‘English Is Totally Irrational’: Shashi Tharoor’s Viral ‘Twenty-Twelveteen’ Lesson Delights Internet (Pc: Instagram)
Shashi Tharoor, the Congress MP who is infamous for his impressive vocabulary and often viral usages, has once more won the internet. Tharoor, reverting to his praised ‘English teacher’ mode, put out a video analyzing the inherent illogicality or “irrationality” of English number names, which drew a mix of laughter and attention. The video is based on a funny email question that points out the inconsistency of naming numbers from 10 to 19.
The question postulates on the one hand, whatsoever 20 to 90 end with ‘ty’ (for instance, twenty, thirty) but 10 is not ‘twenty;’ and, on the other hand, why 11 and 12 are not called ‘eleventeen’ and ‘twelveteen,’ just like 13 through 19.
The very essence of Tharoor’s lesson that went viral is the confronting of the English language’s arbitrary character. His brief and humorous answer to the email’s structure query was an absolute understatement: “English is a totally irrational language.” With the option to provide a detailed etymological breakdown, he preferred to focus on the language’s amusing inconsistencies.
This incident is in line with his public image, which is marked by a mixture of political weight and an extremely, though playfully, deep love for words. The video was like a linguistic healing moment for many who have been trying to figure out the oddities of the English language since they were children, and it turned out that their confusion was justified by a mere, declarative statement coming from a master speaker.
The video, apart from the content of the lesson, is yet another demonstration of the characteristic ‘Tharoorian’ manner of speaking and humor. His unique vocal rhythm, which accompanies his ability to make linguistic analysis entertaining and comprehensible, is the reason why his gigs in word lessons have become a social media phenomenon. Although he is frequently credited with censoring non-frequent words, in this case, his skill is equal to misleading common speech’s eccentricities.
He started with a comment and then read out a poem that illustrated the spelling and pronunciation rules of English. The weird thing was, he was stressing the point that one who knows the language must accept its illogical past and not look for a perfect, coherent system. His charming presentation has reinforced his claim to be India’s unofficial ‘English teacher.’
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A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
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