It occurs to me that many languages have no equivalent word for “the” and it must be such a shock to come here and learn “it’s bollocks” and “it’s the bollocks” have polar opposite meanings. #insomniathoughts #brainvomit
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All Germanic languages have a specific article (and some like Dutch have multiple that apply to different nouns quite arbitrarily) - and that is STILL just as confusing even if you do have the word, because the specific article REVERSING the meaning is not sensible at all :P
Then again, when as language ever been sensible. Afrikaans BOASTS about being the most modern and sensible and logical language there is, partly based on being the youngest non-constructed language in the world. It has no silent letters. The grammar is simplified and consistent
there are only two articles and only three tenses and only one set of conjugations for the verb to be that are used universally regardless of subject.
No "I am" "you are", 'he is' here - it's "Ek is", "Jy is", "hy is"... about as logical as any language can be and yet
In this language the MOST widely use word is the non-specific article, the equivalent of of the English "a/an". Derived from the Dutch "een' - but Afrikaans shortened it to JUST the vowel sound so it comes out "uh". But it's WRITTEN "'n" apostrophe n. We SAY only the vowel, write only the consonant
Flagrantly failing at two of the things I just told you Afrikaans people literally boasts about our language having, and we break them both in probably the single most commonly used word in the language !
And then for some reason we ADD a double negative as the only correct form.
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No "I am" "you are", 'he is' here - it's "Ek is", "Jy is", "hy is"... about as logical as any language can be and yet
And then for some reason we ADD a double negative as the only correct form.