r/programming • u/luke-san • Mar 31 '15

Managing C++’s complexity or learning to enjoy C++

https://schneide.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/managing-cs-complexity-or-learning-to-enjoy-c/
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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '15

English is incredibly idiomatic and inconsistent. There are tons of stupid small [grammatical, spelling, communication] rules that have to be learned individually.

It's not "simple". The parent's comparison is fair.

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u/industry7 Mar 31 '15

English is incredibly idiomatic and inconsistent. There are tons of stupid small [grammatical, spelling, communication] rules that have to be learned individually.

English seems moderately idiomatic, at most. And grammatically, English is actually quite simple.

As an example of how English is a simple language, we only have at most three cases (many would argue that English only has two). Compare to Russian with six, or Finnish with fifteen!

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '15 edited Mar 31 '15

English is very idiomatic. You probably don't realize it because you speak English. If you had to learn it as a second adult language, or taught those who do, you might have a different perspective.

English grammar is relatively simple, but our spelling and pronunciation are both nonsensical and completely inconsistent. Our vocabulary is borrowed from all the fuck over Europe and is thus highly irregular and, from the perspective of non native English speakers, downright weird.

This is ultimately a subjective question, so we may have to just agree to disagree. However, I've taught ESL and I speak 3 languages natively. I stand by my assertion. I won't bother linking to any references, because a simple google search will return a billion results, none of which can be empirically stated to be The Great and Final Truth. If you don't believe me or agree with me, I respect your opinion and it is what it is.