Linguist mess
For the one language that is the worst, you have to nominate English. How many other languages can have words with the same spelling but totally different pronunciation and the opposite with different spellings but the same pronunciation. At least in French you would never bow to the queen but take your bow and arrow out hunting. Nor could you write an equivalent of the tough cough and hiccough sentence.
A paraphrase that I think is very appropriate was to the effect that "English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar and loose vocabulary".
Esperanto anyone?
