[arod13]

our language is hodge podge of prefixes, suffixes, and roots from several languages. As a result we have endless combinations with contradictory meanings.

We drive on parkways and park on driveways.

apartments are stuck together and our houses stand apart.

Our airplanes have "near misses" when they haven't collided at all.

plural of tooth is teeth but the plural of booth is not beeth

the plural of mouse is mice but the plural of noose is not nice.

A slim chance and a fat chance mean the same.

so does flammable and inflammable but a wise man and wise guy are contradictory

button and unbutton are opposites but ravel and unravel mean the same.

we spell the same f sound four different ways: fun, stuff, phone, and enough

then we take the same word spelled the same way and pronounce it to mean different things: recover and re-cover

If a skater skates,
a painter paints,
and a teacher teaches
why doesn't a violinist violin?

Its a wonder we communicate at all

[(JD)]

Yep We be different eh? I think the hodpodgedness comes from being the melting pot of the world, and allowing each culture to add to the Queen's English, which some didn't respect in the first place!

Then add that ppl don't even speak English well, and you have still more problems! lol It's easy to say wanna and gonna but to someone who is learning English as an additional language, they don't "have a clue" as to what we are saying!