Aussie: The "e" in "give" and "have" were absolutely pronounced at one time - not just suspected to have been pronounced. "Give" and "have" are related to the German "geben" and "haben." The "e" in "Ich gebe" and "Ich habe" are still pronounced. Also - and you can see this in these two words - German words with a "b" are often written in English as a "v." Fieber=Fever; heben= to heave; Liebe=love; leben=to live; Grab=grave; schieben=to shove.

Your explanation of the "y" in "stray" may or may not be correct, but as in the above, German can also explain a "y" (although not in the case of "stray"). There is a connection between the English "y" and the German "g." Tag=Day; Gelb=Yellow; legen=to lay; mögen=may.

I don't think the "l" in "balm" and "calm" are there for spelling purposes. For one, many English speakers pronounce that "l." "Balsam" and "balm" are related and both have an "l."

AnWulf: That is the first thing that I thought when I saw "talk." In my part of Maryland, we generally pronounce the "l" in "talk." What blows my mind is that some people pronounce "Mary," "merry," and "marry" all differently.

"Are you lonesome tonight?" was written in 1926, but Elvis Presley called it "Are you lonesome to-night?" in 1960.