Subj : English is a very odd language
To   : Anton Shepelev
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Tue Aug 27 2019 20:01:06

Hi, Anton!  Recently you wrote in a message to Dallas Hinton:

DH>  I before E is the rule.
DH>  Except when your foreign neighbour Keith receives
DH>  eight counterfeit beige sleighs from feisty caffeinated
DH>  weightlifters.

AS>  Fie!  This rule is neither friend not fiend to the learner.


          Exactly.  Native speakers often make jokes about how "illogical" the 
spelling is in English... but a lot depends on one's preferred learning style.

          For those who want rules I'd point out that there's more to this one 
than they may consciously recall.  It's not so hard if you enjoy learning what 
makes people tick & realize +/- half of our language was borrowed from various 
parts of northern Europe & Scandinavia.  Dallas & I grew up with words such as 
"gesundheit" & "Fahrenheit", which may have given us a head start.  Anyone can 
make a point of using a dictionary which includes the etymology, though.  :-))




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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