowels are elastic and inconstant, fickle and unfaithful. E can sound like I or U, -IBLE and -ABLE are impossible to discern. There is no combination the vowels haven't tried, exhaustive and incestuous is their couplings. E will just as soon pair with A, I, or O, leading the dance or being led."
~ Bee Season, Myla Goldberg
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