Questions and Answers- Why is English so complicated?

Hi everyone,

Last week, I had the opportunity to teach RLAC’s Greek and Latin Roots workshop (one of my favorites!) to a group of middle- and high-school teachers.  It’s so important for students at the middle- and high-school level to get some root instruction because Greek and Latin roots make up about 65% of the language they will be encounter in their textbooks.

In Questions and Answers today, you’ll get the answer to one of the questions I get asked all the time, especially in the Roots workshop: “Why is English so complicated?”

English not only has more words than any other language, it also borrows more words than any other language.  Those facts, together with the history of how English developed, explain why we have such a rich, fascinating and unique language that, yeah, is a little complicated at times.

TEDed: How did English evolve?

This short video from TEDed does a fantastic job of explaining the major influences on the development of English.  

(If you haven’t already heard of TEDed, check out ed.ted.com right now!  You’ll be so glad you did.)

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-english-evolve-kate-gardoqui#review

Let me know in the comments below what lessons you have found on TEDed that you love.  Feel free to share lessons on any topic or subject.

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