English is a crazy language

[feather]

 

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; 

neither apple nor pine in pineapple. 

English muffins weren't invented in England 

nor french fries in France. 

Sweetmeats are candies 

while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

 

quicksand works slowly 

boxing rings are square

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? 

One index, 2 indices? 

 

it seems 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? 

 

If teachers taught, why don't preachers praught? 

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? 

 

Why is it that people recite at a play and play at a recital? 

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? 

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? 

 

a house can burn up as it burns down, 

you fill in a form by filling it out 

and, an alarm goes off by going on. 

 

when the stars are out, they are visible, 

yet when the lights are out, they are invisible. 

 

and why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?

 

yes, English is a crazy language  

[Qapla]

This reminds me about a business I heard about years and years ago .... back when many Japanese businessmen first started coming to the US to head up companies that had located here.

 

There were a pair of enterprising guys who started a business in California who were teaching "American" and they were picking up new accounts faster than they could teach them.

 

The story gave a few examples of what they were teaching .... like

• When someone is "Out to lunch" it does not always mean they are having a meal
• If someone's elevator does not go all the way up it does not mean that you have to take stairs to talk to them
• That "We should DO lunch" has nothing to do with actually cooking the lunch

There were so many expressions like these that the incoming businessmen from Japan did not understand that these two guys were able to become very wealthy very quickly.

[pinkpopcorn]

Here is one that bothers me.

 

People say that when someone has an idea the light bulb goes OFF.

 

NO. When you have a new thought the bulb goes ON, as in a light lighting up.  

[feather]

thanks Chris & John  good ones to add to the list above

 

funny, people say these expressions everyday,

  perhaps giving them little thought, 

   esp when speaking to someone of a different language

 

a French speaking sister new at speaking English once asked me,

     "What does it mean- 'as a matter of fact'?"

tried to explain it to her, then she was tossing it into conversations at every turn...

  "as a matter of fact, I'm hungry."

"as a matter of fact, that is a beautiful bird."

 

  guess I didn't explain it too well 

[SUNRAY]

thanks Chris & John good ones to add to the list above

funny, people say these expressions everyday,

perhaps giving them little thought,

esp when speaking to someone of a different language

a French speaking sister new at speaking English once asked me,

"What does it mean- 'as a matter of fact'?"

tried to explain it to her, then she was tossing it into conversations at every turn...

"as a matter of fact, I'm hungry."

"as a matter of fact, that is a beautiful bird."

guess I didn't explain it too well

Renee I recently read the Incite under language..very interesting what took place there. Jehovah created new languages at Babel..I copied some points to post..also I didn't realize that only the languages of the builders of the tower were confused..others who lived apart from that kept speaking Hebrew and some different dialects developed..
Edited September 5, 2013 by SUNRAY

[feather]

yes, this is why I know some Italian yet cannot really

   carry conversation well...

 it requires different thought patterns, being able to 'think in the language'

 

appreciate the addition Elizabeth

[Qapla]

One brother I knew several years ago was a translator by trade. That was not all that unusual since I have known some others who also translate. However, this particular brother had a somewhat unique gift.

 

He spoke English, French, Spanish, German and was learning a couple more. His native language is English so you would expect him to "think" in English and he probably did. His real gift was this .... when most I have known translate from one language to another, especially when neither of those languages are their "mother tongue" they take each of those other language through their own language and translate it to the new one .... essentially, translating everything twice. He did not. He could have it go in his ears in French and come out in Spanish and never have to take it through English. He could do this with any of the languages he spoke.

 

Also, his Spanish was quite interesting. His wife was originally from Madrid and spoke Spanish "from Spain". For those who don't know, this Spanish is as different from the Spanish they speak in Cuba or Mexico as British English, American English and Australian English are different. Well, he could not only speak "Spanish", he spoke Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican - all with the proper dialectic accents.

 

From what I understand, his other languages were spoken with proper dialects also, not Americanized versions of those languages .... he had/has a real gift for language.

[feather]

wow, that is a real gift with language- to not just speak the words

   but translate with dialect & accents

 

  ... brings to mind the difference in 'playing notes' and 'making music'

[surfergirl]

John that is one talented brother,

 

What about words like these.

labor or labour.

harbor or harbour.

then there is program or programmes.

At school we were taught to pronounce words with a H with a full Hhh,ache,

So hard to remember.& get used to. You got whipped if you didn't say it with a plum in your mouth.