Even though I am a native English speaker I find English difficult and I feel sorry for those who learn it as a second language. English is both complicated and

Even though I am a native English speaker I find English difficult and I feel sorry for those who learn it as a second language. English is both complicated and difficult to use correctly and with precision and elegance; that a very small percentage of people are excellent communicators is testament to the fact. To communicate efficiently and effectively in English either verbally or in writing requires not only considerable knowledge but also skill and practice. It can take years for a native speaker to acquire good idiomatic English and I feel envious of people who can get up on a podium and speak fluently without notes and be clearly understood by an audience. It's often noted that those who acquire great skills in English not only have the knowledge, skills and ability to apply themselves to the task but also they have, per se, an innate ability for languages that's over that of most people. This came to my attention years ago when I attended a lecture by Noam Chomsky when he bemoaned the fact that some of his colleagues could acquire languages easier than he could. He said with words to the effect 'a new language can waft down the corridors of MIT and just pass me by only to be quickly absorbed by colleagues'. Acquiring and using English correctly is no doubt considerably more difficult than some other languages but what Chomsky's comment emphasizes is that being truly proficient in any language can be difficult and challenging. It's just that some of us are better equipped for the task than are most of us.