[jimwhitson]

> Flexibility in a language leads to flexibility of the mind. The English language's incredible variety, massive vocabulary, and huge range of idioms is of great benefit to those that speak it (while also making it difficult to learn). Subtlety in a language is a virtue, not a vice.

Indeed, but I think we're talking about language in two different ways: all your points are completely correct, but mainly of value to those who understand the language fairly well; my points were implicitly from the POV of a foreign learner trying to pick the language up.

As a native Anglophone, I love our freaky language, orthography and all. However, I try to keep reminding myself how horrible it is for new learners.