> But to speak or to write a meaningful english, is far more difficult. > And I would say that it is easier to start english than to achieve a > correct level in english and I doubt that a non native english speaker > can achieve it---because there are no written rules but a context that > only a native speaker has: from the dictionary, there are a lot of > words that seem to convey the very same meaning; but a native speaker > will use some in some context, and other in others; while in french too > distinct words have never the very same meaning, and the nuance is > established.
three things on connotation vs. denotation as it's known in american high school english classes: - my wife proves you wrong. (don't worry. you're not alone.) nobody guesses that english is not her native tongue. - the rules are in proper dictionaries like the oed. entries include usage over time illustrated by quoted text and generally include the earliest known reference. - i think you're drawing perhaps too bright a line. new connotations for particular words crop up all the time, especially in small groups. i'm sure the one-word private joke is a common experience in many languages. i can recall a few from germany. schädelbräu comes to mind. - erik
