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Sun 6 Nov, 2011 11:56 am
The English language is unique in the number of collective nouns it possesses.
For instance, a group of frogs is known as an "army" and a group of crows is called a "number." We have a "shrewdness" of apes, a "wisdom of wombats, a "congregation" of crocodiles, a "smack" of jellyfish, a "wiggle" of worms, a "crash" of rhinoceroses, a "waddle" of penguins and a "scourge" of mosquitoes, to name a few.
Geese flock together in "gaggles," unless they're in flight, in which case they are collectively known as a "skein."
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
More confusion for non-English language speakers:
American Slang for ESL students
About American Slang
Slang Adjectives
Slang Nouns
Slang Greetings
Slang Test
http://www.schandlbooks.com/AmericanSlang.html
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
Those who study such things say that the immortal bard, William Shakespeare, used a grand total of 17,677 words in his works. (That must have been a tedious calculation.)
They also say that fully one-tenth of those words had never been used in writing before.
BBB
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
To be fair, many of those collective nouns for groups of animals are virtually obsolete and hardly ever used. I guarantee many other evolving languages have acres and acres of old and obsolete words in their language history.
The same can be said about the always changing world of other countries' slang and idioms.
Any language is as a rule puzzling to other countries.
I don´t even know the name of the different flocks in Swedish. I am sure we don´t have as many as you have in English.
Slang comes and goes. What was good a couple of years ago is forgotten or has become part of the language.
Some time ago I heard the expression "ashwidow" - No, her husband did not get cremated. It is a woman waiting for her husband to come home after being stuck some place because of the ashes from Iceland.
It's a murder of crows, I hadn't heard most of the other til now..
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
English is also the only language with a thesaurus. It's also a language with many differing dialects in England alone, before you even start to consider all the varieties of International English and slang.
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
I've often been puzzled by that language the English speak.
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
At least we don't have those gosh darn Spanish reflexive verbs.
@saab,
Thanks. My brain is throbbing trying to consider all of those words.
BBB
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
What a load of old tosh, if I may.
I hadn't realized that the collective noun for toshes was "load". Thank you, McT.
@izzythepush,
izzythepush wrote:
English is also the only language with a thesaurus.
The thesaurus is one of the greatest inventions of language and proof that English is the greatest language ever.
http://vimeo.com/31158841
This video is of a murmuration of swallows.
@Ceili,
Thanks. I sent your film to a friend in California. His wife died recently, and I thought it might bring a smile to him during a difficult time.
BBB
@BumbleBeeBoogie,
According to me,Any language is a puzzling other rules. I do not even know the name of the Swedish different flocks. I believe we did not have as many as you are in the UK. Slang come and go. Several years ago, what is forgotten or has become part of the language. Some time ago, I heard "ashwidow" - no, her husband has not been cremated. It is a woman, waiting for her husband to come home after being stuck in some places as the ashes from Iceland.
@samual,
Why did you copy my answer and change words in it so it comes out grammatically incorrect?
@saab,
Like you, I am waiting an answer. I don't expect it to be forthcoming.
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