Re: Opinions on English

I'd be interested in knowing some further categories
of what are considered the "messiness of English."

Obvious (to me) categories are:
1) the spelling            ('nuff said)
2) many aspects of pronunciation
    (e.g. "impure vowels" that vary among the
     dialects)
3) a few left-over irregularities in derivation or
conjugation ( go>went child>children hang>hung )
4) many compound verbs that convey little immediate
    semantic value (e.g. to "put up with")
5) multiple roots for so many ideas (native, Latinate,
    Greek, etc.)
 6) Sound ambiguities (to/two/too  flour/flower)
 7) Written ambiguities (divers, sewer, tower
    read/read   row   bow)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Chang" <Zhang2323@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2000 1:47 AM
Subject: Opinions on English


> n a message dated 2000:09:17 12:04:08 AM, microtonal@SERICAP.COM writes:
>
> >I've always rather liked English, at least once I realized that there
> >actually *is* a method to the madness.
<clip>
>     I once read a German writer's opinion that English was like a
> bricklayer's apprentice who is just getting his skills together... there
is
> bound to be a lotta messiness.
Is word order messy? (Other than the inverted
questions in "Do..."  etc.) Is the word order of
compound verbs troublesome?

> >The rules make perfect sense, once you learn
> >them all, and they have very few exceptions.
Is this really the case?

The most valuable (to me) observations would be
from those learning English in school or as an adult.

Regards,                                         Leo