Adults Living with Type 2

[alan_s Honored Contributor]

As a traveller with a very limited lexicon in languages other than Aussie English (some call that a contradiction in terms ) I know how hard it must be for non-English speakers to master our language.

Despite that, this is one of my favourite go-to sites when I want to start my day with a smile: http://www.engrish.com/

[jpg391]

I'm happy you posted this Alan. I got a big laugh.

[ellieaire]

I go to some old MadTV episdoes for a laugh and Ms. Swan is one of my favorite characters.  There's other characters on MadV that make me laugh but Ms. Swan and the language barrier is funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNXEzdunIqI

Here's another - but it's how Japanese advertise their sales!  Warning contains a naughty word!  I think they need an English dictionary!

http://www.japansubculture.com/2012/01/its-no-ordinary-sale-its-a-**bleep**in-sale/

[alan_s Honored Contributor]

ellieaire, the first was a classic - thanks; the second link gave me:

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The page you are looking for no longer exists.

[morrisolder]

This one focuses on pronunciation -and (warning) is a bit long...

"If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.

After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud."

As Americans, the first 12 lines shouldn't be a problem:

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)

but try keeping it up for a while...

The rest is at

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2011/12/23/english-pronunciation/

[morrisolder]

Josh White, Jr wrote a song about English, performed here by Pete Seeger...

[alan_s Honored Contributor]

I loved this line in the kuh-razy song:

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If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

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[sam_43]

Dear Alan

George Bernard Shaw was a bitter critic of English pronunciation as evidenced by his Preface to Pygmalion.

His joke was that the word "ghoti" should be pronounced as "fish".

How can "ghoti" and "fish" sound the same? GBS explained it like this  : the gh = f as in rouGH

the o = i as in wOmen ,the ti = sh as in naTIon       

It is nice that Diabetics have a "healthy" sense of humor

All the best

sam