Difficult English
A. Gautam
English is a difficult language to learn for many reasons, especially for those whose native language is very different from English. Linguists study why English is complex and have offered some explanations.
Languages are families, or groups of related set of vocabulary, grammar, and the like. When people migrate, their language moves with them and undergoes changes. Related languages develop into different languages. For example, Latin eventually changed to modern-day Romanian. Today, Romanian is most closely related to Latin. There are many daughter languages of Latin.
English comes from the Germanic family of languages and is closely related to Dutch and German. Many words from other languages are borrowed in English, too. The breakdown of English content is: 26% Germanic, 30% French, 30% Latin, and others. For those whose native language comes from the Germanic family, English is easier to learn than for those whose native language comes from a different family.
But the origin story is not the primary reason for English being difficult to learn. Many find the spelling system of English bewildering. Many English words that are spelled alike are pronounced differently, like dough, tough, bough.
Prepositions in English make verb phrases difficult to learn. For example, a building might get burned down, but a person might be acting up. Idioms, which do not have straightforward meaning, make learning English tough. You have to know what “pushing daisies” means to understand the idiom.
Lastly, you just have to know some language facts to know English well. For example, the names of many groups of animals are surprising. This list is just a great example of why English is not an easy language to master.
Animal Group Name Animal Group Name
tiger streak bear sloth
cat glaring kitten intrigue
hippopotamus bloat leopard leap
bat cauldron crocodile bask
zebra zeal caterpillar army
elephant parade owl parliament
crow murder ferret business
giraffe tower jaguar shadow
lemur conspiracy porcupine prickle
jay party eagle convocation
turkey gang squid audience
cockroach intrusion alligator congregation
Question
Which idea would be most important to include in a summary of the article?
Responses
A You have to know what “pushing daisies” means to understand the idiom. (paragraph 5) You have to know what “pushing daisies” means to understand the idiom. (paragraph 5)
B For example, a building might get burned down, but a person might be acting up. (paragraph 5) For example, a building might get burned down, but a person might be acting up. (paragraph 5)
C English is a difficult language to learn for many reasons, especially for those whose native language is very different from English. (paragraph 1) English is a difficult language to learn for many reasons, especially for those whose native language is very different from English. (paragraph 1)
D There are many daughter languages of Latin. (paragraph 2) There are many daughter languages of Latin. (paragraph 2)