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Keep it simple (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by Lt_Worf@lemmy.ca to c/memes@lemmy.ml
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[-] Gork@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

Minor, yes, but there are quite a few of them.

  • Break a leg

  • It's raining cats and dogs

  • Bite the bullet

  • Piece of cake

  • Hold your horses

  • Spill the beans

  • Hit the nail on the head

  • Let the cat out of the bag

  • It costs an arm and a leg

  • Can't have your cake and eat it too

[-] ByteJunk@lemmy.pt 14 points 2 years ago

These are just idioms, all languages have their own.

Learning English has it's snags, but it's not a hard language. That's a good thing btw.

[-] margaritox@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

There are no objectively “hard” or “easy” languages. What makes certain languages “hard” is their difference from one’s native language.

[-] ByteJunk@lemmy.pt 3 points 2 years ago

Ah, we disagree my friend. I think languages can be easier or harder based on other criteria too, and not only familiarity.

Suppose an alien, the kind from outer space, crashes on earth and now needs to learn a language to communicate with humans.

It's not a stretch to consider that all human languages are so far removed from his own as to be considered equally hard to learn if looking only at familiarity. In this scenario, surely there are features of individual languages that make them harder to learn - stuff like gendered articles as mentioned before, as there's no logic to them and have to memorized.

[-] margaritox@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

I understand your point and opinion, but I think that, for us humans, it has more to do with similarity to our native language.

[-] uberrice@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago

Idioms. Present in all languages.

Example from Japanese, transliterated:

Rain falls, the ground hardens.

So, is the meaning instantly obvious to you?

this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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