Comments on: Learning conundrum http://www.lingo24.com/blogs/company/learning-conundrum.html Goings on inside the web's favourite translation company! Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:43:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Francis Fine http://www.lingo24.com/blogs/company/learning-conundrum.html#comment-20 Francis Fine Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:12:29 +0000 http://www.lingo24.com/blogs/company/learning-conundrum.html#comment-20 I agree heartily with the eight ough's and with what I heard of Bernard Shaw's advocacioes. And I propose that we also discuss which is the easiest language to learn. (Hope I have not veered away from the subject too much.) Up to this moment, my first language is Chinese "becaue it is the simplest, at least when it is compared with most Western languages. In Chinese, nouns have no gender, singular-plural difference, and verbs do not distinquish themselves by tense. Why bother, especially when the occasion does not call for (or even inconvenienced by) them at all. If you need to make the distinction you may give (1). the numbrers such as 3, 44, a lot,etc., (2) the title or adjestives such as Mrs. female, etc. or (3) by adding the time-frame -- highly precise or very vague and generalized -- occasionally. I agree heartily with the eight ough’s and with what I heard of Bernard Shaw’s advocacioes. And I propose that we also discuss which is the easiest language to learn. (Hope I have not veered away from the subject too much.)

Up to this moment, my first language is Chinese “becaue it is the simplest, at least when it is compared with most Western languages.

In Chinese, nouns have no gender, singular-plural difference, and verbs do not distinquish themselves by tense. Why bother, especially when the occasion does not call for (or even inconvenienced by) them at all. If you need to make the distinction you may give (1). the numbrers such as 3, 44, a lot,etc., (2) the title or adjestives such as Mrs. female, etc. or (3) by adding the time-frame — highly precise or very vague and generalized — occasionally.

]]> By: Christian http://www.lingo24.com/blogs/company/learning-conundrum.html#comment-19 Christian Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:57:08 +0000 http://www.lingo24.com/blogs/company/learning-conundrum.html#comment-19 This reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's old favourite - apparently not of his own thinking - "ghoti". How on earth could 'ghoti' be pronounced 'fish'? Well take the 'gh' from "rough" - ie f. Take the o from "women" ie i and take the 'ti' from "motion" ie sh, and there you have it, 'fish'. Language is a funny old game - particularly the English one ;-) This reminds me of George Bernard Shaw’s old favourite - apparently not of his own thinking - “ghoti”. How on earth could ‘ghoti’ be pronounced ‘fish’? Well take the ‘gh’ from “rough” - ie f. Take the o from “women” ie i and take the ‘ti’ from “motion” ie sh, and there you have it, ‘fish’. Language is a funny old game - particularly the English one ;-)

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