English Inconsistencies

As always, I occasionally take a sneak peek at the inconsistencies of our language. One example is how we change or reverse the meaning of a word by adding “un”, “dis”, or “re” in front. Now look at ~Arrange and Disarrange~. ~Associate and Disassociate~. ~Original and Unoriginal~ and Gurgitate and Regurgitate.

Wait a minute…. Gurgitate isn’t a word, is it?

Sometimes, when you take the dis, or un, or re away you are left with a non word. Regurgitate means to throw back or out so if gurgitate was a word I guess it would mean to catch or take in. “Disgruntled” means to be in a bad humor but there’s no such word as “gruntled”. If discrepancy means a difference or disagreement, “crepancy” should mean no difference or agreement, if there was such a word. The word “disparage” means to lower in rank or reputation so you’d think parage would mean to promote or enhance except you won’t find parage in a dictionary.

The word “untrammeled” means to not be hampered, caught or held. But is“trammeled” a word?  Ah yeah, yes it is.

As it does mean to be caught or held. If we were to use words that we might think logically existed, then instead of saying that the Captain was happy after hearing the news there was agreement among his superiors about his promotion to Major, we could say he was gruntled when he gurgitated the news regarding the crepancy about his parage.

Of course, people would wonder what language you were speaking or what planet you were from. English is tough enough for people with other mother tongues to master without us making it even more difficult.

If you deliberate on it you will fathom the irrefutable perfect authenticity of that statement.