Wednesday, June 1, 2011

toy boats

I am a firm believer that anyone can learn english as a second language without too much struggle, mainly because it has become such an international language. But if it weren't for this reason...I wouldn't agree that it was an easy one to learn...

I am no expert on languages unfortunately, but I do know that there is a big difference between the two that I call my own, that being the phonetics.

Learning a second language is never easy in terms of phonetics (especially for adults whose mouths have lost their malleability), English is particularly tricky in this aspect.

Take John, for example. He's from England or something and knows not a single thing about the spanish language. By gunpoint, force him to read the sentence "Tengo un gato en mis pantalones." If just one single mistake slips from his tongue, you and him both know what's next...

...in another room, have an accomplice perform similarly with Juan, a Spaniard who knows no more English than John does spanish. He will read "I have a cat in my pants."

Do either triumph? Do both fail?

John will be fine. He will sound incredibly stupid, naturally, but will stumble through the syllables pronouncing each one as it looks on paper. Juan, however, is surely going to fail. Just as he might say "boAT" instead of "boat" (hear this mistake all the time), he would probably read the sentence as such: "Ee av-eh a cat in may pant."

Not even the publishers can get it right....can you spy two words here that rhyme?


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