05 May 2008

Something about the English language

Been surfing the internet, a lot lately... I came across something interesting... thought I share it with you all:

"There's no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth?
One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? One index, two indices.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell on one day and cold as hell another?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.

People, not computers invented English, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, is not a race at all).

That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it!"

4 comments:

  1. that was a cool post!!!

    i'm putting this one in my shared posts...
    (http://shared.naseeh.net)

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  2. Thilafathaa neyfathaa kanfathaa kihilifathaa thunfathaky fatheh nooneve. Hikandhifathaky fathakah viyas, e gahugai hikanjeh naalhaeve. Adhi boluga fai felhi eh kamaku thunfaimatheegai falhany mahakah nuvaa mathimahekeve. Koamahaa alimahaky ves hamaekani namehgai maheve. Kandugeri aky ves kandu gai ulhey geri eh nooneve. Eiee kee geri eh ves nooneve. Minikaavagaky aanmu gothehgai minimas kaa echcheh nooneve. Adhi odi kaa bodu mahaky aanmu gothehgai odi kaa echecheh ves nooneve. Masmahaamessaai gasgahaagehi kiyuneh kamaku basbahaabehi kiyumy bahuge gavaidhu olhuvaalumeve. Ekamaku finifenaa finihakaigaa finikameh nethas eiee ky massala eh nooneve.

    Arabikaraigaa arabin ulhenya, Seenukaraigaa ulheny seenun heyyeve? Meybiskadhurugai meyehves, bihehves, kadhurehves noaveve, adhi asdhoonyaky fiyafalhaifaivaa aheh (Pegasus)nooneve. Efadha mashuni janavaaru mizamaanugai (?) noolhunas, kathilumun jinsu badhaluvaa haalaky adhives nethihingaidhaane kamuge biru heevefai vaa dhoonyeh nooneve. Fenfoah dhoonyaky dhoonyehkamaku fenfoakaa huri gulhumeh neyge eve. Dhoonyakahnuvaa Dhon-dhoonyaky Dhoonmoosa fadha dhon-noon sooipekeve. Adhi Dhon Didi kithanme dhoneh dhinas, dhonmammayaku kalhiyyaa dhuvahakuves dhoneh nuvaane eve. Mamma akah ves nuvaane eve. Faharehga (debatable)

    Dhaidholhi eh gai dhatheh ves dholhi ehves neendhe eve. Alanaasi aa alamaari ala-akun feshunas ala-akah nuve eve. Adhi thelabdi kaigen kobadi elhiyas eiee ky badi-hathiyaaru kahala furaana ah gellumeh dheyne echcheh nooneve. Faharehgai badeegai badi-beys hurumun eiee faidhaahuri beyheh kamah heevedhaanethy bunelee eve. Adhi badi edhurah badi kiyunas eiee kee naasikulhumah mashooru edhuru dhaitha eh nooneve. Naasikulheymeehun naasi geygai ulhenyaa Suvarugeygai ulheyny suvarun baava eve? Huvaa (Mahatma) gandhi, gefulhuge kalaangeyge rakaatherikan hoadhameve! Koa faa nuviyeh kamaku koafaa iskurahvafaanethy birugannaathee eve. Kaabaa aky ekalaange gefulhah viyas, badhige aa, bandahage aa feylige aky ge akah vaa geyeh nooneve. (again debatable i guess)

    Falho gadi eh gai falholeh neendhey, huvafenaky fenehnoon, adhi isthahtaky thahteh nooneve. Baiy-thashin baiykeyas, vathuthashin vatheh nukaeve. (Eiee hama faivaan joadakun faivaan nuboa gothah) Fenthashin fenbuyas, faakhanatashin fenbuin rangalhehnooneve. Gifiyyaky maa thaahiru thanakah nuvaathee eve. Anekka meekee abafili, ibifili kahala fiyyeh nooneve. Adhi filikoalhi aky maakoalhi gothah fileege koalhi ehves nooneve. Banduvah akuru ge bandeh inna kamehves neyge eve. Veema vah tho, thines kan tho lafaakoh bunaakah neyge eve. Ekamaku vahbahaky vah echcheh noon kan yageeneve.

    Dhivehi bahuge dharaja-fenvaraky adhives eyge takhuthun faiban neygigen ulhey echchekeve. E vedhaane ebeyfulhun aumahves dhiyumahves vadaigathun kiyuvvaatheekamah Faranjee faranseen emeehunge rasgefaanah hedhi gothah miyah ves hadhanvee kanneyge. (or not) Ehenyaafahe ebeyfulhunnah avahaaraganduvraugai avahaarafulhehnuleppeve eve. Adhi ebeyfulhunge kanbalun rakkauvvany, aharumen aadhaige meehun rakkaavaa gothakah nooneve. Mee dhen raskalunna rasoolunge nanfulhuge fahatha 'gefaanu' annaathee vaagoiy thoache. Arabin ves Alloahashaa, Rasoolaa ashaa, raskalunnashaa aadhaige alhunnah 'Qaala Qaala' kiyaa iru, aharumen kiyan jeheny, wahy kurevvun, hadith kurevvun, vidhaalhuvun adhi bunun migothasheve.

    Aneh kamaky dhivehi bahugai hiniayas hinyakee dhaa echcheh nooneve. Adhi rulhi harunuviyas rulhi aky maduvaa echchekeve. Biraa ladhaky ganna echcheseve. Adhi faisaa aky fiyaayah nuvaa rufiyaa eve. Fiyaa dhandeh gai fiyaa hedhenyaa, boalha dhandehgai hedheyny koacheh baava eve? Kahbimaky gaburustaanakah vanyaa, adhi kahbolaky mulha bolehge naashigandeh kamah vanyaa, kahgandaky koachehbaa? Minimahaa, minikiraa, minivahaky insaanunge mas, kiru adhi vas kamah vanyaa minivanaky insaanunge van baava eve? New Delhi, Aa Delhi ah tarujamaa vaairu, White House, New York, Baitul Maqdis, Teletubbies, Harry Potter adhi Snow White tarujamaa nuvany keehveba? Foolhumaiy dhaitha aky foolhukandaa meehakah vanyaa, khithaanu kuraa meehaayah kiyaany keykayba? Zakaru-bafaa beybe baa?

    Avi ainakun lolah rakkaatherikan libeyiru, mas aineh kaifiyya faharehgai loa andhiri vumun dhuruvaane kamah baeh meehun bune eve. Ekamaku loa andhiri viyas, TV nubelunehkamaku, vas beleyne eve. Eiee dhivehi bahugai neyfathunnaa dhulhunna lolunna kuraakamaky hus belun kamugaivaathee eve. Adhi ishaaraai koh than than dhakka gothah, vaahaka aky ves dhakkaa echchekeve. Ehenve kanneyge dhivehi bahaky ishaaraathakey kiyany. Mee dhen kanunna mammanunnah ves rahumaitheribahakah vaathy fakhuru verivan. Dhivehibas dhemiothumuge aalamah dhathrunukoh, dhemi onnaanetho ummeedhukuran. Kanneyge.

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  3. anony, that was such a looooooooooong comment! longer than my posts!

    and fish, cool post! it's one of the best ones.. i've come across :)

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