One of the most magical parts of homeschooling is being right there next to your child when she discovers reading. And it really is magic, because English–let’s face it–is not an orderly language. It’s full of redundancies (what for instance, is the point of x?) and rule exceptions and letters that slyly change what they’re saying every time you turn your back.
For example, just flipping through my daughter’s basic, no-frills primer shows me that the long a sound can be represented in the following ways:
- a_e (but not when the word is “are” or “have”)
- ai (but not in “again” or “said”)
- ay
- ey(?!)
- ei (say what??!)
- eigh (*words fail me at this point*)
Amazingly enough, in spite of the vagaries of the English language, many many of us learn to read, write, and–*gasp*–spell it.
If you could reform the English language, how would you change it? Add or remove letters? Change spellings? Which words do you find a challenge to spell?
(As for how English got to be the way it is, check out this 10-minute video about the history of the English language. It’s a little crude/naughty at times, so be warned if you have younglings peering over your shoulder. Otherwise, it’s pretty funny and informative).
Thanks for sharing that, Rabia. It’s great. The good old OU! 😀
Personally I wouldn’t change anything about English. The history of England can be traced in its quirky collection of words and the zany spelling. I love it! I love reading the O.E.D too and seeing where words came from. Etymology definitely rocks 🙂
English slang is pretty cool too, but some of it is changing so quickly I can’t keep up!
English is a very dynamic, very adaptable language. I love it’s quirks too, just not when I’m trying to explain “rules” to my children–only to have a ton of exceptions jump out at me the very next moment.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and observations with us, Rabia. I don’t say that often enough, but I feel it.
English–Lots of us can hear the differences between Mary, marry, and merry. And the long A sound in “wait” and “eight” are different, too–just a smidgen, but different anyway. If we streamlined the spellings, those differences would be lost. Lazy or indifferent speakers will not produce those differences, anyway, it’s true, but for most of us, we say and hear those sounds slightly differently.
Prue is right–etymology is hugely important to the language. To its meanings, his history (which redounds to meaning) and its fun! If you can find it, there’s an old Mary Kate Ashley Olsen movie in which the twins sing a song that makes fun of lots of big words and the meaning kids expect them to have. The girls about seven years old, so they haven’t hit the eyeliner and cocaine phase of their lives yet.
We’re homeschooling three girls, and each one presents individual challenges and delights. You rock, Rabia. :)TX
Thanks, Tex! It’s nice of you to give me an ego-boost of knowing that my posts are appreciated! I was feeling some blogging fatigue, and you have vanquished it–for now. 😉
I didn’t know you homeschooled! What ages/grades?
Having no other language but English and having grown up in an age where spelling was a subject, I don’t have to think too hard. But trying to teach it to someone else? It’s so full of contradictions, broken rules. Hats off to you, Rabia!
Other languages have their quirks, too. I can’t imagine learning Chinese characters (and tones!) but ordinary children do it every day. The human brain is an amazing thing!
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon.
Heheh! That reminds me of work. We had a lot of visiting workers from all over the world. Inevitably, I ended up teaching English to some degree which I quite enjoyed. We had a Chinese post doc in our lab for six months and he decided that he should reciprocate and teach me mandarin Chinese. We started with the word for water. He became helpless with laughter to the point of hysteria and could hardly stand up straight. I still don’t know what I said because he wouldn’t tell me! 😀 Apparently I didn’t get the inflection right.
I love the quirks of the English language – I wouldn’t change a thing! I think it is fascinating. This is a great video, Rabia! Thank you for sharing it! 🙂