Jean
Perhaps, Ugh
Is english easy????
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Jean Op den Kamp (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
I am having problems finding out why the word magniloquent makes me problems. Is it a problem for you to help me with this problem or can some of you stop making problems
And check that spell checker once more. It doesn't find any mistakes (lol)
loveUall
Jean
And check that spell checker once more. It doesn't find any mistakes (lol)
loveUall
Jean
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HairyHarry (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
English, what a language!
C-ough
R-ough
B-ough
Th-ough
Thr-ough
Yet foreigners do master it.
And soft and hard sounds, eg; access, thick and thin, this and that.
In Welsh, we solve the problem by being consistent through purity. C is always hard, TH is always soft. The hard TH sound is spelled DD.
C-ough
R-ough
B-ough
Th-ough
Thr-ough
Yet foreigners do master it.
And soft and hard sounds, eg; access, thick and thin, this and that.
In Welsh, we solve the problem by being consistent through purity. C is always hard, TH is always soft. The hard TH sound is spelled DD.
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DeaconBlues (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
Alright, it seems to me that this thread is dedicated to "bashing the English language." So my remarks here will (as usual) be entirely against the prevailing opinions.
First, I think I should offer a bit of background on my own experience with various languages. I know only ONE language, English (obviously), and I have learned a very little bit of several other languages, mostly Arabic, Spanish, Greek and Italian. I am NOT conversant in any of those languages, just had to deal with them.
Now, for most of my life, I thought as most of you seem to think, that English was a difficult language, we have so many seemingly impossible to understand rules of grammar, spelling and vocabulary are also difficult. Like most of the people around me, I hated all familiar things, and adored all alien things.
I ask all of you old enough to remember back then to the 70's, when we were being BOMBARDED NON STOP with the stupidest B.S. We were told that all problems in the history of the human race were caused by straight white males, women were stronger than men, smarter than men (debated since time began, but if the so fucking smart then why are so many of them so fucking unhappy all the time?), the United States was the cause of all things bad in the world, the metric system was INFINITELY better than the stupid system of weights and measures used ONLY in the U.S.... OH, yes, one more thing, aside from being the worst and most vile place on earth, the U.S. was populated with the worst and most vile people.... blah blah blah... and we speak the WORST LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD... The DREADFUL English language....
This INSANE self depricating sort of thought has so infected our culture that I believe most of us are now totally brainwashed and accepting anything bad any idiot has to say about us - and especially anything bad about straight white males.
I cannot possibly take on all of the insane hate filled garbage but here at least I will take up a defense of the English language. As compared to the other languages I am familiar with, the English language is far and away better, more easily understood and mastered, and more precise in communication. This is not only my own opinion, I only started to think so highly of the English language after I had discussed this very subject with a dear friend of mine, Jerry. He was a Greek, who had mastered the French language and had made his living teaching French, then learned English.
Jerry the French teacher was the first person I had ever met who had anything good to say about the English language. He actually said that English was a relatively easy language that any simpleton could grasp if they actually would try, and rated his own native Greek language more difficult and the French language as far more difficult to understand.
I am sorry that I cannot recall the particulars of the beginning of the "Esparanto" language, it was a failed "universal language" that was developed to be the most easily learned language. The idea was that it would be easier for anyone to learn Esparanto than any other language, and that it would become a language of intenational communication. Great idea, but it did not catch on. I do remember that Jerry told me that the developer of the Esparanto language got the idea for a super-easy to learn language as he was learning English. What struck him was that the English language, UNlike French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Greek and damn near every other language, did not require the verbs to be "declined" as to gender, case and such.
Sure, we do change our verbs in the English language for a plural (e.g. "A boy runs away" changes to "Boys run away") but there is not a different spelling or pronunciation of the verb if the subject is male, female or neuter. Same goes for objects, my "car" is spelled and pronounced the same even if it were the car of a woman, or group or women, or group of men. In other languages, especially Arabic, the verb, subject and object all take a different spelling and pronunciation, and Arabic further complicates things by having at least SIX different cases (masc. sing., masc. DUAL, masc. plural, fem. sing., fem. DUAL, and fem. plural).
The Arabic language was inflicted upon me for a few years. Every one of the many people who taught me Arabic were emphatic in telling me that Arabic grammar and pronunciation was so much more logical and sensible than English.... The Arabic language might just be "logical" but it is much much much more complex, and the vast majority of "Arabs" do NOT regularly speak Arabic, there are at least 22 different dialects that are spoken in the "Arab" world. Most Arabs drop all the complex grammatical stuff and speak the local language.
I could go on and on, but this post is already too damn long. Suffice to say that I believe the English language is in fact a relatively easy to learn and master language, especially when given fair comparrison to other languages.
p.s. Last night I watched one of my favorite movies, "My Fair Lady" (Audrey Hepburn is sooooo totally beautiful!). I suppose I sound a lot like "Professor Henry Higgens" in my praise of the English language, but seriously, there is a lot of merit to that praise.
First, I think I should offer a bit of background on my own experience with various languages. I know only ONE language, English (obviously), and I have learned a very little bit of several other languages, mostly Arabic, Spanish, Greek and Italian. I am NOT conversant in any of those languages, just had to deal with them.
Now, for most of my life, I thought as most of you seem to think, that English was a difficult language, we have so many seemingly impossible to understand rules of grammar, spelling and vocabulary are also difficult. Like most of the people around me, I hated all familiar things, and adored all alien things.
