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Vogue
Skynet Nexus
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Posted - 2010.12.16 13:27:00 -
[31]
The English language is splendid for the many silly swear words it has
It's grammar is not as strict as say French it is a lazy language. So a lot of native English speakers such as myself have poor grammar. It is amusing that on average foreign speakers of English will speak it better than an English person themselves.
What impresses me in life is things that other people can do that I find hard. Such as speaking another language. It's amazing to me how young people can travel around Europe doing bar jobs and easily learn several languages.
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Jaik7
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Posted - 2010.12.16 15:01:00 -
[32]
Its and It's, it's not a problem for me to remember its wierdnesses
I can haz its win
also, people are coming up with new stuff all the time, so English just keeps on getting funnier.
I didnt realize facepalm was a new expression till somebody said 'uh, whazzat?'
/me facepalms
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Riedle
Minmatar Wayne's TV and Appliances
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Posted - 2010.12.16 16:42:00 -
[33]
Quote: Its and It's, it's not a problem for me to remember its wierdnesses
I bolded the funny part.
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Jaik7
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:00:00 -
[34]
Edited by: Jaik7 on 16/12/2010 17:01:36
Originally by: Riedle
Quote: Its and It's, it's not a problem for me to remember its wierdnesses
I bolded the funny part.
one in five for funny intended to funny actual? not bad.
btw, 4/3 people have problems with fractions.
yes, i stole that from a t-shirt, but i was saying it way before they were making those.
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Rodj Blake
Amarr PIE Inc.
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:07:00 -
[35]
Originally by: Astenion Don't forget the morons who add apostrophes in order to simply pluralize a word.
Or the people who spell pluralise with a z.
Dulce et decorum est pro imperium mori.
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Rodj Blake
Amarr PIE Inc.
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:11:00 -
[36]
Edited by: Rodj Blake on 16/12/2010 17:11:59
Politics is an interesting word.
It's essentially a compound of two other words.
The first part of the word is from the Greek poly, meaning "many."
And tics are blood-sucking insects.
Dulce et decorum est pro imperium mori.
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Riedle
Minmatar Wayne's TV and Appliances
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:16:00 -
[37]
my favourite word is banana because it sounds funny when you forget about the meaning..
banana.
Also, vacuum. it's the only word in English with side-by-side "U"s
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Ava Starfire
Minmatar Nordanverdr Modr
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:24:00 -
[38]
English is a unusual language, no doubt, but at least it is relatively easy to learn to speak, with comparatively straightforward grammar. The words themselves make english difficult, with unusual meanings and spellings.
Not my favorite language.
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Daxel Magmalloy
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Posted - 2010.12.16 17:42:00 -
[39]
Edited by: Daxel Magmalloy on 16/12/2010 17:44:54 English is a language with fairly loose demands on what it takes to be understood. If you are 'in the box' then people can understand what you mean and that's the main thing, as opposed to 'out of the box' in which case you might as well be from Glasgow (unless talking to another Glaswegian who understands you ofc).
Just out of curiosity, are there any other languages with similar poems to 'Jabberwocky' by Lewis Carroll?
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Baneken
Gallente School of the Unseen
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Posted - 2010.12.16 19:37:00 -
[40]
Didn't understand a word from that poem (which is a reason for it's existence in the first place) but I did manage to find 5 different translations to Finnish, this means that several poor bastards have been trying in vein to get some sense out of something that isn't suppose to make sense in order to translate it.
As for English I don't think there is a foreign language easier to learn then English. However it's interesting to notice that most native speakers write English wrong based on "hearing" that is they write complete nonsense that sounds right when you spell out the words. In other languages like in Finnish we write wrong the letters as in probaply, notise or lanquage. Our language is entirely "spoken as written" unlike English or almost any other language in the world, an important fact which also makes spoken French (for example) quite impossible to follow from the text.
http://desusig.crumplecorn.com/sigs.html |
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Jaik7
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Posted - 2010.12.16 20:11:00 -
[41]
the point of the jabberwokki is to take it in a very general sense.
my interpretation:
some guy warns some other guy about dangerous creatures.
the other guy goes and kills one of these dangerous creatures.
anything beyond that is just toying with silly words which the author made up on the spot.
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Sergeant Spot
Galactic Geographic BookMark Surveying Inc.
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Posted - 2010.12.16 22:29:00 -
[42]
Edited by: Sergeant Spot on 16/12/2010 22:29:19
Originally by: Riedle
Originally by: Caleidascope You have to understand the history of English. To put it simply, English was result of Normans (who spoke French) trying to pick up Saxon wenches.
Yes, but even before that it was a form of German from present day Netherlands that intermixed with the half-breed Celts in the UK..
lol, I joke I joke.
