if anyone ever tells you that english isn’t ridiculous remember that the reason why we have a silent b in debt is because a group of guys got together to standardise english spelling and got to the word debt, which at the time was primarily spelled either ‘dett’ or ‘det’. so they basically went:
‘everyone speaks latin, right? so let’s put a silent b in debt. like debitum, which is latin for debt. problem solved.’
also the reason why there is a h in ghost is because when the printing press first came to england the only people trained to operate it were flemmish speaking, and they put a h after g because that’s what you do in flemmish. they put shit like ghirl and ghoose, but the only reason why ghost stuck is because people saw ‘the holy ghost’ in the bible and were like ‘well, that MUST be right’.
so yeah english is a really stupid language with some of the most ridiculous spelling
it’s really a pity no one cares about foreign languages irl because I am a fountain of fun and interesting facts about linguistics and grammar and etymology but my peasant friends could not be any less interested
remorquer - to tow, lug
râler - to grumble, complain, gasp
ébranler - to shake, rattle, weaken
sonder - to sound, plumb, probe, survey
germer - to germinate, sprout, grow
étreindre - to embrace, clasp, clutch, choke
remuer - to move, touch, stir
étouffer - to suffocate, stifle, smother
bêler - to bleat, whine
gémir - to moan, whine
s’égarer - to get lose, lose one’s way, digress
ficeler - to tie up, bind
frotter - to rub, scrape, scrub
délier - to untie, undo, unknot
énerver - to annoy, irritate
effarer - to alarm, frighten
crisper - to tense, contract
haleter - to pant
balbutier - to stammer, stutter
bégayer - to stammer, stutter
harceler - to harass, pester
accabler - to impose, overwork, overburden
épier - to observe, spy on
délayer - to mix, water, dilute
éventrer - to disembowel, gut
étreindre - to embrace, clasp, clutch, grasp
sévir - to hit, strike
Words taken from: Le Horla (Maupassant)
Watching my toddler figure out how to language is fascinating. Yesterday we were stumped when he kept insisting there was a “Lego winner” behind his bookshelf - it turned out to be a little Lego trophy cup. Not knowing the word for “trophy”, he’d extrapolated a word for “thing you can win”. And then, just now, he held up his empty milk container and said, “Mummy? It’s not rubbish. It’s allowed to be a bottle.” - meaning, effectively, “I want this. Don’t throw it away.” But to an adult ear, there’s something quite lovely about “it’s allowed to be a bottle,” as if we’re acknowledging that the object is entitled to keep its title even in the absence of the original function.
a few quick reminders:
- that thing you did that was kind of embarrassing and weird, everyone else forgot about that already
- you look fine today, if you can’t notice something on your face standing 6 feet from a mirror then nobody else will either
- if something is out of your control, do not let yourself or anyone else expect you to deal with it alone
- social lives can go through cycles sometimes, if you feel like your friends are all ignoring you for no reason they’re probably just busy with other things
- if you can’t stop thinking about someone or something, find something mentally occupying to do like reading a book or watching a movie. it won’t solve any serious problems but you will feel better
- nothing will always be easy, if you’re trying then that should be good enough for anyone. if it’s not then you’re talking with the wrong people
- never underestimate the importance of going to bed, if it’s dark outside and you feel bad just go to bed and deal with your problems the next day
the true definition of bilingualism is knowing pokémon names in two languages