Why doesn't the soft G rule always work?

Answer 1

There are some rules with hard and soft C/G. The hard C makes a K sound, which is the regular pronunciation while the soft C makes an S sound. The hard G sounds almost like a K, but in a voiced sound or a voiced K, which is the regular pronunciation and the soft G makes a J sound. The hard pronunciation sound is the regular pronunciation. Whether the C/G is hard or soft, it depends on the following letters. If the C/G is followed by an E, I, or Y, which are the softeners, then they'll soften into an S/J sound. If the C/G is followed by anything else or it ends a word, then they'll remain hard.

Hard C=K Sound

Soft C=S Sound

Hard G=G Sound

Soft G=J Sound

C/G→E, I, Y=Soft Sound (S/J)

C/G→Anything Else=Hard Sound (K/G)

The soft C rules doesn't cause any problem because the C have another same sound letter, which is K, so if the following letters is a softener, the K can just replace the C. The soft G rules can cause some problem because the G doesn't another same sound letter, therefore if we still want a hard G sound, English is forced to stick with the G. That's why the soft G rules doesn't work as often as C. There are some rule-breaker exceptions like gear, get, gelding, give, girl, giggle, gift, tiger, gill, etc. Verb suffixes like singing, hanging, etc. then that's when the G remains hard despite the following softeners. Here are some rule-breaker exceptions with the soft G rule:

anger, hunger, burger, bagel, gibbon, gibbous, geese, eager, fungi, login, begin, singer, hanger, Giza, gecko, linger, together

Answer 2

The soft G rule, which states that a G followed by E, I, or Y is pronounced like a "j" sound, doesn't always work because English is a complex language with many exceptions. There are words borrowed from other languages or with unique origins that do not follow this rule, leading to inconsistencies in pronunciation.