Mind-boggling

I am reading this book at the moment. And a passage really got my mind going:

Then Plank spoke. 'The reason why there's no Plank in the lists is not because there's no Plank - there is - but because Plank is not spelled Plank. That is why.'

Von Igelfeld looked puzzled.

This was another English idiosyncrasy. How many ways were there of spelling Plank? Planc? Planque?

Plank appeared to be enjoying the guests' confusion. 'You may be aware', he said, 'that there are various English surnames which are spelled and pronounced in quite different ways. One of the best-known examples is Featherstonehaugh, which is pronounced Fanshawe. Then there is Cholmondeley, which is simply pronounced Chumley, and of course anybody called Beauchamps is usually Beecham.'

Von Igelfeld nodded.'I have noticed that,' he said. 'There was a Professor Chumley at a conference once and he pointed out that the spelling of his name was rather different. That would not happen in Germany.'

'No,' said Plank. 'I gather that German is spelled as you pronounce it. Curious, but there we are.'

'So how do you spell Plank?' asked Matthew Gurewitsch.

'Haughland,' said Plank.

Von Igelfeld could not conceal his astonishment. 'Haughland?'

'Indeed,' said Haughland (voce, Plank). 'It's an old family from the eastern fens somewhere. Virtually in the water.'

'But your humour remained dry,' observed Matthew Gurewitsch.

Ha! I am mind-boggled, to say the least.

Made me wonder how many transformations that the English language had to go through to reach the stature that it is now. As it is presently, I found pronouncing English words an endless guessing game.

Mind-boggling. Really.