Our crazy English language!

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by KSagal

I had a deal with a girlfriend decades ago while in the US Army living in Germany.

She would help me with my German classes that I was taking at night, and I would help her with her English classes that she was taking.

Her German, while something she spoke from birth, apparently was not as good as my German instructor would have liked, which I found amusing. She would tell me how to pronounce a word, or what it meant, and I would get 'corrected' in class the next day.

All was fine till she asked me what a 'lorry' was. Then my own understanding of my language was thrown under the bus.

Anyway, I would offer up these words for considerations:

Principal, Principle
core, corp

OK, don't keep us in suspense, what the heck is a "lorry" ?

[dieselclacker]

Lorry is a truck, in England anyway.o

[R Bob]

I 'here' poplar is a popular tree.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by R Bob

I 'here' poplar is a popular tree.

Ain't that a kick in the aspen

[radar]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

American English evolved from all native languages spoken in Europe. That makes it the hardest to learn, however, it is slowly evolving into a language spoken world-wide. Why aren't words spelled like they sound though? Like craft sounds like kraft.

Agree on the spelling thing. Must be tough for those learning english.

However english is not the fastest growing language in the world. That would be spanish. It is also the second most spoken language in the world. Arabic is also gaining ground quickly as well as German. The US will be the second biggest spanish speaking nation by 2015.

I would love to learn Arabic but I'm thinking that will be a big challenge. Whole different character set etc.

I can see the attraction to Spanish, very logical, everything pronounced as written, much less chance of ambiguity by using gender. Just a nice language to speak.

[borderboardr]

I like to have a little fun with my 9-year-old Mexican grandson who is learning English. I'll ask him in Spanish:

How do you say 'dos' in English......two

How do you say 'a' in English....to

How do you say 'tambien' in English.....too

Not sure I'm helping his English teacher but.......

[Betr2Trvl]

I know I had no need to knead the pizza dough too early at two, because I ate at eight. And, I know it's not new these days, but I knew you were in a daze dear when you were tying the knot, because I told you there was a new deer in the back yard that happened to be a doe.

[CARLnJANIS]

Yew doen't knead two leaf the contry too found peoples havin problim wit merican langooage.

Just read a few blogs or read comments at the end of an article. The use of email, texting, and other short-hand type communications have turned the speaking of American English into a casual language where anything goes. When I was working in corporate America, I would receive emails from top executives that look like they were written by high school dropouts (no disrespect to high school dropouts intended, Political Correctness statement). Now don't accuse me of being the grammar police or Mrs. Sellers (my high school senior English teacher), I am by no stretch of the imagination, a proper speaker. I still make my share of missteaks , but I try. I need the spell and grammar checker to keep from looking like the guy who wrote the first sentence above.

Kind of sounds like Cajun Chef Justin Wilson. "I gar-on-tee."

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by CARLnJANIS

Yew doen't knead two leaf the contry too found peoples havin problim wit merican langooage.

Just read a few blogs or read comments at the end of an article. The use of email, texting, and other short-hand type communications have turned the speaking of American English into a casual language where anything goes. When I was working in corporate America, I would receive emails from top executives that look like they were written by high school dropouts (no disrespect to high school dropouts intended, Political Correctness statement). Now don't accuse me of being the grammar police or Mrs. Sellers (my high school senior English teacher), I am by no stretch of the imagination, a proper speaker. I still make my share of missteaks , but I try. I need the spell and grammar checker to keep from looking like the guy who wrote the first sentence above.

Kind of sounds like Cajun Chef Justin Wilson. "I gar-on-tee."

Remember sentence construction and diagramming worksheets?

[NITEHAWK]

In Texas it is pronounced pecan (with a "soft" A) denoting a popular nut.

Here in Wisconsin it is sometimes pronounced pecAn (hard A) which, if said that way in Texas usually means a redneck urinal.

[peggwn]

RAY,IN - Boy, do I remember! I'm like you in the sense that I'm not a "grammar police", but sometimes lousy sentence construction and misplaced modifiers get to me, especially on TV news. Sometimes I have to hear their report a couple of times to figure out what they just said.

NITEHAWK - Dictionary.com distinguishes PECAN as well this way: pi-kahn (the Texas version), and pee-kan (everyone else's version, and as you said, the definition of a redneck urinal).

[rgvtexan]

And drive British cars and you soon learn that, Boot, Hood, and Spanner, are not what you think.


and there is lead, lead, and lead (Pb) read, read, red

[CARLnJANIS]

Try explaining: rough; tough; enough; dough. IT'S NOT DUFF. DOH!

[R Bob]

Oh, the fun we can have at no one's expense