Learn English By Understanding Its Distinctions
English is either the first or second (with the Chinese) widest-used language in the world today for various purposes. Many schools teaching English as a second language (ESL) flourish in many places for the non-English who want to study it. Part of the normal program are vocabulary quizzes on English words that become more complex as the lessons go on, especially with the countless exceptions to the norms and different regulations that pertain to syntax, spelling, figures of speech and numerous other articles specific to the language. And once in a while the rules get somewhat conflicting.
There was a joke once upon a time on what kind of being is a ghoce. Nobody can tell. Then the right answer given was fish, which happened to go this manner: the gh is f’ from enough (pronounced enuf); i is o from women (wimmen) and the ce is sh from malice (maliz). So the term fish may also be spelled ghoce if we follow the English way of articulation from this single case; and there are many, actually. This is one reason why English is not an uncomplicated language to study.
A different basis is that English originated from numerous languages. There are English terms and root words derived from Latin, Scotch, Greek, French, Irish, Spanish, Germanic and very many more, even Sanskrit and aborigine. The ratios of adaptation are of course in wide differences, not considering even the divergences in terms of places, countries and peoples. What is right for one source language may be wrong for the others in many instances, so it can get to be very confusing sometimes. Take any big dictionary and read the initial pages and you will understand how English grew as a modern language.
The third reason is continental differences. In World War II an American plane went down near an island in the Pacific so the team managed to swim ashore. There they were greeted by a crowd led by a big Polynesian. The pilot asked him, Do you speak English? The Polynesian answered, No. Aghast, the pilot queried again, But you speak American? For which the smiling retort was, Oh yes, and rather good at it, too. British and American English have many basic differences. In England, to state a few, the American apartment will be flat, and the elevator will be a lift. The color is French colour and the center will move the second e to the ultimate position.
Next is that many English terms have different definitions even if of a single spelling. For the word great, for example. It means variously as wide, large, big, numerous, significant, important, powerful, influential, eminent, well-known, genealogic, enthusiastic, chief, principal, skillful and even pregnant as in ‘great with child’. If you are merely beginning to learn the language, how would you mean each of them in a single word? Till you grow well-versed in English, you might not be able to.
English is a good language: vibrant, adaptable and vigorous. It is the language of commerce and international deals. And it is not an easy language to excel in.
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