There is no egg in the
eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither Pine nor apple in the
pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England, and French
fries were not invented in France.
We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its
paradoxes, we find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square
and guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is a pig. If writers write,
how come fingers don't 'fing'? If the plural of tooth is teeth,
shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth? If the teacher
taught, why didn't the preacher 'praught'? If a vegetarian eats
vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat?
Why do people recite at a play yet play at a recital, park on
driveways and drive on parkways? You have to marvel at the unique
lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down and in
which you fill in a form by filling it out, and a bell is only heard
once it goes!
People not computers invented English, and it reflects the creativity
of the human race (which of course isn't a race at all). That is
why when the stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are
out they are invisible. And why it is that when I wind up any watch it
starts but when I wind up this story it ends? And more food for
thought.
Do infants enjoy infancy as
much as adults enjoy adultery? If love is blind, why is lingerie so
popular?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? Why is a
person who plays the Piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a
race car not called a racist? Why are a wise man and a wise guy
opposites? Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things? If
horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?
Why isn't 11 pronounced
onety one? If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't
it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted,
cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry
cleaners depressed?
Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion
stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a
wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure? If you
take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he
become disoriented? If people from Poland are called
"Poles," why aren't people from Holland called
"Holes?" ....and such is the Queen's English...
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