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Learning English?
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P. Rockwell
P. Rockwell
Well-Connected

Jun-30-2005 20:23

I'm trying to learn Italian. But since I'm from Potato Land, where we speak with as many grunts as we do nouns. So this semester while everyone has been learning Italian, I have been learning English. (Did anyone else not know that the Perfected Present is really in the past?)
So with all these non-native English speakers around I thought ya'll (3rd person plural-Italian Loro :) might enjoy some of these.

Replies

Cicero
Cicero
Well-Connected

Jul-4-2005 21:53

I really think that's more of an opinion than any true fact.

It's true that navajo is very hard to learn and was used as code during WWII but to say japenese is the 2nd or even to rank them?

I suppose your putting Japenese up there because of the tonal qualities and the huge number of characters, but these difficulties can arise in many languages including (but not limited to) arabic, Korean, many tribal languages in Africa (clicking is something I can not do for the life of me) and most importantly Mongolian. Have you ever seen Mongolian Script? It's truly amazing.

Besides more people speak mandarin than any other language so for most of the world it probably wasnt' very hard to learn...

jstkdn
jstkdn
Well-Connected

Jul-5-2005 05:28

It most likely depends what your mother tongue is to qualify what is the hardest. Factoring in not only pronounciation, but also the difficulty of grammer.

Another reason I find that the English language is the easiest to learn. Is that no matter in which country you are, there is music with english texts, adds, TV, people to pratice with, availability of courses in a lot of places in the world. In a lot of countries you are exposed to English from a very early age, which makes it easier to learn.

P. Rockwell
P. Rockwell
Well-Connected

Jul-5-2005 06:45

Heres a music one:

Did you know the English Horn is neither English or a Horn?

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:06

English Humor:

We'll begin with box; the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

But the plural of mouse in not ever meese.

You may find a lone mouse, or a whole nest of mice,

But the plural of house is still never hice.

If the plural of man is always men

Why shouldn't the plural of pan be pen?

If I speak of a foot and you show me two feet,

And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth, and a whole set are teeth

Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

If a singular this is a plural these

Should the plural of kiss ever be keese?

We speak of a brother and also call brethren,

And though we say mother we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim.


- Alice Hess Beveridge




DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:14

English Language:
A veritable storehouse of humor

English has virtually ousted most other languages of the world and is currently reigning supreme as the major language of commerce, medicine, electronics, space technology, aviation, sea navigation and what not. Nearly, all the information stored in the world’s computers is in English.

English grammar is quite complicated. Learning English can be a frustrating experience for some and fun for others.

Recently, the word paradigm has been bandied about extensively in business circles, thanks to Stephen Covey, author of the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Paradigm means perception, assumption or a frame of reference. When I read this book a few years ago, I didn’t know how to pronounce paradigm. I understood later that it should be pronounced as paradime. Where does the letter ‘g’ come in, simply beats my imagination. Wouldn’t be better if it were spelled as it sounds?

Luckily, in Bahasa Indonesia, paradigm is translated as paradigma and pronounced as such. Which, then, is a user-friendly language, Indonesian or English?

In English, the meaning of some words may totally vary, depending upon the context in which they are used. The other day I read a caption in The Jakarta Post: 11 mental patients at large in Manila. We know large means big. But the message conveyed here is that “11 mental patients escaped from the hospital”. How can we expect the learners of English to decipher such meanings?

English is a funny language. For instance, if you have horrible dreams while sleeping during daytime, it’s still called a nightmare. The word doctoring is used to change the figures to hide the truth in a financial statement. Isn’t it a demeaning word for the medical profession? Midwife does not mean one more woman in a man’s life. A midwife helps pregnant women to give birth. A ring is a circular thing; if so, how do you explain a boxing ring, which is a square

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:16

America and England are bosom friends in almost all global issues but coming down to the language, they are a world apart.

An American cannot visit English in the “fall” season—he should choose the British “autumn”. If he wishes to stay in England, he should look for a flat, not an apartment.

For breakfast, he should ask for jam, not jelly. In a restaurant, he must call for a bill rather than a “check”. He can’t use an overpass—he must “fly over” in Britain. He can’t “mail” a letter in the UK, but “post” it.

A billboard in the U.S. is the same as a hoarding in England. By the way, hoarding also means black marketing. One fails to understand why it is used for “outdoor advertising”. Logic must have been the first casualty in the evolution of English.

A queen rules England but still, the country is called a kingdom—not a queendom! Well, if Her Majesty accepts the status, who are we, “dumb” fellow, to worry?

I once had a Scottish boss. His English pronunciation used to be so difficult to understand that I could never make head or tail out of it. Consequently, I often resolved the problem by simply availing “French” leave, just to escape from his English onslaught!

It is, indeed, a privilege to be able to speak more than one language. But, what happens if each country develops its own version of English?

For instance, Singaporeans speak “Singlish”, which can be quite jarring to the ears. It may take a while to comprehend their lahs (laws?)

Indians love to use the word kindly in the place of please. Some are “over-kindly” though, when they write: “Please kindly reply”! There is no one particular version of Indian English. Indians tend to use English in different accents and pronunciations. Sometimes, what they fail to convey in English, they adequately compensate by their body language and facial expressions.

Gujarati English can be quite different from the Tamilish spoken down in South India. Incidentally, the Tamils don’t send telegrams; instead they “give” telegrams. It is because of the pitfall of direct translation int

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:20

into English from Tamil.

There are, now, in the world more non-native speakers than native speakers of English. But, surprisingly, in Indonesia, native speakers are the most sought after, for teaching English.

The Dutch are indeed very clever. When they invite you for a “Dutch treat”, don’t be carried away by their kind offer. It is clearly a trap. Wheat they mean is that each person is expected to pay his or her own share of the bill. The only consolation, for which we must be ever grateful to the Dutch, is that they don’t make us pay for their entertainment too!

Euphemisms come in handy for “soft” landings. Price “increases” hide behind “price adjustments”. Governments usually get away with “deficit” budgeting for “over-spending”. For laying off hundreds of workers, companies these days resort to “down-sizing”.

The Jakarta Post editors relish using words like “inking the document”, “kicking off a meeting”, etc. Don’t you feel a little uneasy, reading these phrases?

According to a UNDP report, English is used in almost 80 percent of Internet websites. Those who browse the Internet are called Netizens. I’m afraid that the recent “Internet addiction” by youngsters will be a “world-wide-worry” soon. We should take steps to arrest this trend before the next generation becomes “Nutizens”.

“Pauses” are quite important in spoken English, as the “commas” in written English. This is a story about two neighbor families. One day, the husbands were discussing spending the weekend at a nearby resort. That evening, one of the wives met the neighbor’s husband. She asked him what was the discussion about. He replied that there was a proposal to go on a picnic during the weekend. She then inquired: “Who are all going?” “You my wife I your husband”, said the man, without batting an eyelid. I leave it to you to guess the lady’s reaction.

Surely, we cannot do without English in whichever field we are employed. Well, then, why don’t we all enjoy

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:23

the humor in English with all its nuances (nuisances)?

by : D. Chandramouli

Tell us what you think of this article

Sorry this was really really long, but I thought it was interesting and might be enjoyed, since it goes along with what's been shared so far. If a moderator feels it's too much, then you have my permission to delete it all. Love ya'll.

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

This reply has been deleted by a Moderator

DaRu
DaRu
Well-Connected

Jul-8-2005 20:33

Oops!, I clicked the button twice. I need the assistance of a Moderator please! Thank you kindly.

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