English is such an idiomatic, and phonetic language. Why hasn't there been a (successful) attempt to "fix it" - i.e. cough, although, knight et al?

1 Answer

Answer :

I thought the Americans tried – “color” / “colour” is one example. I don’t know how you judge if it is successful or not.

Related questions

Description : What idiomatic expression intrigues you?

Last Answer : One bird in hand, is worth two the bush. Call a spade a spade. Go fly a kite! Why don’t you get out of my hair! Tooting your own horn. A chip on your shoulder. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Everything but the kitchen sink. etc. etc.

Description : Do you use a lot of idiomatic expressions in ordinary conversation?

Last Answer : A conversation without idioms is about as useful as a chocolate teapot! But I’ll give you a penny for your thoughts on the subject. That is unless of course you are at your wits end and have an axe to grind. :P

Description : English versus English: British and American (or Australian, Canadian et al) - what's the difference, really?

Last Answer : You’re avin’ a giraffe ain’t ya? There’s busloads of differences!

Description : Do you trust Microsoft, Apple, Google, et al., with your biometric data?

Last Answer : No, I don’t trust them with any of my private data, but that ship seems to have sailed.

Description : Why are Bertuzzi et al and Bill Maher (et al?) not charged with premeditated x and premeditated y?

Last Answer : ”Bill Maher who works hard to get people on drugs, send them to their death even, all in the name of comdey” If we go by that logic, I should report you to the cops for defamation.

Description : College teachers, junior college instructors, et al.: do you look up your students' grade records?

Last Answer : answer:It never occurred to me to do that when I was teaching. I don't think it is allowed; if it is, I never knew how to do it. I assume that federal privacy laws would apply. Those ... done in a specific prior class, but that was usually in the context of advising them about future course choices.

Description : How long does a cell phone service provider, Sprint, et al., keep cell phone records?

Last Answer : answer: Verizon Wireless keeps phone records including cell site location for 12 months, Drew Arena, Verizon's vice president and associate general counsel for law enforcement compliance, said at a federal task ... for seven years, and stores SMS text messages for only a very brief time. Source

Description : What is your "theme song of the day?" (That reflects your emotions et al.) Why did you choose that song?

Last Answer : It was snowing today and I caught myself humming “Let it Snow”.

Description : It's official - the mousification of Marvel and Spider-Man et al has begun. Horrors?

Last Answer : I don’t think so but it seems like they got a bargain at 4 billion.

Description : Once again, (apologies to previous posters, Iwamoto et al.,) What do you look like?

Last Answer : See previous thread(s) for my answer. :)

Description : why am I getting love letters from ben et al after all these months?

Last Answer : Check out the blog!

Description : A curvilinear relationship between weed density and crop yield was reported by a). Zimdahl 1980 b). Roberts and Bonds (1975) c). Cousens et al (1985) d). None of these

Last Answer : b). Roberts and Bonds (1975)

Description : The sigmoidal relationship between weed density and crop yield was proposed by a).Zimdahl 1980 b). Roberts and Bonds (1975) c). Cousens et al (1985) d). None of these

Last Answer : a).Zimdahl 1980

Description : When two or more successive footnotes refer to the same work which one of the following expressions is used? (A) ibid (B) et.al (C) op.cit : (D) loc.cit. 

Last Answer : Answer: A

Description : Why shouldn't the US require teaching at least part of a curriculum in a non-English language at the start of mandated education?

Last Answer : answer:There are plenty of reasons not to. They aren’t GOOD reasons, but still…

Description : Does it bother you if people have conversations in another language in front of you, and only speak English when you are spoken to?

Last Answer : Can’t say I’ve ever had that experience.

Description : Which foreign language would likely be the easiest for a native English speaker to learn?

Last Answer : answer:Four skills needed; Reading, writing, listening and speaking. Spanish gets my vote. All of the Romance languages have the same grammar but Spanish is by far the easiest to pronounce. Speaking French well is a real challenge. German grammar is formidable as is their three-gender noun system

Description : What language are you very fluent at other than English?

Last Answer : Malayalam, Hindi,Tamil.

Description : English language colloquialism question ...which is the better noun?

Last Answer : answer: She redefines stupidity. She has set the bar below ground. She's a dull beacon of stupidity. Your friend's phrasing will be easier to understand, but you could save the day if you make fun of the ... thing: She takes stupidity to a new level. No, I haven't got a good way to do it.

Description : What with "What with..."? [Question on English language].

Last Answer : In this usage, it means “on account of.”

Description : How can I translate English text to Hindi language?

Last Answer : Paid translation is the only way to go with a document that large. You can translate simple sentences or a few words using something automated, but larger pieces are just going to be garbled. It also depends on what you’ll be using this for.

Description : What pivotal phenomena lead English to become the dominant language of the world?

Last Answer : The American Revolution, with subsequent American economic expansion

Description : If you didn't speak English, what language would you be speaking?

Last Answer : Gibberish, I guess. Do you mean if I could choose another language? Italian. Or do you mean because of my heritage? German, Polish, Norwegian. You might want to clarify what you are looking for.

Description : What are examples of language sounds that English speakers do not routinely, if ever, make? What are they called?

Last Answer : answer:The French “r” and the Italian and Spanish “r.” The Spanish “v” and “b.” The French “u” as in “sur.” Most of the Hebrew consonants (lots of throat clearing there). The African click languages. The tonality and pitch sounds in some of the languages of the far east.