I ask all of you old enough to remember back then to the 70's, when we were being BOMBARDED NON STOP with the stupidest B.S. We were told that all problems in the history of the human race were caused by straight white males, women were stronger than men, smarter than men (debated since time began, but if the so fucking smart then why are so many of them so fucking unhappy all the time?), the United States was the cause of all things bad in the world, the metric system was INFINITELY better than the stupid system of weights and measures used ONLY in the U.S.... OH, yes, one more thing, aside from being the worst and most vile place on earth, the U.S. was populated with the worst and most vile people.... blah blah blah... and we speak the WORST LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD... The DREADFUL English language....
This INSANE self depricating sort of thought has so infected our culture that I believe most of us are now totally brainwashed and accepting anything bad any idiot has to say about us - and especially anything bad about straight white males.
I cannot possibly take on all of the insane hate filled garbage but here at least I will take up a defense of the English language. As compared to the other languages I am familiar with, the English language is far and away better, more easily understood and mastered, and more precise in communication. This is not only my own opinion, I only started to think so highly of the English language after I had discussed this very subject with a dear friend of mine, Jerry. He was a Greek, who had mastered the French language and had made his living teaching French, then learned English.
Jerry the French teacher was the first person I had ever met who had anything good to say about the English language. He actually said that English was a relatively easy language that any simpleton could grasp if they actually would try, and rated his own native Greek language more difficult and the French language as far more difficult to understand.
I am sorry that I cannot recall the particulars of the beginning of the "Esparanto" language, it was a failed "universal language" that was developed to be the most easily learned language. The idea was that it would be easier for anyone to learn Esparanto than any other language, and that it would become a language of intenational communication. Great idea, but it did not catch on. I do remember that Jerry told me that the developer of the Esparanto language got the idea for a super-easy to learn language as he was learning English. What struck him was that the English language, UNlike French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Greek and damn near every other language, did not require the verbs to be "declined" as to gender, case and such.
Sure, we do change our verbs in the English language for a plural (e.g. "A boy runs away" changes to "Boys run away") but there is not a different spelling or pronunciation of the verb if the subject is male, female or neuter. Same goes for objects, my "car" is spelled and pronounced the same even if it were the car of a woman, or group or women, or group of men. In other languages, especially Arabic, the verb, subject and object all take a different spelling and pronunciation, and Arabic further complicates things by having at least SIX different cases (masc. sing., masc. DUAL, masc. plural, fem. sing., fem. DUAL, and fem. plural).
The Arabic language was inflicted upon me for a few years. Every one of the many people who taught me Arabic were emphatic in telling me that Arabic grammar and pronunciation was so much more logical and sensible than English.... The Arabic language might just be "logical" but it is much much much more complex, and the vast majority of "Arabs" do NOT regularly speak Arabic, there are at least 22 different dialects that are spoken in the "Arab" world. Most Arabs drop all the complex grammatical stuff and speak the local language.
I could go on and on, but this post is already too damn long. Suffice to say that I believe the English language is in fact a relatively easy to learn and master language, especially when given fair comparrison to other languages.
p.s. Last night I watched one of my favorite movies, "My Fair Lady" (Audrey Hepburn is sooooo totally beautiful!). I suppose I sound a lot like "Professor Henry Higgens" in my praise of the English language, but seriously, there is a lot of merit to that praise.
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Dave (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
English is an absolute beast of a language. I've helped people translate technical papers into English and the shades of meanings just baffle many people.
What's a gumband? What's a Can of Pop? I put out a light, do you silly folk actually turn it off? (That turns me on!) Does your hair need washed? Those are all English phrases. (Pittsburgh-ism)... Yuns just don't speak my English. I know, a real American Mill Hunk told me so...
The point being that English is so diverse, it's a pain in the (pick one) ass, arse, buttocks, butt, tush, etc...
What's a gumband? What's a Can of Pop? I put out a light, do you silly folk actually turn it off? (That turns me on!) Does your hair need washed? Those are all English phrases. (Pittsburgh-ism)... Yuns just don't speak my English. I know, a real American Mill Hunk told me so...
The point being that English is so diverse, it's a pain in the (pick one) ass, arse, buttocks, butt, tush, etc...
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Jean Op den Kamp (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
Dave (imported) wrote: Wed May 13, 2009 8:02 am The point being that English is so diverse, it's a pain in the (pick one) ass, arse, buttocks, butt, tush, etc...
I am really not sure about this one. Wha, really can't answer for you,
only I know that English can not be:
A pain in the ass,................................
because that is me !!!
Do I have to pick one?? Can't I take them all, sounds great to me. (lol)
loveUall
Jean
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eunuch2001 (imported)
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Re: Is english easy????
Dave (imported) wrote: Wed May 13, 2009 8:02 am The point being that English is so diverse, it's a pain in the (pick one) ass, arse, buttocks, butt, tush, etc...
I love the English language for its diversity; its shades and nuances of meaning contribute greatly to our literature and poetry. I also understand why this diversity causes problems for translators and those trying to learn the language.
Ironically, I have often found a far higher standard of spoken and written English from people for whom English is not their first language. Born English-speakers can be grammatically lazy and use far too many colloquialisms.
I know a Russian gentleman whose command of English is superb. His is the only answering-machine message I have ever encountered that starts with the word "Alas".