Steel2Velvet Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 (edited) Since we have so many English second-languagers on this site, I thought I would create a thread for venting those nagging questions, silly observations or just plain great gripes about the language by which we all love to be abused. I'll start: Why have the word "reiterate" when "iterate" means exactly the same thing? It seems repetitive, no? Edited November 13, 2009 by Guest title change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAngel Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Yes they do mean the same thing. However the word "reiterate" came into common (mis)usage because people didn't know that iterate already meant to repeat something so they felt they had to add the "re" to signify that it was done again. Strictly speaking, "iterate" is the proper word, unless someone is iterating again or excessively, then maybe you could use reiterate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skybluesky Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 If English is so dumb I guess I'll just burn my degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted November 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 If English is so dumb I guess I'll just burn my degree. Perhaps "dumb" is too harsh a term to use. Perhaps "English is Quirky" would be a better title for this topic. It's supposed to be all in fun and cause a smile (or clarify a misconception.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 No English is really not a very sensible language at all - why do 'gone' 'done' and 'phone' have different pronunciations? Why are there seven different ways to pronounce '-ough'? Why do words that are spelled differently have the same pronunciation while some words that are phonetically different have the same spelling? English is my first language and I'm glad it is as popular as it is because teaching it must be torture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Now hindi - language #2 - sensible. logical. nice. No exceptions. You spell a word as you pronounce it. Sanskrit's the same, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I may have posted this link before in another thread, but it's worthy of a repeat. Gallagher and the English language Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Seeker Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I expected something like a subtitled interview with Noel and/or Liam Gallagher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 oh no, this Gallagher is vastly more entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 That's not possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkstones Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 They say English is the hardest language to teach someone if they are not a native speaker. Which I can understand. When you look at some of our grammar rules, they can be confusing to a non-speaker. There were three classes when was in school, both grammar and high school, where I consistently got straight A's: History, Foreign Language, and English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 They say English is the hardest language to teach someone if they are not a native speaker. Which I can understand. When you look at some of our grammar rules, they can be confusing to a non-speaker. Huh? are we talking about the same English? English is extremely easy to learn, since it's got almost no grammar you don't even have different cases... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I never thought about grammar - only orthography, phonetics and the lack of rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 compared to that: Don't Learn German among others about how German has 16 translations for the word "the" (of course I don't agree with everything the writer says, but it's funny ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Given that it's German, I'd hardly expect there to be a shortage of rules. Whiiiich proves my point about English being tohtally confusing based on lack of set rules. (find/found, mind/minded?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Amen to that... ...and compared to German, French, Russian or even Spanish, English is a very very easy language to learn. Plus you have films and songs and comics in English worldwide... our current life hasplenty of English terms. Yet its is amazing how rich it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted November 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I teach, on a part-time basis, conversational English to a few Brazilians who have cornered me into doing so. What I have discovered through this endeavor is there are two conversational "Englishes" (And even a third when one considers various technical jargons associated with myriad occupational disciplines.) The first form of English is basic. It is consistently easy for sentence formation and rudimentary thought transference, allowing a person who knows as few as about a thousand words the freedom to effectively communicate, on a broad range of subjects, with almost anyone else who understands those thousand words. Then there is advanced - literary - English that has the potential to confuse the heck out of anyone who wanders into that world! It is richly diverse and filled with nuance that lends itself to boundless wordplay; but for that same reason can easily frustrate those unfamiliar with its complexities. Thinking about which, causes me to rethink the title of this thread. I should have made it English Is Dum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 would you like it changed, Ron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted November 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 shore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I'm wit you, Ron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I tink yoo meen 'yoo' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted November 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 Would that be the double "o" as in "poor" or as in "moon?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 Then there is advanced - literary - English that has the potential to confuse the heck out of anyone who wanders into that world! It is richly diverse and filled with nuance that lends itself to boundless wordplay; but for that same reason can easily frustrate those unfamiliar with its complexities. And that's the English we love, the nuances and the wordplay you mention... To know a language is not only talking in person, it's also reading a book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 but isn't that the case with every language? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted November 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 but isn't that the case with every language? In my experiences with Portuguese, I can comprehend its meaning much easier while reading than while listening to it being spoken. Perhaps that is because of the time allotment for discernment while reading. It seems English is the opposite to my Brazilian wife. She constantly asks my help in deciphering written meanings, but rarely needs assistance with the spoken word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now