Description : I've always supported the double negative rule in the English language, but why?

Last Answer : Language isn’t logic or math and there’s no reason to expect it to behave like logic or math. The fact is that many languages use double negatives to reinforce each other (also called negative concord), including some dialects of English. It was a feature of all English in the 1300s and earlier.

Description : What is the language and the english translation of the samples on CocoRosie's song "R.I.P. Burn Face"?

Last Answer : answer:In her mourning In her grave Don't you miss the way That she brushed her heavy hair Oh la la la la la ACID BURNed FACE CLOWNY TEAR SMILE She's the one who made you wild She made you ... ones you loved Flowers for the lost at sea Flowers for the ones you loved Flowers for the lost at sea

Description : What is the hebrew word for root and what is its phoenetic (english language looking) spelling?

Last Answer : the word for root is shoresh. the plural (roots) shorashim.

Description : What is the most difficult language for English speakers to learn?

Last Answer : Inflectional languages, such as Chinese and Japanese, are often very difficult for English-speaking people to learn. Perhaps that is because English is not inflectional, but I’m not really sure.

Description : How do i get my iphone from a language i can read back english?

Last Answer : Call 1-800 MYIPHONE If the frontline person taking your call can't handle it, insist on being bumped up to a product specialist. I'm sure you're not the first person to encounter this problem ... entitled to free telephone support for a year and longer if you sprang for the extra warranty period.

Description : Where is the best and non so expensive language center(for English) in NYC?

Last Answer : Here are the ones in Manhattan. I know nothing about them. Sorry. http://tinyurl.com/npp4eo

Description : Has the English language degenerated, and what can we do about it?

Last Answer : Oops, sorry all. I meant “verbiage” not verbage. I recognize that may be defined as an insult to the word verbiage. just some trivia if anyone cares.

Description : Besides English, what other language(s) are you fluent in?

Last Answer : 日本語を話せます.I speak Japanese.

Description : Do most languages and/or cultures use the same numeric symbols that the English language uses?

Last Answer : No. Without googling, (which is what you should be doing,” I can think of Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Farsi, Arabic, Sanscrit, Hindi, for starters.

Description : How to Teach English as a Second Language ?

Last Answer : How to Teach English as a Second Language The English language is fast becoming the language of choice for business, trade, and international relations. Knowledge of the English language is also necessary for ... With these tips, you can help students learn and use English to get ahead in life.

Description : Which phonetic alphabet (a like apple, and so on) is the best, and why?

Last Answer : The one I know is there.

Description : Ok so my dad started and anti phonetic alphabet and we're stuck on "i" does anyone know a word that starts with a silent "i" ?

Last Answer : an ‘anti-phonetic’ alphabet?—-is intrigued -

Last Answer : A letter indicating a sound is called a letter.

Description : What is my phonetic name?

Last Answer : Feel Free to Answer

Description : What is 'Et Tenebrae facta est' when translated from Latin to English?

Last Answer : and darkness was.............

Description : What is 'Uxores habent deni duodenique inter se communes et maxime fratres cum fratribus parentesque liberis' when translated from Latin to English?

Last Answer : Google translate says "Uxores is not able to interact with most of the fronts and fraternities with parents."

Description : What is 'capilloque sunt promisso atque omni parte corporis rasa praeter caput et labrum superius' when translated from Latin to English?

Last Answer : Google translate says "The capulose is the most prominent of the corporation and it is more prominent than the other."

Description : If someone gives examples of successful people with the same flaw as them in an attempt to justify their own flaw, and other people end up praising the examples, does that person accomplish what they intends to do?

Last Answer : Yes, because it is obvious that their intention is to justify their flaws and not necessarily address them. Justification is subjective.

Description : Is the saying "taking your time" or "she takes her time" idiomatic or metaphorical?

Last Answer : I would say it is both: a metaphor that has become idiomatic.

Description : Which idiomatic noun ? A) Seeing b) Panchayat c) Sourav d) Liquidity

Last Answer : Liquid word.

Description : What is the best explanation of the idiomatic expression an axe to grind?

Last Answer : n axe to grind means a complaint, something that you need totalk over with someone.

Description : Have you ever been in a situation where you would pray or trade for understanding a different language in an instant?

Last Answer : answer:Google is working on that for you. Google plans to upgrade its Translate app to be able to interpret conversations between people speaking different languages in real time. Following in the ... company Quest Visual as part of its Word Lens tool. Google acquired Quest Visual in 2014.

Description : For languages that have been around for a while, how close are ancient texts to the modern form of the language?

Last Answer : answer:Consider Sumer is Icumen In is the oldest known English poem, yet it's damn hard to read for a non-scholar. And it's only 8 centuries old. For something in Aramaic or ancient Chinese or Hindi, ... cuckoo; Don't ever you stop now, Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo. Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now!

Description : Where can you find free E-books in original language?

Last Answer : Project Gutenberg is probably your best bet.

Description : Can you recommend an English to French and vice versa translation site (see details)?

Last Answer : answer:Snow bank banc de beige. Plowing the snow – labourer la neige clearing the snow – dégager la neige Google translate works fairly well.

Description : Is American English dying?

Last Answer : Somewhat relevant (maybe?) brilliance from the world’s best troll.