Since your question is about the future, we can only
speculate. I speculate that some of the following aspects of the English language will
baffle peoples in the future, particularly if the English language ever "dies," or
changes to the point that it is incomprehensible to a contemporary speaker of
English.
a) Our use of conjunctions together with
verbs: This puzzles me even now. Think of an expression like "Pack up" your
belongings; is something going up? Or, "add up the numbers," "write down the
information," "sort out the problem," "go down to the store," "pay up your bills," etc.,
etc. If these idioms ever die, someone in the future is going to have a hard time
figuring them out (there's another one--what does "out" mean in that
expression?).
b) Slang: As you
mentioned, English slang is going to drive someone crazy some
day.
c) Spelling: English spelling is
far from phonetic; just consider words like rough, through, and castle. As long as
English remains a vibrant, spoken language, its spelling is perpetuated--and
understood--by force of convention. If it ever goes the way of Sanskrit and Hittite,
its spelling may make it as mysterious as the Rosetta Stone.
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