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I dislike that people interpret this adage being violated as an example of English's inconsistency. The clearer conclusion is that it just isn't true. I could

I dislike that people interpret this adage being violated as an example of English's inconsistency. The clearer conclusion is that it just isn't true. I could say "every word in English starts with ß" and then point out that every single word violates this rule. What a crazy language! But that would be silly. Not because English is crazy, but because that obviously isn't true.

dev-slash-zero 2y ago
The ability to describe a language with useful and concise rules make a language easier to understand and learn. I think this serves as a perfectly reasonable metric for how "crazy" or consistent a natural language is. What other definition of consistency would matter to anyone?