One of my students in a tone of frustration asked me the question: "Why is English so hard to learn!?!" It was more of a complaint rather than a question, but I did answer her. "It's one of the most difficult languages to learn," I said, "So, just keep working at it and one of these days, without realizing it, you'll get it right! (You hope!)"
Why did I sound so skeptical? Just read what a good friend of mine sent me not too long ago and you'll know what I mean.
"We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; but the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen.
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose, and the pural of cat is cats, never cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him; but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Let's face it. . .English is a crazy language!
There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. And, English muffins weren't
invented in England.
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?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends, but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid
of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what other language do people recite at a play ad play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that
run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites?
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 goes off by going on.
Now, do you see why I say that English is one of the most difficult languages to master? Can it be mastered by non-native
English learners? Of course! Many have done so and without going crazy first! Just keep working at it and use the language as much as you can and you'll find that someday you'll be saying "English? Piece o' cake!" (And that's without an s for pieces, nor cake, please!)
4 comments:
Ibu, I shared this post to my niece. She asked me the very same question your student had asked you...But then, at the time she asked me, all I can answer is: "All you have to do is keep exposing yourself with the 'fun' part of English..and keep use your English"
One of the reasons why Indonesians do not get to learn English as well or as quickly as they could is because they do not read enough, nor speak as often in English. But it is natural. English is a foreign language in Indonesia and we communicate a lot more easily with each other using Bahasa Indonesia. It is only when most of our friends are 'at home' in the language that we use both English and Indonesian when we comnmunicate. You gave the right answer in encouraging your niece to use the language. I just hope she has people who are willing to use it with her.
I like the layout. I also think a new posting is needed, right?
Let me see it.
Let us exchange blog entries or something.
Unyot
Hello Ibu Kismadi,
You may not know me yet, but I happen to visit your blog just after I
read your daughter's blog, Mbak Budhsi, whom I know when I did a training with Inspirit in june a year ago.
Shortest to say, your post is so inspiring, at least for me who never went to any official english course nor to just having a private english teacher to learn english. I learned it through my school from junior up to high school.
I kept on encouraging my nieces and nephews, cousins, to learn English, to not just learn but enjoy learning it, and fun to speak it.
My key to learn English is, never afraid to try to speak even if a bule or foreigner will lift his eye brows trying to understand what you're saying, or so what if you make mistakes on the pronunciation? I have a friend of mine, a Scottish, who often makes mistakes on that.
I like english movie, or any english TV programme, and when it's on, I will not just watched it but also try to translate each word by word.
I also did have chances to meet and make friends with lots of foreigners and work at some foreign-based companies which enable me to practise my english more intensively...although it is still too far from "better" english speaking or writing, but I am confident that not in too distant future, many indonesian could speak, read and write english too. if they're willing...
Nevertheless, I enjoy reading you blog Ibu Kismadi..I really do.
GBU..
Maya Kisdwiutomo
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