April 10, 2007

Just another story

For the benefit of those who dont read the other blog shared by my gang of friends, here's an interesting read that my EL lecturer showed me in lecture one day. Just wanna share with all of you. take a breather while preparing for exams! haha. so what more than to provide some "thoughts"? haha. enjoy it folks! =D

English is an odd language. Why do I say so?

You see, there is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn’t a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

Let’s face it. English is just an odd language.

someone tell me why am i still struggling with studying english when it is such an odd language?! haha.

Labels: ramblings

Elsa Chen
21st Sep 1986
cedar pri/cchms/mjc/ntu-nie
loves:
--her family and darling!
--her darling friends!
--sleeping and eating
--blue, pink and light purple
--going for tours overseas!




hmm..based on priority!!hee.. =D you can help to fulfil some wishes by getting it for me for my birthday?!*grinz*
- world peace
- people i love to stay healthy and happy always
- little or no quarrels and unhappiness at home!!
- mum never to have to worry over financial issues!
- 2nd class honours, preferably upper class!!
- happy with darling!!
- go usa/europe with my parents!!
- get the 5k annual stipend!
- strong friendship with friends
- lose weight
- catch up with friends!esp my sec/jc mates!

- car license!!
- portable harddisk that is PORTABLE with as much memory as possible
- that citadel and saboteur game that i am addicted to!!
- any 1 of the many many reflexes game i play in settlers! they are so fun!
- watch movies with darling FOC!!
- new clothes and shoes!
- a new leather watch!!
- lasik operation! to get rid of having to wear specs/contacts!
- a small sling bag for gai gai and a bag big enough for school
- a shopping spree in HK or Thailand!!
- a pair of birks?

Wenhui

Nuha

Laureen

Xiao Mei

Brenda

Melissa

Sharon

Terelle

Nadia

Elroy

Serena

Satiish

Baoling

Dimas

Jiemin

Xue Qi

Yunqing

Quek

Cindy

Binchuan

the Hong Xing gang

Lee Mei

# Artist: Cascada
# Title : Everytime We Touch