Sunday, January 20, 2019

Tongue Twisters & Brain Busters

Language fascinates me. This morning, for whatever reason, I lay in bed thinking about verb tenses. In fact, I typed this on my Kindle Fire while lying prone and emailed it to myself, which is why this font is different than usual.

Anyway, the fact any non-English speaking foreigner learns it is a testament to human fortitude and overall intelligence.

Think about this...

After skiing a person skied. Mastery means something has been mastered. Preventing a glass from being knocked over means you righted it.

If you wring out a rag it is now wrung. But a bird with contrasting feathers around its neck is considered ringed.

What if you traveled in a car? You were either driven or you drove. What about the fight, flight, or freeze response? That translates to having fought, flew, or froze. Wait. In that sentence structure it would be flown and frozen.

~shakes head~

How people not immersed at birth learn to speak, let alone write this stuff is beyond me. Now I'm exhausted. I think I'll go back to bed.

So, what are your plans today?

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14 comments:

  1. Not plans other than the coffee cake I promised my family I'd make this morning, and need to get on!
    It's been very stormy, so I'm so glad I have no where to go. The far back yard is flooded/puddled beyond any floods/puddles ever before (more on that later on my blog).
    I still get "hung" up on the word "hung" when the correct past tense would be "hanged!" I doubt anyone notices that particular error much these days. People have gotten sloppy.

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    1. Ooh. Coffee cake? Yum. I hope you got to make it. And let's hope Boo and Edward don't track mud in the house. :) You're so correct about sloppiness. It drives me bonkers sometimes. Be well!

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  2. I love these too. Always makes my head hurt though. Those trying to learn English are in for some difficult work.

    We're enjoying a nice quiet Sunday. Just the way we like it. Well there is supposed to be a windy, wet storm blowing through later today.

    Have a fabulous Sunday, Darla. Big hug. ♥

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    1. A quiet day is my favorite sort! Be well, my dear.

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  3. Very good points. I have only studied French other than English and it seems to make more sense.

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  4. I'm not sure language needs to make sense for it to come into use. Maybe that's why many languages seem difficult, over time, and nonsensical.

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    1. Good point! So much of it all is historical nonsense. :)

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  5. Well being born into this language is not so hard, although I have been told I can't even speak English! LOL, I sort of come up with whatever when talking, I stumble over words etc. But Spanish is so had to speak. I really butchered that language!

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    1. I took Spanish in high school and got really stuck on the tenses. ~grin~ But speaking English is much harder for me than writing it. Heh... Be well!

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  6. Oh, don't even get me started. I think my favorites are contranyms and these beauties. The shipping ships: https://imgur.com/gallery/pB0VXKq (read the caption) and the buffalo sentence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

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    1. I didn't even know what a contranym was before now. ~blush~ And thank you for sharing. I'd seen the ship, but never heard of that sentence before. Too funny! You're a gem, my dear.

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  7. I love words too. The different pronunciations always get me. Like "ough" which can be as in tough, ought, plough, cough, though etc. Language is fascinating.
    Around My Kitchen Table
    That's Purrfect

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