I have been going without air conditioning, and with a backed up septic system for 3 weeks now. You know the old saying, if it isn't on...
Friday, May 31, 2013
The Rules of the English Language
“English doesn’t borrow from other languages, it follows other languages
into dark alleyways, mugs them and rifles through their pockets for
loose grammar.”
Well, words more than grammar. Someone noted once that the best-known Dictionary of French (la Rousse) had about 121,000 words, while he OED has over 650,000...
As to grammar, yes, English has rules of grammar. But not knowing them does not prevent communication, which is one reason it may be the easiest to learn. Sure, a sentence like "I to house red wented" is weird, but fairly understandable. In, say, French just saying "red house" instead of "house red" will probably result in complete incomprehension rather than temporary confusion.
1 comment:
Well, words more than grammar. Someone noted once that the best-known Dictionary of French (la Rousse) had about 121,000 words, while he OED has over 650,000...
As to grammar, yes, English has rules of grammar. But not knowing them does not prevent communication, which is one reason it may be the easiest to learn. Sure, a sentence like "I to house red wented" is weird, but fairly understandable. In, say, French just saying "red house" instead of "house red" will probably result in complete incomprehension rather than temporary confusion.
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