Lots of languages are hybridized from multiple, overlapping waves of conquerers, "but English’s hybridity is high on the scale compared with most European languages," which gives us a realm of weird pronunciations, weirder spellings, inconsistent grammar, and a near-unique situation whereby speakers of languages that are close cousins to English can more-or-less understand English, too. The amalgam of inconsistently blended Celtic, Norse, French and Latin make English a nightmare to learn, speak and spell -- which makes the language's success in the world something of a miracle. As long as the invaders got their meaning across, that was fine.
Comment on English isn't uniquely expressive or fluid, but it is uniquely, dysfunctionally weird
Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
Mon, 06/12/2017 - 11:15am
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