by Elizabeth Mckibben

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

The English Language is a wonder in itself. It is actually a conglomeration of several different languages. Celtic, Norman, Anglo Saxon, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Greek, Moorish (ancient Middle Eastern), Egyptian, East Indian, American Indian, and several other languages have lent words to the English Language.
There are so many dialects that people speaking English from different parts of the world may not understand each other. In fact people from different parts of the USA have a hard time understanding each other.

Most amazingly it is a proved fact that the majority of English speaking women have a larger verbal vocabulary than most men. (primarily in descriptive words such as color variations.) So, they have a hard time understanding each other. On the flip side the children of immigrants, and working husbands/dads/moms generally learn English faster, and are more fluent then stay at home moms/grandmas. This is understandable because English is a confusing language, and even native speakers don't know how they know how to pronounce vowels long or short. It takes memorization and practice, and then we still get it wrong or differently than others would.

Try to decipher the vowel rules utilized in this dialog... "Lets all go down to the bookstore and read, are you ready Jim?" "No I still have to gather my things together. Hey, that fuchsia is growing at a fantastic rate!
Oh, I'm sorry they don't teach us how to decipher vowel rules in school anymore do they. Okay, here are some hints: If a single syllable word has a silent e pronounce the a as ahh as in have. i is long as in hive. e is long when doubled as in sleeve, but then we pronounce leave the same way. o is long in alone and short in long and in love.
How on Earth do foreigners figure this stuff out?

Don't get me started on all the same pronunciation different spelling words, (to, two, too, tutu.) same pronunciation and spelling different meanings (There is a bank you can get money from near the bank of the river, or Dogs bark, don't bark your shin, and don't peal the bark off that pear tree. I could keep on - but you get the idea. Try coming up with some double meaning pronunciations on your own.

An if'n ye-all aint cornfused enuff yit, try diseyefren this stuff verbly.

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