After all, how to write the word way? It should be spelled like this, with the consonant j, or be spelled way, with g? Here is one of the words that most provoke doubts at the time of writing. Rest assured, let's fix it!
To put an end to this spelling doubt, it is important to highlight the occurrence of homophone words in our Portuguese language. homophony (from the greek homo = equal and phone = sound) between consonant graphemes is one of the main reasons for the deviation from orthographic norms. Furthermore, in the specific case of the word way, the doubt comes from the phonetic similarity of the phonemes /g/ and /j/. So how will we know the correct way to spell the word in question?
The differentiation of the uses of the graphemes g and j is based on the historiography of the words. For this reason, the etymological root of the word hang must be consulted to ensure that it is spelled correctly. Thus, according to the Michaellis dictionary, the word is from the Latin jactus, whose meaning is
arrangement, convenience, dexterity, finesse, skill, among other meanings. Observing its etymological root, we conclude that the word way it must be so spelled, with j, not g. The same rule applies for the following words:Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Cherry tree
fix
handsome
reject
subject
grimace
cheesemaker
handsome
clumsy
All the words above also obey the following rule: before the diphthong -Hey, one must use the consonant j. Some exceptions can be found, such as the words foreign, light and passenger, whose writing with g leads us to etymological questions.
So, discard this error once and for all, way is written with j!
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "Way with j or way with g?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/jeito-com-j-ou-geito-com-g.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.