English is a crazy language!
After all, there is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple. And English muffins weren’t invented in England nor French fries in France.
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.
Why 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?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
English was invented by people not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
I do so love words and language and fun!
(Said this ex-English teacher!)
2 Comments
Well done, Pat! You nailed it, and that without a hammer or a nail. You are so right about the English language being fun. It works so well for those who like the pun.
Russ, your response was sure fast! I’m still messing with getting around on my new laptop. But the humor of our language never seems to amaze me. I took Russian in college and never realized that English was just as difficult!