I don't speak french, dutch, italian, scandanavian...

Isn't the easiest solution just to learn those languages?

My philological studies have satisfied me that a gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in thirty hours, French in thirty days, and German in thirty years. It seems manifest, then, that the latter tongue ought to be trimmed down and repaired. If it is to remain as it is, it ought to be gently and reverently set aside among the dead languages, for only the dead have time to learn it.

  • Appendix D of A Tramp Abroad, "That Awful German Language" by Mark Twain

English is crazy hard to learn compared to other languages such as French...

Our verbs and everything are just messed up

It's the collective nouns I love, some that spring to mind

a pod of whales
a gaggle of geese
a flock of birds (aren't geese birds?)
a mob of sheep
a business of weasels
a herd of cows

actually I decided to google this, have a look here

http://www.rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml

Even I don't believe some of them, but maybe.


Rob

a business of weasels

Haha :smiley:

English is crazy hard to learn compared to other languages such as French...

-er, -ir and -re verbs, irregular verbs (PA MENDS V TRAMS and all that), plus the twists and turns of the past historic, the subjunctive...
And then there's all the gender stuff.

Nah, English is a doddle, trust me.

Ack!

French is basically like Latin, and I had to endure that for 5 years at school. All the strange ways of counting '4x20+6' instead of just '86' or '20-2' instead of just '18'.

No matter the roman empire collapsed. Before you calculate anything with 'XCV...' and figure out what tense to use, whole mountains have eroded away.

Just to give you an idea: after 5 years of Latin at school with acceptable grades, I was not able to have a minimal conversation on infant level. With English on the other hand, we were happily yakking after just a few months.

All the strange ways of counting '4x20+6'

It worked for Abe Lincoln.

Que?

madworm:
Que?

Qui ?

Simpson_Jr:

madworm:
Que?

Qui ?

Wie?

Mrs. Richards: I've booked a room with a bath and a sea view.
Manuel: Que?
Mrs. Richards: K?
Manuel: Si.
Mrs. Richards: C?
Manuel: No. Que, "what."
Mrs. Richards: K. Watt?
Manuel: Si: que, "what."
Mrs. Richards: C. K. Watt? Is he the manager?
Manuel: Ah! Manajer! Mr. Fawlty.
Mrs. Richards: This man is telling me the manager is a C. K. Watt, aged forty.
Manuel: No, Fawwwlty.
Mrs. Richards: Faulty? Why? What's wrong with him?

@Madworm, re. crazy "sixty-ten", "four-twenty ten" counting & Abe Lincoln.

First four words of the Gettysburg Address.

I see... never read that before.

But it proves my point, Latin is bad for the brain.

But it proves my point, Latin is bad for the brain.

But in Latin, 60, 70, 80 and 90 have unique names (sexaginta septuaginta octoginta nonaginta), unlike French, where 70 is derived from 60+10, 80 is derived from four-twenties, and 90 is derived from 80+10.

So what was it you thought it proved about Latin?

Ahem... "bobebi-bibibu". This is derived from the L-language as well.

And who said the French haven't surpassed their 'masters' in terms of insanity.

The only advantage of the L-language is the ability to hate it ardently. There another L-word :wink:

madworm:
I see... never read that before.

But it proves my point, Latin is bad for the brain.

Maybe that's because you've been bored with it for 5 whole years :smiley:

I must say I'm happy only having learned it for two. Occasionally... I still benefit from that
knowledge since quite a number of words originated from Latin.
While programming I often kick my own butt a lot for not having paid much attention during mathematics-lessons though... :smiley:

I do English, Scandinanvian and German. For the rest I use Google translate 8) . Man what a (not yet realized potential) for humankind!

Still, I can resist - back to the other weighty issue of this thread - German also turns the tens and units around - three-and-twenty for twenty three, ditto Danish/Norwegian (but not Swedish). Whilst German/Swedish have distinct words for the decades 20,30, 40... the Danish have a system based on the twenties after 40, ie forty, 50 is three-(minus)half times twenty (tre-og-halv-treds) ending at 90 (minus half of five times) (halv-fems). Actually each word is just as distinct, there is just an ancient root/reason for the choice of the word

Of course you'd go stupid if you try and do the maths every time you say, 77 (seven-plus-4-minus half(=3.5) times twenty) you just learn to say the simple phrase syvoghalvfjerds. :slight_smile: Even Swedes when they come here to work in shops in Copenhagen from Malmö quickly learn that detail.

Oh - What was the original topic? - Ah, supression of the foreign forums. Nope. More user choices/settings are likely to cause more problems.

Ah, supression of the foreign forums. Nope. More user choices/settings are likely to cause more problems.

I wouldn't say so - not for something like this.

mowcius:

Simpson_Jr:

madworm:
Que?

Qui ?

Wie?

Cualo?