Menu



error This forum is not active, and new posts may not be made in it.
Promote
Roger Macdivitt .

3169
7333 Posts
7333
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
Re: English as a first language is hard enough, think of those still struggling with it.
7/23/2009 8:18:40 AM

Branka,

Wonderful  to see you here.

I thought that this would give you a laugh.

Thanks for the crazy Serbian.

It appears that I might find that sometimes Luka might make me cry?

Do pop  in again, there will be more stangenesses.

Roger

 

+0
Roger Macdivitt .

3169
7333 Posts
7333
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
Re: English as a first language is hard enough, think of those still struggling with it.
7/23/2009 8:22:12 AM

Branka,

I'm so pleased not to have to explain.,

Have a lovely day.

Roger

+0
Roger Macdivitt .

3169
7333 Posts
7333
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
Re: English as a first language is hard enough, think of those still struggling with it.
7/23/2009 4:55:04 PM

t_backschool.gif (14651 bytes)

More anomalies.........

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 wise guy are opposites?

How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike?

How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another.

Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent?

Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown?

Met a sung hero or experienced requited love?

Have you ever run into someone who was, gruntled, ruly or peccable?

And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?

 

Crazy stuff

Roger

+0
Alain Deguire

3866
8052 Posts
8052
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
Re: English as a first language is hard enough, think of those still struggling with it.
7/23/2009 5:10:27 PM

Hello Roger!

That was a very interesting reading... very funny and so thruthful!

You did an outstanding job at setting this UP... Congrats My Friend!

I personally think that each language has its own particularity... From what I hear very often, French is even harder... But, then, it depends also from your own ability, interest as Luis Miguel said it and your first language, I guess... meaning your starting point. I feel that it is so interesting though... I would love to be able to speak 10 different languages and even more... but, at the same time, quite a challenge. Soon, we will all be able to communicate telepatically... much easier ;-)

Blessings,

Alain

+0
Luis Miguel Goitizolo

1162
61587 Posts
61587
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
Re: English as a first language is hard enough, think of those still struggling with it.
7/24/2009 11:13:04 PM

Dear Roger and friends,

What about English pronunciation? I have never completely mastered it maybe because I never had enough verbal exchange with any English-speaking person, and also because I never visited the United States because I was denied a visa several times until I gave up going. The longest verbal exchange that I had with an English-speaking person was at twenty, and it was with a lovable American girl who visited my country and who was a little under my age; I got along very nicely with her for about three months, during which we mostly talked (but also kissed each other many times) until she left. She really was a great help and our daily talks over a couple of months were the foundation for my learning to speak the glorious language a little more fluently than before.

All other learning I mostly did on my own, except for a period of three years along which I studied advanced English-Spanish translation at a nice Institute. There I was told the English language has in fact no rules of pronunciation, the only rule being that there actually are no rules worthy of the name as the exceptions are more numerous than the regular cases. And that was it.

I believe the problem with English pronunciation arises from the fact that it, like the pronunciation of all other major western languages except perhaps for German (which became fixed with Luther) evolved a lot over history but its spelling, unlike the spelling of other great European languages such as French and Spanish, did not change accordingly. So while many words completely changed in the course of time in the way there were pronounced, others changed to a lesser extent and still others did not change at all. A complete chaos in fact for a non-English speaker.

With Spanish it is a completely different case. The general rule here is, "a word is spelled such as it is pronounced, and viceversa."  There is no way of mispelling a word if you know how it is pronounced, nor is there any way of mispronouncing a word once you have learnt how to write it. Any changes in pronunciation have been followed shortly by a modification in the spelling.

However, for all the difficulty we Spanish-speakers have in pronouncing many English words that may have changed considerably over the last few centuries, and even if we are at odds at times with the many intricacies and absurdities that it may have, we still love it as the charming and beautiful language it is. Can you believe that?

Best Wishes,

Luis Miguel Goitizolo

 

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

+0


facebook
Like us on Facebook!