TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Ways you would change the English language (if you could)

Go To

DrNoPuma Streaky from the land of Humorous Hyenas (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: Married to the music
#1: Jul 10th 2023 at 4:56:54 PM

Because, let's face it, English can be pretty confusing.

I was just thinking about how there should be different spellings for read (present tense) and read (past tense.) That must be annoying for non-native speakers.

Maybe the past tense version would be spelled "red," like "led" is to "lead?" Or maybe it could be spelled redd, like Crazy Redd. tongue

Very good kitty
Segal991 A loyal animal lover from Somewhere Beyond the Sea Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Yes, we're lovers, and that is that
A loyal animal lover
#2: Jul 11th 2023 at 4:50:58 AM

If it were up to me, the plural form of "mongoose" would be "mongeese".

Oh, I believe in yesterday
c1beat7per9minute It's like I'm in some kind of... TV Tropes... (Season 2) Relationship Status: She turned into the moon
It's like I'm in some kind of... TV Tropes...
#3: Jul 11th 2023 at 5:29:07 AM

make ough be pronounced the same in every word

Segal991 A loyal animal lover from Somewhere Beyond the Sea Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Yes, we're lovers, and that is that
A loyal animal lover
#4: Jul 11th 2023 at 5:36:06 AM

I'd spell "tough" like "tuff".

Oh, I believe in yesterday
Veanne Since: Jul, 2012
#5: Jul 11th 2023 at 8:50:17 AM

"Confusing" is just "interesting" when you've had a bad day :) I wouldn't change a thing. By the way, not a native speaker: my mother tongue looks like this:

Chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Szczebrzeszynie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. A gdybym miała dzisiaj pojechać do Szczebrzeszyna, zabrałabym brata, gdyby nie był zajęty graniem. Ale jest.

[lol]

Segal991 A loyal animal lover from Somewhere Beyond the Sea Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Yes, we're lovers, and that is that
A loyal animal lover
#6: Jul 19th 2023 at 3:37:35 AM

I'd spell Wednesday like "Wensday" or something similar.

Oh, I believe in yesterday
JethroQWalrustitty Since: Jan, 2001
#7: Jul 19th 2023 at 5:17:27 AM

I'm fine with most the idiosyncrasies of English, in fact, I love a lot of them. But silent syllables like in Wednesday really can fuck off.

Also, I wish there was some better way to differentiate between homographs, ie. words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently. Introduce umlauts or something.

andrewthetroper from ...mislim, iz Srbije Since: May, 2022
#8: Jul 19th 2023 at 5:21:57 AM

Murder the French words and say more Germanic ones - this settles the thing with the unheard staves.

The pessimist sees a dark tunnel, the optimist sees a light, the realist sees two lights and the engineer sees three idiots.
JethroQWalrustitty Since: Jan, 2001
#9: Jul 20th 2023 at 3:35:20 AM

Just remembered another one.

things like log meaning both a full length of a cut down tree, and the cut and split pieces you burn, and wall meaning both a self-standing obstacle, and a piece of a building. In Finnish those have their own word (tukki and halko, muuri and seinä). Things of this nature.

coemedypink hello vro from down in the deep blue sea (Series 2) Relationship Status: The vvillage twwo-wwheeled devvice
hello vro
#10: Jul 20th 2023 at 7:14:28 AM

Get those silent letters outta here.

hey look it's my signature
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
cheesythegreat Your Fournor from the silly dimension :] (Apprentice) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Your Fournor
#12: Jul 20th 2023 at 4:21:24 PM

I'd remove the "r" directly after the "b" in February.

Join the Object Show Cleanup Thread! (they/them)
Mara999 International Man of Mystery from Grim Up North Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: Crazy Cat Lady
International Man of Mystery
#13: Jul 20th 2023 at 10:14:20 PM

Make its spelling more consistent.

Add Post

Total posts: 13
Top