Strange language, this English of ours

[PW in Polemi]

Have you noticed how some words are readily changed with, normally, a prefix so the word means the opposite. For instance
Im/possible
Dis/honest
Un/happy
In/active

But what about inept and discommode ... I don't think anybody is ever considered to be ept, nor am I aware of anybody being commoded ....

And then there are the suffixes, like
Hope/less
Care/less

But what about ruthless ... you may well at some stage in your life be without hope or act without care, but has anybody ever acted ruthly ...

English is such a strange language, it is amazing that anybody ever manages to learn it!

[smudger]

Good topic Kay, its one of the hardest languages in the world to learn I understand. Happy I learnt it from birth

[PolemIan]

After class today, I could make a pretty strong case for Greek being harder to learn!

[Jimgward]

Try Finnish for fun!

[Lofos-5]

der, die, das = the
le, la = the
il, i, le, la, l', gli, lo = the

enough said...

[Dominic]

At least English kissed goodbye to gender ages ago.

[Devil]

But what about inept and discommode ... I don't think anybody is ever considered to be ept, nor am I aware of anybody being commoded ....

But what about ruthless ... you may well at some stage in your life be without hope or act without care, but has anybody ever acted ruthly ...

Not ruthly, but the adverb is ruthfully

SOED on ruth
arch. ME.
[from RUE verb, prob. after Old Norse hrygð: see -TH1. Cf. WROATH.]
1. Compassion, pity; the feeling of sorrow for another. ME.
2. Contrition, repentance; remorse. Now rare. ME.
3. Sorrow, grief, distress. Formerly also, an instance or expression of this. ME.
† 4. a. A cause of or reason for sorrow or regret. ME–E17.
† b. Mischief; calamity; ruin. ME–M17.

• ruthful adjective (a) compassionate, pitying; (b) that engenders compassion or pity, pitiable; (c) (esp. of a sound, action, etc.) expressing grief or sorrow; (d) (of a person or emotion) sad, dejected: ME.
• ruthfully adverb (now rare) (a) in a pitiable way, piteously, dolefully; †(b) compassionately: ME.
• ruthfulness noun (rare) (a) sorrow, grief; (b) compassion: L16.

Also

SOED on ept
M20.
[Back-form. from INEPT.]
Adroit, competent; appropriate, effective.
• eptitude noun M20.
• eptly adverb L20.

[trevnhil]

What about 'Lead' Is it something you use when walking a dog..
Or is something to waterproof a flat roof...

[DavidatLWH]

der, die, das = the
le, la = the
il, i, le, la, l', gli, lo = the

enough said...

Russian's nice and easy - no definite or indefinite articles

[WHL]

We have family in Holland, makes me laugh when your in a cafe, and they ask you if you want Slag room,

[Jim B]

The most difficult language I've ever heard spoken is Hungarian which I believe is similar to Finnish. I worked with Hungarians for over ten years and can't say I heard them use the same word twice. My wife and daughter told me speaking English is easy because the order words are spoken is not important to be understood wereas other languages like Russian the words have to be spoken in the correct sequence or it doesn't make sense.
Jim

[memory man]

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearer at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.



According to a researcher (sic) at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself but the word as a whole.

[WHL]

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearer at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.



According to a researcher (sic) at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself but the word as a whole.

Dont have a problem with that, as my spelling matches it.

[zorbathejock]

I think it was George Bernard Shaw who pointed out the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation with this example “ghoti”. Anyone hazard a guess as to how you say it.

[Oxfordboy]

I think it was George Bernard Shaw who pointed out the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation with this example “ghoti”. Anyone hazard a guess as to how you say it.

That would be "fish". Obviously.....

[PolemIan]

Be grateful the other 10 letters were dropped from the English alphabet

https://youtu.be/zUrDUxh5xS0

Nice to know where W came from though.

Ian

[zorbathejock]

I think it was George Bernard Shaw who pointed out the absurdity of English spelling and pronunciation with this example “ghoti”. Anyone hazard a guess as to how you say it.

That would be "fish". Obviously.....

Correct