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From: hfir@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Hoss Firooznia)
Subject: Re: Single European Language (german?)
Message-ID: <1995Jun21.031818.24585@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>
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Date: Wed, 21 Jun 95 03:18:18 GMT
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In <803684087snz@ducks.demon.co.uk> roger <Roger@ducks.demon.co.uk> writes:

>> > Is there something sinful about irregularities in a language. They are
>> > not even inconvenient.
>> 
>> Except to foreigners trying to learn them.

>They're interesting and that *aids* learning. The most interesting thing
>about the alternatives is that they're not interesting.

I (respectfully) disagree with you, Roger.  Personally, I find irregularities
to be more of a hindrance than a help.  Sure, it's interesting at first to
see lots of novel quirks in a new language, but if and when I really want to
set about learning that language, the quirks just get in the way.  At least,
I found that to be the case when I tried learning some French in high school.
Learning verb conjugations was a pain in the rear, and boring too -- at least
to me.

Personally, one of the things I find interesting in a language is the ways I
can use it to convey thoughts in expressive, novel, or succinct ways.  But
to use the language, I have to have a command of it, and to gain that, I
have to get past all the quirks.  On the other hand, irregularities in a
language do add to its character.  But for me, at least, that added benefit
is more than outweighed by the added burden of learning all the
irregularities as a non-native speaker.  Especially when I stumble badly
when trying to talk to someone who learned the language as a child, and for
whom all the complex structures and irregularities are a breeze.

But of course, all this depends on how interesting one finds irregularities
to be.  If that interest encourages one to learn more, then I guess the
irregularities are an aid to learning.  But I'd caution you to question your
assumption that regularities in a language are necessarily boring.
Personally, I find Esperanto to be an extremely interesting language, in
part because it *is* regular, and considerably easier to use than many
irregular, national tongues.

Cheers,
  - Hoss
-- 
H. Y. Firooznia -- <hfir@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
http://www.cif.rochester.edu/users/hoss/home.html
