The English language is a funny thing, and I'm glad I grew up immersed in it.
I wouldn't want to learn it later.
I mean, I didn't really understand verb conjugation in the English language until I took a Spanish class and learned -o, -eres, -es, -amos, -an. (Thank you, Miss Truby)
Could you imagine being from another country and learning a language like ours?
A language where you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed but never just plain whelmed.
Where laughter and slaughter look like they should rhyme but don't.
Where "i" before "e" comes except after "c" but not in the words neighbor, weigh, their, either, foreign, seize, neither, leisure, forfeit, height.
We live in a weird society. (That's not mine, but I thought it was funny.)
Where you can have cohorts but never be a hort yourself.
I've come to realize that my relationship with words -- and the English language in general -- is a lot like the ones eight-year-old girls have with each other: One day we're friends; the next day we're not.
What trips you up in the English language?
5 comments:
The beautiful thing about the English language is that you can be a hort if you want.
I spent three years teaching foreigners how to speak English. Learning English later in life is like being the guy/girl who married the town tramp. Everybody else seems to know something you don't.
Sex Mahoney for President
Learning English later in life is like being the guy/girl who married the town tramp. Everybody else seems to know something you don't.
Ha! ROFL!
I also have fond memories of conjugating verbs in Spanish... although most of that information fled my brain years ago.
Words I have trouble with: definitely. Also, in a grade school spelling bee I went out on Secretary and ever since then never quite trust myself to spell it correctly.
What's a verb?
:)
Just kidding.
Great post, Kat. I like your comparison to the eight-year-old girl! It cracked me up.
HAHA, the question is what doesn't trip me up in the English language.
Nice post and so true!
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