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ESL forum > Message board > english " the huge language"     

english " the huge language"



napster
Costa Rica

english " the huge language"
 
Hi guys. I began studying english, three years ago ,and I began learning english in the university because in high school I did learn nothing, and everyday I found that the english is a huge language and many words ,and millions of meanings. I don �t understand why many people dare saying that they know everything about this language can someone explain me? thanks alligators

17 Aug 2010      





lshorton99
China

I don �t think anyone in the world would claim to know everything about my beloved English language! As you pointed out, English is the largest language in the world. The average person has a working vocabulary of around 10,000 words. When you consider that English has at least a million words, possibly up to 4 million, most people don �t know that much! English teachers and those who study the English language probably have a greater vocabulary - perhaps as much as 50,000 words and may even recognise, but not use, more, but even that is just a fraction of the whole.

As you might also have noticed on the these forums, interpretation of grammar is also, to a certain extent, subjective. Then there are debates about what is grammatically correct versus common usage. Add to that that, with the advent of �World English �, the English language is changing and evolving constantly and I suspect you �d be hard pressed to find anyone who would claim to know everything about English!

I hope that answers your question and I would love to know where you found someone who knows everything about English - I have a lot of questions for them!

Lindsey

17 Aug 2010