This Facebook Page Makes It Clear How Silly Linguistics Is, Here Are 40 Of Their Funniest Posts
InterviewLanguages are fascinating. English has plenty of words that fly in the face of grammar rules we’re taught in school, and learning another language makes you question everything you thought you understood about grammatical structure and what items should be called. Plus, it’s pretty amusing to view a language from the lens of an outsider. For example, the word for thank you in Lithuanian sounds like a sneeze (ačiū), and the word for bread sounds like the name Donna with a thick New York accent (duona). The Swedish language also has a host of words that seem silly when read by a native English speaker, including the words for good (bra), urine (kiss), and speed (fart). (I know they’re pronounced differently, but not everyone does!)
Ah, the wonderful world of linguistics. If you enjoy learning more about other languages, and your own, you’re in for a real treat. Down below, we’ve compiled some of the funniest posts from Steve the Vagabond and Silly Linguist’s Facebook page. From calling out how arbitrary spelling is in certain languages to noting words that sound silly to non-native speakers, we hope you enjoy this trip down linguistics lane.
Keep reading to also find an interview with Steve the linguist himself, and be sure to upvote the posts you get a kick out of. Feel free to share any other amusing linguistics facts you know in the comments. Then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring hilarious grammar and spelling errors in English texts, you can find that right hear! Oh, I mean here!
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I know someone who went to Korea and saw a sign there reading "Translation Failed".
What a roller coaster ride Rick's life has been: obscurity to fame to obscurity to fame again.
Sometimes I can't remember a word in my native language but I know the English word.
I'm like Kelly Bundy, whenever I learn a new fact, I lose an old one.
BP: posting something that literally has FÙCK as the FÙCKING PUNCHLINE, yet censoring it. For FÙCK'S sake, BP, either stop your censoring bullshít or don't post anything like this.
That’s my language and I’ve given up, massive well done to anyone who has learnt it
I'm so mad at the word "oiseaux" for this reason. It means "birds". NONE of the letters are pronounced the way you'd think lol.
🙃Hola, ¿como estas hoy? ¿Tu bien? Yo soy un donut🍩.🙂
WITCHCRAFT!!! BURN THEM ON A PILE OF OLD DEATH-METAL GUITARS!!
Yes, there are a few songs I liked a lot before I actually understood the lyrics
Betty Botter bought some butter, but the butter, it was bitter. If she put it in her batter, it would make her batter bitter, but a bit of better butter, that would make her batter better. So, she bought a bit of butter, better than her bitter butter, And she put it in her batter, and her batter was not bitter. So, T'was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.
England version: SQUARE UP BRUV SQUARE UP DO U THINK UR A BIG MAN MATE COME ON LETS GO
Reminds me of a joke a non native Portuguese speaker once did, how to speak EU Portuguese: 1st be Russian, 2nd get pissed drunk, 3rd try to speak Spanish.....
People always have like 11 day streaks and miss 5 days and I always thought that everybody has a 358 day streak
For non-Italian speakers: "telefono" means telephone, it was obviously asking for the phone number but the person that filled the form thought they were asking about what phone model they owned
One could think a pirate's favourite letter would be R, but honestly, their only true love is the C.
C**p this reminds me of a pub i use to go, but the buggers didn't had the " stick man " figures on their toilet Doors, they had de masculin and feminin symbols, which was way to stupid to know which One was which.... And never for a moment i found it wierd that the men toilet didn't had any urinals.... My friends had a great night mocking my a*s..
Hahaha. I sent an email to a Dutch company in English which started with "I am afraid I dont understand..." They replied "Dear Lenka, Please, don't be afraid". Hahaha.
I have two young sons and explaining to them the words in the English language, especially homonyms, always ends me with saying our language doesn't make any sense.
No hate or disrespect, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the words they/them became words for an individual.
It happened a lot longer ago than I think you think.
Load More Replies...Hahaha. I sent an email to a Dutch company in English which started with "I am afraid I dont understand..." They replied "Dear Lenka, Please, don't be afraid". Hahaha.
I have two young sons and explaining to them the words in the English language, especially homonyms, always ends me with saying our language doesn't make any sense.
No hate or disrespect, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the words they/them became words for an individual.
It happened a lot longer ago than I think you think.
Load More Replies...
