English is wacky most of the time, so it should be no
surprise when ESL learners, and even native speakers say something wrong. English
spelling is also not a very great help to figuring out how to say things,
because if you have ever looked at words with –ough (rough, though, thought,
through, hiccough), you know that just spelling alone cannot help you. All
those words have the same spelling in them, but none are said in the same way.
Yet, somehow, pony and bologna rhyme.
I think something needs to be said about English
spelling: IT’S HARD! Even for native speakers, spelling and pronunciation can
be quite difficult, so next time you hear someone saying something that you
don’t understand, give them a chance to correct it, and if they don’t, then try
to figure it out. If you still can’t get it, ask them to use another word, or
for some sort of context.
I was talking the other day with an international
friend of mine, and he was talking about how the weather back home was really
humd. Not sure what he meant, I kept listening to what he was
saying, and after a bit I realized - he meant humid. When I asked
him if he meant to say humid, he said
yes, and that made our talk make a lot more sense. IF, on the other hand, I had
just nodded along and not asked him what he meant by humd, I would still be wondering if Saudi Arabia had a special sort
of weather that doesn’t exist over here.
(265 words, SLA)
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