This week we’re talking about English language oddities.
What’s odd… unusual… and strange about the language.
One reader points out that in the word “unusual”, the letter “u” is pronounced three different ways.
That is odd!
And English is the only language that has spelling competitions.
Is that true?
Schools don’t have spelling contests in your country?
I never knew that.
So interesting!
Another reader noticed that the stuff you brush your teeth with is, in fact, not called “teethpaste.”
I never thought about that either…
And have you ever noticed this?
When someone wants to call you in the future, they’ll say, “What’s your number?”
But we’ve got many numbers — not just one!
What else?
Join the discussion!
Share your observations in the comments section below.
In Hungary, there are spelling competitions on a regional and national basis in the native language, despite Hungarian being largely phonetic.
In english YOU is one person and also a lot of people. How can you manage?
Are you talking to me or to us?
You have to decide how you understand that in English… That exactly is the problem! 😉😊
There are a lot of different oddities in the English language. For example the word “priceless”. To use the rules for creating words the meaning should be “without price/value. Because “homeless” is a person without a home.
Really! So in reverse the “homeless” could mean to have a priceless home !
A strange situation was happening when I read a somewhere coments that said “only man is capable…..”
Aha, I thought, but the woman..??
Later I found that we say “man ” for human being and I translated it like “boy” .
we use same word for he and she. It is equal with man and woman.
I wonder why speed is in plural, speeds for example in Anki there is a sentence:
When Bob refused to pull over, the police ______ him down the highway at slow speeds.
Really? I haven’t noticed that, it’s strange for me.
We think and speak depending on the context. În the first stage of our life we just talk. Much later we associate speech with the way we are talking. Over time, speaking and writing influence each other, so conventions may change…
“What’s your phone number?”
It’s 3. It’s the third I have… 😹
(third smartphone I have)
You can discover the beauty of a language only when you try to express a feeling (for ex, to miss someone) and you realise that you don’t feel the same when you say it in English than when you say it in Romanian. When you think in the language you speak, you also feel in that language. That’s the charm. Someone said that: when you speak two languages, you are two people. I can love in English and I can love in Romanian. Is not the same.
its amazing to discover a language . You notice a lot of oddities
Yes, and then you start to notice oddities in your own language
Have a wonderful time all together!!🤗
Hi
Each language has its oddities, and sometimes its funny.
Regarding the spelling competition, my country organise it regularly by gathering many schools. It is broadcast live on national TV and the winer wins several gifts.
Are other countries doing the samething?
In Poland we have spelling competition, it is normal because our spelling sometimes is difficult
Really ? I didn’t know that, we don’t have them, Slovak language is mostly phonetic.
Vig Village members are meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria July 8-10.
I whish to be there and enjoy the meeeting. Have a nice day and talk to each other , enyoj the moment .. from Marjana
The arabic language were the powerful in spelling maybe it’s not Famous because no one had spoke the really arabic language and ,so on we must no forget the old history of it’s like the Quran the top linguist-ion they will can’t read the Quran in the good way ?because they not studied
This is interesting for me : you say 30 thousand, or 30 grand, and write 30 k. Why? What the “k” really means?