Peculiarities of English - Can you add more?
By cloudwatcher
@cloudwatcher (6861)
Australia
September 4, 2009 3:24am CST
A few discussions lately have spoken of the English language. When we read some of the old classics, we are swept upwards by the emotions expressed in words. It is a grand language.
On the other hand, English is also full of peculiarities. For instance, the oft quoted one: since the plural of mouse is mice, why isn't the plural of house, hice? or of spouse, spice? And why do two words with the exact same spelling, have to be pronounced differently?
For example:
The bandage was WOUND round the WOUND.
They were too CLOSE to the door to CLOSE it.
When I saw the TEAR in my dress, I shed a TEAR.
The farm was used to PRODUCE PRODUCE.
He could LEAD if he got the LEAD out of his boots.
The insurance was INVALID for the INVALID.
and
Since there was no time like the PRESENT, he thought it was time to PRESENT the PRESENT.
Then -
Why do you fill IN a form when you fill it OUT?
Why are sweetMEATS candies, but sweetBREADS are meats?
LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!
Please share some more of these peculiarities with other myLot friends.
What tickles your thinking here?
2 people like this
9 responses
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
27 Nov 09
Hi Cloud, well this is a fun one which could do with a bit of reviving as per j.bs idea the other day and discussions lurking at the side. Of course I didn't actually find it there as went 
instead. I used to write right hole whole stories storeys of these when making sure my sun son could identify the differences in sounds and spellings of English words as Greek words are entirely phonetic and don't do this, though obviously two to too words may mean the same.
So I would send the bare bear to Wales to hear the wales wail which were here, and thus make learning fun.
Here in Greece there are a few words which spring to mind as meaning the same, a brick is also a dunce, a piece of wood is also a spanking, and if you stress it wrong and ask for something cheap you spit on someone.
instead. I used to write right hole whole stories storeys of these when making sure my sun son could identify the differences in sounds and spellings of English words as Greek words are entirely phonetic and don't do this, though obviously two to too words may mean the same.
So I would send the bare bear to Wales to hear the wales wail which were here, and thus make learning fun.
Here in Greece there are a few words which spring to mind as meaning the same, a brick is also a dunce, a piece of wood is also a spanking, and if you stress it wrong and ask for something cheap you spit on someone.1 person likes this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Nov 09
Very cleverly worded Thea. I'm sure your son learned well.
Three years ago on myLot I had a patriotic "English gentleman" friend who lived Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, Tennyson etc. He also took us on walks around by-gone London - an amazing man and my first friend here. Some of the old-timers would know who I'm talking about. Anyway, we had a discussion on the idiosyncrasies of the English language which continued for several months. It was so much fun!
We also call a dunce a brick, or any number of a dozen or more things. I've never heard of a piece of wood being called a spanking - that wouldn't be politically correct nowadays, would it?
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
11 Jan 10
A nice topic for discussion! I agree that English is a language with many exceptions and complex pronunciations.I also defend it diligently when my husband criticises .Personally, I like the way genders are assigned to certain inanimate objects with the tag of elegance/grace and strength/power assigned to the feminine and masucline genders respectively.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
11 Jan 10
Hi Kalav. I love English and love reading the older classics. I know English has changed a lot over the centuries and will continue to do so as more and more countries adopt it as a second language. Even here in Australia, English is spoken quite differently by most people: not just in the accent, but in usage.
While I love the language, I affectionately joke about the idiosyncrasies. I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree about genders given to inanimate objects by the French, Spanish etc. I find it most peculiar to call a table a 'he' and a cupboard a 'she' (or whatever they are).
PS I love your avatar! Beautiful flowers.
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
11 Jan 10
Thank you! I too love those flowers and they wwere a real treat to behold in person.[I saw these in a flower show in Gangtok'Himalayas].
I was unaware of the words 'table 'and 'cupboard 'being given genders.I was referring to words like ship and cars being termed 'she' and horse' being a 'he'.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
12 Oct 09
What comes to my mind is when I'm reading with Cary. The little guy has quite the sense of humor. For example, silent letters. He always makes a point to pronounce them just to get a chuckle. K's are his favorite. The boy fell and scraped his kanee (knee). I kanow (know) how to fix that. He also likes playing with words that sound alike. A motorcycle is a mothercycle, for example. But it's the silent letters that tickle his fancy the most.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
12 Oct 09
I can imagine the glee. What does he do with "reign" and "high"?
