What makes language so complicated

Back Topics. By Erin. How we learn After-work classes, studying abroad, apps, talking with your foreign partner, working overseas, taking an intensive language course — there are so many ways to learn a language. Similarities between languages We empathize! Know yourself and your goals Why are you learning this language? Two for one Already know one foreign language? Get surrounded Come face to face with new input as much as possible!

Tags: Language learning. Learn a language abroad with us Learn More. We'd love to stay in touch Get the latest on travel, languages and culture with our newsletter. Helena St. Sign me up. Thank you! You are now subscribed. There are also silent letters in the English language. Which are letters that, although they are part of a word, are not pronounced? Why are they included in the word? Just to make learning English that little bit more difficult!

Because English is such an old language, there are a lot of unusual phrases that have become part of everyday speech. Native English speakers will be completely used to them and will slip them into a conversation without a second thought.

However, if English is your second language, you may find them completely confusing. They just mean that it is raining hard. How that meaning is interpreted by a reader will affect their emotional response to the text.

The point is, modern human language is incredibly complex. It is an ever-evolving behemoth of information. Its meanings and interpretations can be impacted by numerous human factors as well, including context, tone, and intention. Such levels of linguistic complexity make it possible to say almost the same thing in millions of different ways. In some cases, even billions. When it comes to writing marketing copy, that matters. For enterprise brands, whose marketing messages reach audiences numbering in the tens of millions, it can matter to the tune of millions of dollars in revenue.

Before, your only option was to trust your gut or trust a copywriter. Native English-speakers intuitively know what order to put words in, but this is hard to teach to those learning the language. For example, we often use more than one adjective to describe a noun, but which order should they go in?

There are silent letters at the start of words, too. Sadly, many English learners have to learn the hard way when it comes to our confusing pronunciation; if you pronounce something incorrectly, most Brits will demonstrate the correct way to you — but not without a little chuckle at your expense.

To make matters even more complex, the way in which you emphasise certain words in a sentence can subtly change its meaning. For example, consider the different ways of emphasising the sentence below: — I sent him a letter — a plain statement. Confused yet? If not, you will be after this next point. English is absolutely full of homophones — words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings.