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People who started learning a second language, how has it made you aware how broken English is ? (lemm.ee)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by x4740N@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Clarification Edit: for people who speak English natively and are learning a second language

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[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

This definitely.

Exceptions on exceptions on exceptions, on top of grammar rules that vary based on what language the word you're using was originally from, except even then you can't know because it can be a word came to English from French even though it's originally Latin and then the way the French pronounced it carries over to the English.

As someone who's native language is Finnish and you literally know how a word is pronounced when you see it. If you know how to use the phonetic alphabet, then you basically know how to pronounce Finnish. Compare English words and their IPA to Finnish words and their IPA:

hevonen = [ˈheʋonen], hernekeitto = [ˈherneˌkːei̯tːo]

VS English

'geography' = ʤɔ́grəfɪj, explanation = ek.spləˈneɪ.ʃən/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Finnish

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaos

Dearest creature in Creation, Studying English pronunciation,

I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. It will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy;

Tear in eye your dress you'll tear. So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

You know the fun thing about "The Chaos"? It was written by someone who had English as a second language. Most native speakers simply don't get how chaotic their language is.

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

This I can fully believe.

Here's Lindybeige, a native speaker, talking about the extra R-sounds (between a word which ends in a vowel and another which begins with one) and why Brits don't hear them

And here's Dr Geoff Lindsey's channel, excellent videos about the English language. (And in regards to being deaf to features of one's own language, it took a native speaking English professor for me to realise just how much vocal fry there is in my native language, Finnish.)

this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2024

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