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
12 Dec 09
wouldnt you know i can not think of any that hasnt been mentioned? problem is that my spelling is terrible anyway and i slaughter this language so badly i tend to make people cringe on here anyway
so i will say that i do love the classics with the old english words. so romantic. i once talked my aunt into reading "Wuthering Hieghts" my favorite. she only got a few pages into it and said, no way
she couldnt understand it. i totally understood and love it.
so i will say that i do love the classics with the old english words. so romantic. i once talked my aunt into reading "Wuthering Hieghts" my favorite. she only got a few pages into it and said, no way she couldnt understand it. i totally understood and love it.@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
12 Dec 09
Wuthering Heights and some of the old English classics are so beautifully written.
I love English, but I don't impose my strictness with the language on others (except my children when they were young). We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
While I love English, I must admit it is in many cases a ludicrous language and must be very difficult for those with another first language. I think the main problem is that English derived from SEVERAL other languages, so we have Roman, French, German, Greek etc. At least we don't have gender for inanimate objects!
@Lucky09 (1763)
• Philippines
4 Sep 09
yes, English is i think a confusing language that we must accept.hehe!
Here is my share that i have read on "Phonetic Phoolishness":
DEAR and FEAR and HEAR but BEAR.
GEAR and TEAR but "WEAR and TEAR"
YEAST and LEAST and PLEASED but PLEASANT
MEAT and PEAT but SWEAT and GREAT. (The last word rhymes with FREIGHT and WEIGHT)
Quite different again is HEIGHT, which sounds like BITE and LIGHT.
COUNT but COUNTRY;
SOUTH but SOUTHERN;
DISGUISE but BRUISE;
YOUTH but MOUTH;
AUNT is not like VAUNT and CAUNT;
BROOK but BROOCH and BROOD but BLOOD;
HOOD but MOOD and FOOD but FLOOD;
MINT but PINT and CORK but WORK.
DULL and GULL and HULL but FULL.
OUR, FLOUR but TOUR and POUR.
We say BONE and LONE but GONE.
Now, always bear in mind the difference between WIND and WIND. (The latter rhymes with RIND and KIND.)
I hope u enjoy this. Happy mylotting ^^;
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Sep 09
Thank you Lucky.
You supplied a couple I hadn't thought of.
How difficult for people learning English as a second language - and yet English is spoken almost throughout the world.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
5 Sep 09
Thanks astonysh.
The "cough, bough, dough, enough" are typical of crazy mixups which must give people learning English as a second language real problems. Then we have tough, trough, through, and also thought - all different pronunciations with the same combination of letters.
@frozenfire (208)
• United States
6 Mar 10
lol! that's why i love pride and prejudice, the use of language is so beautiful. They say for every 17 exceptions french has, english would have 100. Makes sense, people in England and the U.S. are mainly english, but in other countries like China it's common to be bilingual.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
6 Mar 10
The English language is beautiful, but I'm afraid it has become quite corrupted in recent years. Pride and Prejudice and other classics bring it to life.
@frozenfire (208)
• United States
6 Mar 10
I agree! It's sad that we lose so many words each year, and the upcoming generations revert to slang and acronyms.
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
5 Sep 09
yes English does have a lot of peculiarities. It is a language made up of 100 different languages a little borrowed from here a little borrowed from there. Many words are borrowed from the many different European languages that also include words from Africa, India, Japan and many other countries.
England was invaded by waves of different countries and each one left behind part of their language. As England and its British Empire around the world they picked up words here and there and added them to the English vocabulary. English is not a static language thank goodness.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Oct 09
Yes, English words do come from many languages. When I was at school we had to learn to origins of words, but that is not part of the school curriculum now.
I am just thankful that we don't have to memorise whether inanimate objects, such as tables and chairs, are male or female!
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
4 Sep 09
Hello, what a good topic! How about:
He THREW the ball THROUGH the window.
WHERE did you last WEAR that dress?
WHAT WATT is that lightbulb? (okay, it should be wattage I know, but that would spoil it)
THEIR friends where all THERE.
He READ the RED signpost.
He was only a little MITE, but he tried with all his MIGHT to lift it.
YOU shouldn't stand under a YEW tree in a storm.
Yes, there are annoying anomalies, and it must make English very difficult to learn as a second language, but we love it, don't we?
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Sep 09
Yes, I love the English language, especially the classics, where sentences were a paragraph long, but sooooooooo expressive.
There are enough peculiarities to fill pages.
Thanks for adding a few more.
@gracefuldove (1668)
• Malaysia
5 Sep 09
Okay here goes. Off the top of my head:
Why are goods transported in a car called a shipment and when they are carried by ships, they are called cargo.
Why do nose runs but feet smells?
Then we have the odd pronunciation issues:
He was at the bow of the ship when he saw Robin Hood on the bough of a tree,with his bow and arrow. Little John would not bow to the Sheriff of Nottingham who was in a bow tie and was imprisoned.
Well, I will get back here, when I recall some more.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
4 Oct 09
Thanks gracefuldove. They are some good ones.
English must be very hard for others to learn.
