{"id":3121,"date":"2015-04-07T12:32:39","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T12:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3121"},"modified":"2015-04-07T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T12:40:12","slug":"why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the English Language is Ridiculous"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EnglishRidiculous\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

We have a confession to make\u2026<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are many mock worthy, bewildering things in this world related to pronunciation in the English language<\/a>, words such as \u2018subtle\u2019 and \u2018draught\u2019. The way one letter is pronounced one way at the beginning of a word but differently in the middle or at the end. The way that depending on where you\u2019re from, the way a word is said varies, and the way some letters suddenly get all shy and silent when made to play with other letters. It is no wonder English language learners feel defeated or ready to stab a glottal stop where it hurts. No wonder at all.<\/p>\n

Take the word foible<\/i>. The letters oi<\/i> are always, always pronounced oi<\/i>. Unless, of course, they are in a continuous tense (doing<\/i>, going<\/i>). Or slaughtering cattle in the abattoir<\/i>. Or soothing skin with benzoin<\/i>. Exception to every rule. We\u2019re very sorry about that.<\/p>\n

To prove how sorry we are, here are some further examples of where we know how ridiculous our language can be. It\u2019s like we\u2019re showing you our scars here so please, be gentle. No laughing. At least not out loud.<\/p>\n

Phonological change<\/h2>\n

Phonology<\/a> is a tricky beast and with the huge variation in accents and regional dialects, it is a wonder English learners don\u2019t give up when they hear Andrew Lincoln<\/a> switch from Mark in Love Actually<\/a> to Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead<\/a>. And you barely have to go 200 miles north of London for words to start behaving peculiarly. The word bath <\/i>sets off on its journey sounding like the a <\/i>is having a tooth extracted without anaesthetic, and ends like it is about to indulge in some Bisto on its Sunday lunch. This often happens with the joy of leaving London but perhaps Londoners will disagree.<\/p>\n

Place name pronunciation that just doesn\u2019t match up.<\/h2>\n

We promise, even for people from England, sometimes the way a place name<\/a> is pronounced versus its spelling is alien even to us. Typical tripper-uppers are Gloucester, Keswick and Ruislip, contributing to many a family row on car journeys.<\/p>\n

Homonyms<\/h2>\n

There are so many words in the English language that look about as different as chalk and cheese but when you sample them they spit out just the same. These are the deceptive homonyms, and typical examples are \u2018to\u2019, \u2018too\u2019 and \u2018two\u2019, and \u2018there\u2019, \u2018they\u2019re\u2019 and \u2018their\u2019. \u00a0Homonyms<\/a> represent a huge stumbling block for English language learners and we have no explanation for them, only apologies.<\/p>\n

Homographs<\/h2>\n

Perhaps these little fiends are a worse culprit to lead the learner astray than homonyms, because how on earth do you tell what they are trying to tell you if you can\u2019t figure out what they mean? Homographs<\/a> are sneaky little tripwires there to make even the most thorough of learners stumble on their path to English mastery. How are you supposed to know if you are being lead <\/i>by a dance partner or about to be hit over the head by a lead <\/i>object?<\/p>\n

Cake!<\/h2>\n

Ok. So cake in itself is a beautiful thing and works in any language and on any tongue. But, look at the pronunciation. It sounds like it should be spelt \u2018kake\u2019 but in this word the beginning \u2018c\u2019 is masquerading as a \u2018k\u2019. Such confusion is not only for non-native language learners: in infant schools up and down the fair country of England, small people are taught to tell the difference between \u2018curly c\u2019 and \u2018kicking k\u2019.<\/p>\n

Words with nothing to say.<\/h2>\n

Sometimes letters are forthright and proud and happily voicing their worth. Other times, however, letters become silent<\/a>, sort of like they have unrequited feelings for the letter they\u2019re stood next to and this has made them lose the ability to speak. K<\/i> is a typical culprit of this in words like \u2018knight\u2019 and \u2018known\u2019, but p<\/i> is also a little shy when written next to n <\/i>(pneumonia) and s <\/i>(psychiatry).<\/p>\n