Kinda.
Nope, no joke. But don't forget that those half breed Celts had gotten a solid dose of Latin added to their culture. And then there is that little Dane Law period, etc....
To call English a linguistic train wreck really does not do justice to the situation. Unless it is train wreck at an irregular track junction, with multiple impact pile up, over an irregular period, with multiple models of trains carrying exotic cargos.........
I like English. It has flavor. Texture even!
Play nice while you butcher each other.
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Vogue
Skynet Nexus
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Posted - 2010.12.16 22:44:00 -
[43]
The English language is as dynamic as the cultures and people that use it. In contrast the French language has been kept uncontaminated for some time by French authorities. But like all European languages it has crossovers. For example lots of English words that end in ..ation have near identical French equivalents. The Chinese have approximately 47,035 characters in their Mandarin dictionary. Though 'only' 3 to 4 thousand characters are needed for full literacy.
English, Spanish, Japanese are more guttural languages. You say the words as you see them. Whereas French and Chinese are more tonal.
But still I have found it very hard to learn another language - French
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Slade Trillgon
Endless Possibilities Inc.
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Posted - 2010.12.16 23:26:00 -
[44]
This thread is full of funnies
Slade
:Signature Temporarily Disabled: |
Professor Tarantula
Hedion University
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Posted - 2010.12.17 05:49:00 -
[45]
Originally by: Vogue In contrast the French language has been kept uncontaminated for some time by French authorities.
Maybe the written language, but spoken is a whole other thing. I've lived in Canada my whole life and despise the language just because of how people here make it sound.
An amusing example is a company in Quebec which was doing voice overs of movies from English to French, but when they were played in France people could barely understand them.
My Warmest Regards. Prof. Tarantula, Esq. |
Sazkyen
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Posted - 2010.12.17 06:59:00 -
[46]
The plural in the context of garment is disturbing.
Why would anyone need "a half pair of jeans" or "a half pair of socks". In many languages you simply say "pass me my sock pls" and you receive both. 999 times out of 1000 you want both. For the remaining one occasion you could say "give me one sock". E.g. do you often wear half a pants?
Pair of binoculars is a popular example as well. Bin already meaning two and all.
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Adunh Slavy
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Posted - 2010.12.17 08:00:00 -
[47]
Originally by: Sazkyen
The plural in the context of garment is disturbing.
Why would anyone need "a half pair of jeans" or "a half pair of socks". In many languages you simply say "pass me my sock pls" and you receive both. 999 times out of 1000 you want both. For the remaining one occasion you could say "give me one sock". E.g. do you often wear half a pants?
Pair of binoculars is a popular example as well. Bin already meaning two and all.
Jeans ... from pants, each pant covering one leg. Pants used to be seperate and to put them on, you had a string to tie the two halves together, like shoe laces. think of "chaps" ... not that I wear chaps since I quit my Chippendale's job. There are numerous forms of "pants", all phonetically plural "breeks, britches, slacks, strides, trousers". I suspect if you asked for your trous, someone would throw you a fish, or shuold I say, phigh.
Sock ... socks ... seems simple to me *shrugs*
As for binoculars, a pair of binoculars has four oculars (lenses/eyes) total. The "n" is from latin for two, "bin" so, "bi-n-oculars", or "two two occulars".
There was a great BBC/PBS documentary series on English in the late 80s, probably can find it someplace online I suspect.
The Real Space Initiative - V7
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Caerulean
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Posted - 2010.12.17 08:10:00 -
[48]
Edited by: Caerulean on 17/12/2010 08:14:42
Originally by: Sergeant Spot Edited by: Sergeant Spot on 16/12/2010 22:29:19
Originally by: Riedle
Originally by: Caleidascope You have to understand the history of English. To put it simply, English was result of Normans (who spoke French) trying to pick up Saxon wenches.
Yes, but even before that it was a form of German from present day Netherlands that intermixed with the half-breed Celts in the UK..
lol, I joke I joke.
Kinda.
Nope, no joke. But don't forget that those half breed Celts had gotten a solid dose of Latin added to their culture. And then there is that little Dane Law period, etc....
To call English a linguistic train wreck really does not do justice to the situation. Unless it is train wreck at an irregular track junction, with multiple impact pile up, over an irregular period, with multiple models of trains carrying exotic cargos.........
I like English. It has flavor. Texture even!
There's also another larger layer of Latin and Greek that appear as a result of both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment when scholars and the upper class rediscovered the ancient writers and learned those languages. English is Germanic at its core and structure, but with Norman French and Latin (with a bit of Greek) thrown in on top, hence why there are many words for the same thing and inconsistent internal paradigms. Latin evolved this way as well as it absorbed other languages as their borders and trade routes grew, but the Romans, being practical managed to keep Latin very consistent.
