I actually learned more about English by taking foreign languages, than I did in English classes.
I can believe that. Just as many math teachers only teach the bolt and nut mechanics of math without gioving the meaning of numbers, most english teachers only focus on the rules rather than the reasons, causes and origins. One workaround I've learned when dealing with words as I have as a published author is to look up the origins of the root of the words. Usually in a good text at the very beginning, they will break the word down into its root entomological parts then give examples of earlier uses and the nature of the origin of the word. It turns out that many of the words we commonly use today are bastardizations of old Spanish, english, french, German, Greek or Latin words--- even Sumerian.
For instance, the common word "star," like a star in the sky, a point of light, a Hollywood star, etc., ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "h₂stḗr" also meaning star, but is further analyzable as h₂eh₁s- ("to burn", also the source of the word "ash") + -tēr (agentive suffix). Compare with Latin stella, Greek aster, and German stern. Some scholars believe the word is a borrowing from Akkadian "istar" (venus), however some doubt that suggestion. The word Star is cognate (shares the same root) with the following words: asterisk, asteroid, astral, and constellation.
Gives one a great more interest, depth and valuation to language.
That's hilarious how upsetting people got over it.