The 7 sighs of \u2018oh\u2019.<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s tough <\/i>when you\u2019ve got a cough<\/i>; you ought <\/i>to persevere and work through <\/i>it. We apologise for our lack of bedside manner. However, the letters ough<\/a> when brought together behave very differently depending on their company. What are they trying to prove?<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are so many more examples but we\u2019re feeling a little exposed. English learners, we know our pronunciation is like that awkward relative that is forced upon us at family occasions. Annoying, hard to get along with, contrary. But we promise, sometimes, they have their uses. In this case, travel and job prospects. If the linguist in you is interested you can look at this phonemic chart<\/a> for more pronunciation tips. And if the polyglot in you is hungry for more, why not check out what language courses<\/a> we have on offer for you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have a confession to make\u2026 There are many mock worthy, bewildering things in this world related to pronunciation in the English language, words such as \u2018subtle\u2019 and \u2018draught\u2019. The way one letter is pronounced one way at the beginning of a word but differently in the middle or at the end. The way that(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":3122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[59,66,448],"class_list":["post-3121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-english","tag-language","tag-second-languages"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the English Language is Ridiculous<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the English Language is Ridiculous\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Listen & Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-07T12:32:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-04-07T12:40:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"835\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/\",\"name\":\"Why the English Language is Ridiculous\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-07T12:32:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-04-07T12:40:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f4e451a01bf1f48458a026613ec8f54\"},\"description\":\"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png\",\"width\":835,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why the English Language is Ridiculous\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Listen & Learn\",\"description\":\"Language Courses and Language Services UK\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f4e451a01bf1f48458a026613ec8f54\",\"name\":\"Kelly\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f702f0568496aba44d31e668b970c282?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f702f0568496aba44d31e668b970c282?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kelly\"},\"description\":\"Hi, I'm Kelly and I am a freelance writer and a CELTA-qualified ESL teacher from the UK. As a writer, I get to cover a range of topics by working for a variety of clients in a number of industries. My focus when writing for Listen and Learn is on language and travel, but away from that, I like to write a lot about animals and the environment. Travelling while writing gives me a fresh perspective for all the things I write and allows me to consider everything from opposing points of view thanks to the people I meet along the way. Europe is an amazing place to travel. The countries vary so much, as do the languages, cuisines and ways of life. Though underneath all of that, travelling has really taught me that people are just people, and that we have more similarities than we do differences. We talk a lot at Listen and Learn about languages teaching us so much more than purely vocabulary and grammar, and it is true; there is nothing as exciting as getting to talk to someone you might not normally get to, just because you have made the effort to learn some of their language. Teaching English has given me further insight into the importance of understanding other languages and cultures. I've taught lessons on beaches about the climate crisis and the impact of oil spills on marine animals, and helped students in train stations to practise booking train tickets and make travel plans. I've worked with laboratory technicians in large conglomerates and newly qualified architects starting their own companies; people with completely different lives to mine. And it has been a privilege getting to know them all! Though the most rewarding thing about teaching is seeing students achieve their goals. There is nothing as satisfying as seeing students proud of their hard work and going on to achieve amazing things as a result!\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/kelly-wang\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why the English Language is Ridiculous","description":"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why the English Language is Ridiculous","og_description":"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/","og_site_name":"Listen & Learn","article_published_time":"2015-04-07T12:32:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-04-07T12:40:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":835,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kelly","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kelly","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/","name":"Why the English Language is Ridiculous","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png","datePublished":"2015-04-07T12:32:39+00:00","dateModified":"2015-04-07T12:40:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f4e451a01bf1f48458a026613ec8f54"},"description":"English learners, we know our language can be annoying, hard to get along with, and contrary. But we promise, sometimes, it has its uses.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/EnglishRidiculous.png","width":835,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/why-the-english-language-is-ridiculous\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why the English Language is Ridiculous"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/","name":"Listen & Learn","description":"Language Courses and Language Services UK","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f4e451a01bf1f48458a026613ec8f54","name":"Kelly","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f702f0568496aba44d31e668b970c282?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f702f0568496aba44d31e668b970c282?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kelly"},"description":"Hi, I'm Kelly and I am a freelance writer and a CELTA-qualified ESL teacher from the UK. As a writer, I get to cover a range of topics by working for a variety of clients in a number of industries. My focus when writing for Listen and Learn is on language and travel, but away from that, I like to write a lot about animals and the environment. Travelling while writing gives me a fresh perspective for all the things I write and allows me to consider everything from opposing points of view thanks to the people I meet along the way. Europe is an amazing place to travel. The countries vary so much, as do the languages, cuisines and ways of life. Though underneath all of that, travelling has really taught me that people are just people, and that we have more similarities than we do differences. We talk a lot at Listen and Learn about languages teaching us so much more than purely vocabulary and grammar, and it is true; there is nothing as exciting as getting to talk to someone you might not normally get to, just because you have made the effort to learn some of their language. Teaching English has given me further insight into the importance of understanding other languages and cultures. I've taught lessons on beaches about the climate crisis and the impact of oil spills on marine animals, and helped students in train stations to practise booking train tickets and make travel plans. I've worked with laboratory technicians in large conglomerates and newly qualified architects starting their own companies; people with completely different lives to mine. And it has been a privilege getting to know them all! Though the most rewarding thing about teaching is seeing students achieve their goals. There is nothing as satisfying as seeing students proud of their hard work and going on to achieve amazing things as a result!","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/kelly-wang\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3121"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3125,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3121\/revisions\/3125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}