Obviously fish is spelt f-i-s-h but the ghoti spelling demonstrates how difficult the English language is and how nonsensical it must appear to non-English speakers, just as English people may find it ridiculous that Katarzyna (a Polish name) is pronounced Kasha. Not sure about whether there are other examples, I should imagine there would be though!
er ... sophie, in Poland Kasha is the short version of Katarzyna, just as Basia is short for Barbara, or in England as Will or Bill are shortend versions of William. Hardly ridiculous
Oh sorry, just re-read your answer, so how is the long version pronounced? at the school I worked we were told by a little girl of that name that it was pronounced Kasha?
* gh, pronounced /f/ as in tough /tʌf/;
* o, pronounced /ɪ/ as in women /ˈwɪmɪn/; and
* ti, pronounced /ʃ/ as in nation /ˈneɪʃən/.
The first known published reference is in 1874, citing an 1855 letter that credits ghoti to one William Ollier (born 1824).[1] Ghoti is often cited to support English spelling reform, and is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw,[2] a supporter of this cause. However, a biography of Shaw attributes it instead to an anonymous spelling reformer
Ahh, didn't realise that! Interestingly enough, we just had an English lesson today on spelling and what has influenced English spelling. Apparently one reason we have words with 'extra' letters is because in the c.7th - 9th centuries, monks, who were the only ones who could really write at the time, were paid by the inch. This, combined with the fact that at that time there was no standardised spelling meant they made words longer so they would get paid more!