English - it's a funny old language isn't it

[Simon (Highwayman)]

I was just listening to the radio it it made me think....

Determined is the negative of termined and I assume terminal is the derivative so to be determined is rightly 'not terminal'

So how does that work with flammable and inflammable?

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

You get burned up by both of them.

[Karen]

I feel sorry for people trying to learn to speak English - plough, through, though, rough

[Will]

How many meanings can you think of for the single word : bow?

(Not to be confused with bough, which sounds identical, of course)

[Tim]

Will wrote: "How many meanings can you think of for the single word : bow?

(Not to be confused with bough, which sounds identical, of course)"

Well, there's
bow, wot you shoot an arrow with.
bow, wot you screech across the strings of a fiddle
bow, wot you take in front of an audience
bow, wot you tie in a ribbon
bow, at the pointy end of a boat

There's probably others. And that's just the nouns...!

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

I'm quite glad I learnt it without noticing as I grew up!

But English is of course extraordinarily rich, with I believe a bigger vocabulary than any other comparable labguage. Users - writers and speakers - have a rich pot of German/saxon and Norman/ French roots to work with, as well as Gaelic, Irish, Scots, and now English is so international that new vocab is being added all the time. Plus of course extra words by G. Bush.

So i suppose we're just really lucky

[Will]

And i'd add : having outwardly curved legs, cf a goalkeeper or a piece of furniture; or a particular shape for a window.


It must be down to our work ethic that we make words do many things!

[Philip]

You try explaining 'razed to the ground' to someone who doesn't have English as their first language ;-)

[Kath]

See that tree? Chop it down and when you've done that, chop it up.

You've got to be 'in the gang' to know how to make sense of that!

[Tim]

And that bit on the end... chop it off.

[Patti (baconater)]

such a lot of cunning linguists in our group. ;-)

[Andrew]

Always worth remembering that English really doesn't have the monopoly on this kind of thing. Consider the word 'dont' in French.

[Kath]

Patti (Migrating Coconut) wrote: "such a lot of cunning linguists in our group. ;-)"

I hope there's not a mod watching! Oh! ;)

[Michael]

Yeah, but it's my language, so watch your lip.

*Shaves head, gets drunk, shouts at foreign people*

[Will]

Andrew wrote: "Always worth remembering that English really doesn't have the monopoly on this kind of thing. Consider the word 'dont' in French."

I make it a strict rule to avoid french. Unless drunk.

[Andrew]

Will wrote: "I make it a strict rule to avoid french. Unless drunk."

Your loss...

[A.L.]

Oh yes. I remember explaining a few English meanings to a German friend and explaining things to one of the Polish doctors I work with.

My sister teaches English and she sent an essay back unmarked once when someone submitted it in text speak. That annoys me, especially when shops and such attempt to be "trendy."

One think I get mixed up are "bear" and "bare."
Big furry creature
Carrying an item or fruit
Naked or sparse.

I have to look that up every time.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

So a bare bear bearing fruit would really confuse you!

[Patti (baconater)]

Bare with me.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

Patti (Migrating Coconut) wrote: "Bare with me."

You going for a sauna?

[Patti (baconater)]

Teaching idioms is one of my favourite EAL lessons. (English as an Additional Languge)

I had a great book and tape resource that I used to use...

Wonder whatever happened to it.

School here is AMAZING! There's an entire department devoted to English language support, separate from Learning Support.

I could quite happily work in their marketing department. I wonder if they have one.

[Patti (baconater)]

Gingerlily (or Cyberlily..) wrote: "Patti (Migrating Coconut) wrote: "Bare with me."

You going for a sauna?"

Dogging.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

I'm sure you could persuade them to have one.

Marketing department that is...

[A.L.]

Gingerlily (or Cyberlily..) wrote: "So a bare bear bearing fruit would really confuse you!"

Hahaha yes it would.
A bare bear bearing bare fruit would be worse:)

[Tim]

Gingerlily (or Cyberlily..) wrote: "So a bare bear bearing fruit would really confuse you!"

A bare bear bearing fruit would barely confuse me...