Learning English can sometimes be exhausting and difficult because it is not your native language. Learning sometimes becomes easier when you focus on humor. But is learning English actually funny? In other words, does English possess many funny words? Let's take a closer look at the funny side of this world language.
English vernacular
A language is alive and constantly changing. For example, the influence of English on the Dutch language has increased tremendously recently. It is funny to see how we have started to "Dutchize" English words with the greatest of ease. Everyone nowadays talks about logging in and out, checking in and out, downloading, deleting, browsing, kicking off, timing, babysitting, funshopping or fitness.
It's also funny that a few centuries ago we did this mostly with French words, and English in the past actually borrowed many words from Latin. This happened during the period when the Romans were in the British Isles. Language (language), for example, comes from Lingua. School from schola, antigue (antique or old) from antigua, fame (fame) from fama and the verb to have from habere.
Researching the funniest words
How funny and humorous are English words really? At the University of Warwick, they did research on it. They had a representative group of 800 people rate a long list of words. The study found that the word "booty" was seen as the most funny. Although this word officially means booty or a prize, it is mainly used in American English to refer to someone's behind.
Other funny words on the list focus on persons, such as nitwit and booby. Both indicate a stupid or foolish person. A nincompoop is also not too smart. An egghead, on the other hand, is used for someone who is highly educated.
Strange-sounding words
Strange-sounding words whose meanings are not immediately obvious are usually funny, too. For example, how about bumbershoot instead of umbrella, an umbrella? You better not be called a lollygag either, because then you're a nothing. A meldrop on your nose is no fun either. Some mucus or snot drips out of your nostrils. Do you suffer from collywobbles? Then you have pain in your belly or stomach.
Blubber and Earth Apple
Did you know that the English word blubber is used to refer to a layer of fat on your belly? Now we ourselves use the term blubber belly. But many other Dutch words are not known in English. They become very funny when you start translating them literally.
A mother-in-law is then suddenly a clean mother instead of a mother-in-law and a glove is a hand shoe. While the English word is really glove. Also an earth apple (potato) is not the best description of a potato. And if you are blowing out by the sea, you are wrong when you call it 'blowing out'. It means to blow out. And there are many more words like that!
Speaking Dutchlish
So speaking English is a bit different from giving your own language an English sound or translating words literally. Yet Dutch has not gone completely unnoticed either, and you can speak a nice word of dutchlish in English.
After all, a cookie comes from koekie, candy from kandy and brandy from brandy. Dollar comes from daalder, Santa Claus from Sinterklaas, polder from polder, sleigh from sleigh, skipper from schipper, yacht from yacht and Yankee from Jan-Kees. That Dutch vocabulary will come in handy when you start learning English!
Learning English in a fun and playful way
Our day camp is not only a place to learn, but also to laugh! We encourage you to get creative with funny English words and expressions. From "gobbledygook" to "kerfuffle," they will discover how fun language can be. Our instructors make learning laugh with fun and comical activities. It's not only a chance to master English, but also to enjoy the playfulness of the language.
