english words that dont sound english

[Kenny221]

Well , it's because it isn't. Most modern English is based on three languages. German , French and Latin . This goes back to the medieval days, the lower class Saxons has a more German tongue while the upper class norman spoke French and Latin. It's these differences that's having consequences today.
Low high
Cow -> Beef
Shit - > Defecate
Pork -> Poultry

[princealbertofb]

my god I watched that video PA ... that lady can have children too !!!! she should be stopped....she didn't even know France was a country !! never mind Hungary which was the answer = that is really scary

I know, Matty, right?miley-eating-icecrFortunately, the little guy who was giving the answers had it right, from the start....

[princealbertofb]

Well , it's because it isn't. Most modern English is based on three languages. German , French and Latin . This goes back to the medieval days, the lower class Saxons has a more German tongue while the upper class norman spoke French and Latin. It's these differences that's having consequences today.
Low high
Cow -> Beef
Shit - > Defecate
Pork -> Poultry

Does anyone see what's wrong with the association PORK / POULTRY?????
Kenny, Pork is not poultry...
Hens, cocks, chickens, guineafowls etc .. are poultry...

[Chase]

No french words please...

By the way, about that:
Most sources say a little less then one-third, like 30%, of the English language has been derived from French.

[Rob]

Handkerchief sounds so German to me

[princealbertofb]

Well that could be so, these days... English will have, since 1066, borrowed some more from Spanish, Hindi, etc to name but a few languages...

[Tulloni]

I agree about the word 'Ombudsman', that is such a strange word. Doesn't sound English at all.

Place names in the UK are just as bad. Don't forget we have other indigenous languages in the UK besides English such as Welsh, Gaelic, and even Cornish which is hardly ever spoken. Welsh names are really really hard to pronounce unless you're fluent in the language. It is probably easier for an English speaker to learn French than Welsh. Anyway, pronouncing the name of Welsh towns and villages is practically impossible, especially north Welsh towns which don't have an easy English translation. Try pronouncing ''Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch'' which literally means '' church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave.''

Other alien sounding place names in England can be found. Even London has some strange names. The London Tube station 'Holborn' is actually pronounced 'ho-bun' which is just weird. There's another Tube station called 'Theydon Bois' which is funny. 'Theydon' sounds English enough but the name 'Bois' means 'forest' in French. Why that name is on the Tube map I don't know! Apparently is doesn't mean 'forest' or 'wood' in this case but the village of Theydon (on the outskirts of London) actually borders onto The Forest of Epping. So maybe the French did name it after all? Who knows!

I admit I thought one of the Eurostar train stops 'Ebbsfleet' was actually Dutch or German. I felt silly when I realised it was actually in the south-east of England!

English has so many imported French words which are used with ever greater frequency. Its a bit like the way Japanese borrows a lot of words from English - we do the same with French. Words like 'vignette', 'brunette', 'launderette', 'café', etc. all have French origins. We borrow words from other languages too due to immigration, globalisation, and colonisation a long time ago. Indian cuisine is popular in the UK, we use the words korma, naan (bread), tikka masala, jodhpurs, etc. which come from India and its environs (that's another vaguely French sounding word).

I get the earlier comments about the french invading England back in 1066, and yeah you guys did a damn good job of invading us back then but we've done the same. At one point in Medieval times, didn't England own a large part of France? And we've exported some words to the French language especially 'le weekend'. Its been two ways really! Still, thanks for the croissants, bourguinon, etc!

[southbiochem]

I get the earlier comments about the french invading England back in 1066, and yeah you guys did a damn good job of invading us back then but we've done the same. At one point in Medieval times, didn't England own a large part of France? And we've exported some words to the French language especially 'le weekend'. Its been two ways really! Still, thanks for the croissants, bourguinon, etc!

Indeed, the Duke of Normandy whom after setting sail from Scandinavia and landing in Northern France decided after some generation to submit himself to the King of France, hehe, then set sail for merry old England in 1066

Since France was THE European Power back then French was the lingua franca and it was used in the courts of every King, including that of the Plantagenet Kings..not a strange thing, obviously, that French has had an influence over English.

now, tensions built up over the centuries given the nature of the land owned by the King of England in France, which ment, King or not, that he was a vassal to the King of France..

Richard the Lionheart built up many fortresses in Normandy including the ever famous Château-Gaillard, in that time, and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine upon her death, came to add Aquitaine to the English possessions in France.

The one difference bewteen France and England is that the king of France was able to impose his authority over the Feudal Lords and gradually centralize his power as more and more lands came to the direct control of the Crown, such as the Duchy of normandy itself later on, while in England the Kings could never overpowertheir Earls.

Now, Phillipe II of France conquered most of Normandy from England, so, by the time of the start of the 100 years war, only Aquitaine remain in English hands, albeit, still making the King of England a vassal to that of France.

But then Phillipe IV, Le Roi de Fer, married his daughter Isabella to the gay King Edward II..

Phillipe IV not only was the first King you could almost call Absolutist, but he had 3 boys, so the continuity of the Crown was assured...alas, all 3 reigned and died young and no ones left boy heirs of their own, and to assure themeselves the crown over ther nieces, they had reestablished the Salic Law which prevented women from reigning and to transmit regal birth rights...

Edward III, son of the gay dude and Isabella,thought differently and that as a grandson of Phillipe IV he was entitled to the French Crown...when he was denied, thus started the 100 years war..which saw early English victories, subsequent French victories, then, under Henry V France was almost obliterated from the map, but then it gained the upper hand again and by the end, English only held Calais, up until 1558..(and those islands near Cherbourg that are still British, remnants of the Duchy of Normandy)

so in retrospective the continous bickering between France en England until they became the respective territories they are now just after the 100 years war, can account for why English has a considerable French influence, and why French, amongst Latin-derived languages is so highly Germanized

jeez, that was long...class dismissed

[princealbertofb]

Thanks, Tulloni. I, myself am the product of French and English getting mixed up (in my genes and someone else's Jeans) Did you know Jeans were so called because they were made from Toile de Gênes (fabric from Genoa, Genoa is a city in Italy but called Gênes in French, where we, stress we, do not pronounce the S, but others might.). Toile de Jeans, it became known as... and therefore became part of the appellation. The other calling is Denim, which came from Toile de Nîmes (a French town with similar hardwearing material (the s in Nîmes is still silent but the S didn't get a say in its subsequent name)) The history of words is interesting.

[princealbertofb]

Indeed, ... ... can account for why English has a considerable French influence, and why French, amongst Latin-derived languages is so highly Germanized

jeez, that was long...class dismissed

Thanks for dismissing us class, but it was an interesting lesson despite the few typos, haha.
And now, teacher, have you seen or heard of "Tunnel" ? Here's a series that is worth a watch. It's on Canal + at the moment. I'm enjoying it. Interesting to note, the French (female) detective speaks perfect English, the English (male) detective can hardly string two words of French together.... Wonder where the fault lies...???