Is this why English, as a second language, can be difficult to learn II?

Question

I have borrowed this from Jokes and Riddles posted by Kitteh.
If you’ve learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius!
Those of you who have English as a second language and have mastered it, congratulations, those of you who are still struggling, perhaps the reason is below.
Some reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

- The bandage was wound around the wound.
- The farm was used to produce produce.
- The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
- We must polish the Polish furniture.
- He could lead if he would get the lead out.
- The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
- Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
- A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
- When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
- I did not object to the object.
- The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
- There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
- They were too close to the door to close it.
- The buck does funny things when the does are present.
- A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
- To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
- The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
- After a number of injections my jaw got number.
- Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
- I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
- How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Lyllan: "Hats off to those of you who have mastered English as a second language" That is exactly the point I am trying to make.

Tater Salad: Good one.

Warren D. In English it's cheque

Answer 1

English can be very difficult specially when there are words in our dialect that cannot be translated into the English words. And made more difficult, too, when we have limited knowledge of the synonyms and the antonyms and the different meanings of the words. One word can have several meanings, depending on how it is used, whether as a noun or as a verb. Oh well, so much for the English lessons in school.

Answer 2

I`m A Native American, Muscogee(Creek) Tribe, Even In Our Own Language There Are Words That Sound Simlar, But It Is How You Use It Or Emphasize It , Is How It Is Interpreted. Just Be Glad You Can Speak Your "Own" Language. Don`t worry About How Hard It is To Speak English.
Too Many Languages Are Being Lost Because Of English. If You Can Teach Your Children Or Others Their Language So Be It. Be proud Of "Your" Language First. Mudo( Thank You)

Answer 3

I agree completely! and it's so funny because it's almost exclusively native speakers who claim that, and I mean what do they even know about learning the language? english is my second language, and I find it so much easier than spanish, which I'm studying as well. in spanish you have all these verb conjugations and different tenses, which english lacks to a very high degree. I guess it's some monolinguals' way of justifying knowing only one language, sorta like "oh yeah I only know one, but at least it's the hardest language to learn!". having said this, I've seen this tendency among native speakers of other languages as well. I'm swedish, and from time to time I come across swedes who claim that the swedish language is the hardest to learn. swedish is not hard to learn either, but I would say probably harder than english.

Answer 4

I thank God that I was born in the States and English is my first language. Otherwise, I would never have been able to learn it. As a language there are just too many variables, as pointed out by the OP. Hats off to those of you who have mastered English as a second language.

Answer 5

knowing sentence patterns and the parts of speech will tell you what the words mean. Some words may be spelled in the same way but if it is used in the sentence that it is a noun, therefore, it takes the noun meaning. If it's a verb in the sentence, well, it takes the verb meaning. Well, I just mean it's not really difficult. It would depend on the exposure of one person to English. Well, this may sound confusing to Koreans and the Japanese who choose to learn English in a difficult way and many of them think that a word in English only has one meaning.

Answer 6

I don't consider English to be difficult, but that's a very biased response since I grew up speaking English all my life. However, I have to imagine that other languages have similar kinds of words that may look or sound the same but may have multiple meanings based on their context. Chinese, believe is a language like that, however, not speaking Chinese I cannot be certain.

You should look up "set", "run", and "get". They each have some 20 different meanings. And lets not forget, "there", "they're", and "their" as well as "to", "too", and "two".

And "Aref H4" here's one for you..."I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy".

Answer 7

English first language people don't speak like you speak. Filipinos speak totally differently. Filipinos don't have plenty of vocubolaries so they choose the nearest meaning. But nothing wrong with the english sentence you mentioned. I can understand it. It's only the Filipinos who criticize Filipinos who got their englischtze screwed up. They laugh at fellow Filipinos for botching sentences and grammar.

Most important thing is you get your idea across and you are understood and that's communicating. Filipinos were indoctrinated that profeciency in english language is measure of initelligence, social status and royalty. That's why Filipino children in Amerika cannot speak their native language because Filipino parents insist in speaking english.

Mexicans, Koreans, Chineses, Japaneses, HongKongeses, Taiwaneses their children are bilingual they speak their language and they speak englischtze fluently EXCEPT Filipinos. Because speaking english is royalty and class.

ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

"Truth sets you free but not on me"

Answer 8

Hmmm, these are very nice tongue twisters, well,Jokes apart, as a matter of fact, my english is very good, even though I am from India, and have never ever left my motherland.
Well, in fact, I think in english, that is quite a key distinction that others do not possess, most speakers translate the words in their mind from their mother tongue to english and then speak it,. but I can and think in english, that is the key to learn any language, to form the roots in one's brain.

Well, dear Papa, as usual * for you.
Peace.

Answer 9

Heidy Papa! English is not my first language, but when I had to, it took me 6 months to learn enough to go to an American school. Strangely enough, the one word that gave me the most problems (at 12 years of age) was ~~~ should it be pronounced dam, or damen?

Answer 10

English is hard because it is full of idioms, and has a million exceptions to every rule, because it is based on German, French, Latin, Greek --and Olde English.