RE: Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

[angelsmom10]

 
This was emailed to me today and I ve seen it before, but just wanted to share.  This is not to start anything but I have a problem with a lot of schools making it manatory to learn a foreign language and teaching other classes in that language because of immigrants.  My ancestors came from Germany/Austria/Hungary in the early 1900 s and had to learn the English language to survive.  They wanted a better place and were willing to work for it even with the following concerns.
 
 Subject: English!
 
 Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
 
       1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
       2) The farm was used to produce produce.
       3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
       4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
       5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
       6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
       7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it
            was time to present the present.
        A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
       9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
     10) I did not object to the object.
     11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
     12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
     13) They were too close to the door to close it.
     14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
     15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
     16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
     17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
     18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
     19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
     20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
     21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
 
 
     There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren t invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren t sweet, are meat. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don t fing, grocers don t groce and hammers don t ham? If the plural  of tooth is teeth, why isn t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? Doesn t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end? If teachers taught, why didn t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
 P.S. - Why doesn t " Buick"  rhyme with " quick.
 
 

[vjm1639]

 angelsmom10
How funny....I was trying to find this just the other day after a conversation we had at work!    I LOVE this!

[wiininkwe]

 angelsmom10
I have written and rewritten this post a few times, trying to determine the best way to say what I feel without sounding rigid or offending anyone.   I agree with the premise of Nancy s post about English being such a ridiculous language, and acknowledge the fact that it s very difficult to learn as a second language.  The email that she posted really points that out in a comical way.
   Now, having said that, and keeping in mind that I come from a culture that has lost to a great extent our own language and rebelled against assimilation into  European  culture, let me also say that as an American I feel it is important for those who come to this country to take advantage of the benefits of living here to at least learn enough English to make sure that they can function in everyday life.   Please don t misunderstand me, I would never suggest that they must forsake the language and customs that belong to them.  But, a company in my area at one time offered language classes, not to the foreign speaking employees, but to the english speaking employees, so that we could understand them.  That doesn t make sense to me.  If they came here to be Americans, then they should expect to act, and talk like Americans.   At least in the work place.   I ll probably get really flamed for this, but please remember, I don t mean for this to be a trouble making post, just trying to say what I feel.  
 T

[angelsmom10]

 wiininkwe

 

ORIGINAL:  wiininkwe
 
 I have written and rewritten this post a few times, trying to determine the best way to say what I feel without sounding rigid or offending anyone.   I agree with the premise of Nancy s post about English being such a ridiculous language, and acknowledge the fact that it s very difficult to learn as a second language.  The email that she posted really points that out in a comical way.
   Now, having said that, and keeping in mind that I come from a culture that has lost to a great extent our own language and rebelled against assimilation into  European  culture, let me also say that as an American I feel it is important for those who come to this country to take advantage of the benefits of living here to at least learn enough English to make sure that they can function in everyday life.   Please don t misunderstand me, I would never suggest that they must forsake the language and customs that belong to them.  But, a company in my area at one time offered language classes, not to the foreign speaking employees, but to the english speaking employees, so that we could understand them.  That doesn t make sense to me.  If they came here to be Americans, then they should expect to act, and talk like Americans.   At least in the work place.   I ll probably get really flamed for this, but please remember, I don t mean for this to be a trouble making post, just trying to say what I feel.  
 T
 

Well put, I don t ever want to deprive anyone of their heritage, and as my DD CHOOSE to take 4 years of German in high school, I don t expect her to have to talk German to people.  We live in America and she should speak it, if she were to MOVE and live in Germany, that she had better[] speak their native language.

[wiininkwe]

 angelsmom10
Thanks Nancy, I was very nervous about printing this post, and almost didn t.  Then I decided that we are all here to share our thoughts and feelings with one another, and if I don t post this, I may never hear someone elses viewpoint on this matter either.  
 T
 []

[angelsmom10]

 wiininkwe

 

ORIGINAL:  wiininkwe
 
 Thanks Nancy, I was very nervous about printing this post, and almost didn t.  Then I decided that we are all here to share our thoughts and feelings with one another, and if I don t post this, I may never hear someone elses viewpoint on this matter either.  
 T
 []
 

I was the same way, but decided to give it a try.  It s only an opinion and I don t expect everyone to agree, but I sure don t want anyone to " flame"  me especially as it was put in a humorous manner.

[vjm1639]

 angelsmom10

We live in America and she should speak it

I whole heartedly agree!      It s wonderful to have the opportunity to learn different languages so that we can talk to visitor from other countries or be able to talk and understand when we visit, but...if you live in America, you should learn to speak American!
 
 

[jpreiser]

 angelsmom10

whole heartedly agree! It s wonderful to have the opportunity to learn different languages so that we can talk to visitor from other countries or be able to talk and understand when we visit, but...if you live in America, you should learn to speak American!

 
 
 
 I did not know American was a language I thought we spoke English?

[birol]

 jpreiser
I did not read the top messages to stay objective. English is easy to learn !  Except a few irregular rules, piece of cake ! And it enriched my world/thought process beyond imagination all these years.
 
 I wish I had no accent []

[LoadedCamera]

 angelsmom10
I love it!!!!!  Talk about making you think!!!  I am going to make sure that all my friends read this.  It is the ultimate of simplicity and causes great pains as parts of my brain begin to work that haven t been challenged in a long time!
 
 If you have more, please post them...  I find them both humorous and entertaining!
 

[labontefan]

 angelsmom10
A looooooong time ago I taught first year Spanish in a junior high school. My studuents were all 9th graders. Sometimes they would complain about Spanish being hard to pronounce. I would always tell them that Spanish words are easy to pronounce. There are very few rules of pronunciation, and if there is an exception, then there is a written accent mark. Then I would tell them that, other than languages which use a different alphabet, English is one of the hardest languages for a non-native speaker to learn. One of the reasons is the wide variety of pronunciations. I always used this as an example:
 
 How would you pronounce " GHOTI" ?
 
 
 
 Say the " GH"  as in " touGH" .
 
 
 
 Say the " O"  as in " wOmen" .
 
 
 
 Say the " TI"  as in " moTIon."
 
 
 
 Figured it out???
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Here are some hints...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ____ing rod
 
 " Go ____"  (the card game)
 
 ____ and chips
 
 [][][][][][][]

[angelsmom10]

 birol

 

ORIGINAL:  birol
 
 ......
 I wish I had no accent []
 

Don t worry, we all have an accent in one form or another.  When I go to my Aunt s in Chattanooga, after a day or two, I start to pick up her accent, and one time we went shopping at a major department store - while talking to the clerk, she blurtted out - " You re from Cincinnati - aren t you - I can tell by you accent" .  Never knew Cincinnatians had a certain accent, but I guess we do.

[Ab Diver]

 birol

ORIGINAL:  birol
 
 I did not read the top messages to stay objective. English is easy to learn !  Except a few irregular rules, piece of cake ! And it enriched my world/thought process beyond imagination all these years.
 
 I wish I had no accent []
 

 Accent? What accent? To me, you sound just like I do. []
 

[angelsmom10]

 angelsmom10
Yeah around here, we are all equal.
 
 Birol haven t noticed you accent[]

[wiininkwe]

 angelsmom10
I think having an accent is just part of being from a particular place, and it s neat to have that to identify our heritage.   Birol, be proud of yours, as it s part of your home.   Every one of us on this board has the own special flavor of our background, and when you put them all together it makes a delicious casserole.
 T
 []