In the notehand book (what I’m learning rn) they always refer to the different symbols as “sounds.” but I’m starting to see that some words are more alphabetic.
For example (in both simplified and anniversary) the word opera ends with the big “a” loop even though phonetically it sounds like “oper – uh.” It never says in the book that the ‘a’ loop can make that sound, so it obviously comes from its spelling. another example is actually, where the book uses T rather that Sh like its pronounced
These are just a few examples, I’ve found a bunch though. I’ve also heard that later versions become more phonetic (like just how it sounds vs spelling)
So when am I supposed to follow the spelling of the word vs how it sounds when we say it? And does this apply to other versions as well?