For your enjoyment: Pie charts are fun.
An even bigger chart.
Originally by: Daxel Magmalloy Edited by: Daxel Magmalloy on 16/12/2010 17:44:54
Just out of curiosity, are there any other languages with similar poems to 'Jabberwocky' by Lewis Carroll?
Some of the words in that poem are reminiscent of Middle-English, or meant perhaps to mimic the words or the effects of the Middle-English words on modern English readers (the feeling you get when you kind of think you know what they mean, but not really). For other poets who tried similar things with words, try Ogden Nash or Edward Lear. |
KurnKuku
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Posted - 2010.12.17 11:16:00 -
[49]
Edited by: KurnKuku on 17/12/2010 11:21:13
Quote: We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes. Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice, But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn't the plural of pan be pen? The cow in the plural may be cows or kine, But the plural of vow is vows, not vine. And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet, But I give a boot... would a pair be beet? If one is a tooth, and a whole set is teeth, Why shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?
If the singular is this, and the plural is these, Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be kese? Then one may be that, and three be those, Yet the plural of hat would never be hose. We speak of a brother, and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him, But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim. So our English, I think you will agree, Is the trickiest language you ever did see.
I take it you already know of tough, and bough and cough and dough? Others may stumble, but not you on hiccough, through, slough and though. Well done! And now you wish, perhaps To learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard, a dreadful word That looks like beard and sounds like bird. And dead; it's said like bed, not bead! For goodness sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat, (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt) A moth is not a moth in mother, Nor both in bother, broth in brother. And here is not a match for there, Nor dear and fear for bear and pear, And then there's dose and rose and lose û Just look them up û and goose and choose, And cork and work and card and ward And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go, then thwart and cart. Come, come, I've hardly made a start. A dreadful language: Why, man alive, I'd learned to talk when I was five. And yet to write it, the more I tried, I hadn't learned it at fifty-five.
Found at http://humbleapostrophe.com/english.html, although they did not author.
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Jno Aubrey
Vanishing Point. The Initiative.
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Posted - 2010.12.19 02:55:00 -
[50]
And let us not forget those wonderful collective nouns!
A Murder of Crows A Bask of Crocodiles A Pride of Lions A Bloat of Hippopotamuses A Covey of Quail A Hover of Trout A Blob of Capsuleers
English FTW! ________________________________________ Always choose the lesser of two weevils! |
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BiggestT
Caldari Amarrian Retribution
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Posted - 2010.12.19 03:56:00 -
[51]
Originally by: Rodj Blake Edited by: Rodj Blake on 16/12/2010 17:11:59
Politics is an interesting word.
It's essentially a compound of two other words.
The first part of the word is from the Greek poly, meaning "many."
And tics are blood-sucking insects.
While I enjoyed the joke, I must put a tinfoil hat on:
Tics, are indeed from the phylum Arthropoda like Insects, however they are not hexapods like the insects, put belong to the sub-phylum chelicerifromae, which includes spiders, harvestmans, scorpions and tics.
/tinfoil hat EVE Trivia EVE History
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Jno Aubrey
Vanishing Point. The Initiative.
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Posted - 2010.12.19 13:21:00 -
[52]
Originally by: BiggestT
Originally by: Rodj Blake Edited by: Rodj Blake on 16/12/2010 17:11:59
Politics is an interesting word.
It's essentially a compound of two other words.
The first part of the word is from the Greek poly, meaning "many."
And tics are blood-sucking insects.
While I enjoyed the joke, I must put a tinfoil hat on:
Tics, are indeed from the phylum Arthropoda like Insects, however they are not hexapods like the insects, put belong to the sub-phylum chelicerifromae, which includes spiders, harvestmans, scorpions and tics.
/tinfoil hat
Well if we're going to be pedantic, "tic" is a local and habitual convulsive motion of certain muscles.
The creature you are referring to is a "tick."
________________________________________ Always choose the lesser of two weevils! |
Omara Otawan
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Posted - 2010.12.20 00:28:00 -
[53]
Originally by: Riedle
English is supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn.
Speaking four languages, I'd say english was definitely the easiest to learn.
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Astenion
Blame The Bunny Reverberation Project
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Posted - 2010.12.20 01:17:00 -
[54]
I always tell my students that English is probably the easiest language to learn and one of the hardest to remember.
Honestly, though...in this day and age you don't need to study English, only go online or turn on the tv. It's everywhere, which means if people are having a really hard time with it, they're not trying to learn it.
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Sidrat Flush
Caldari Life is Experience
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Posted - 2010.12.20 02:00:00 -
[55]
Edited by: Sidrat Flush on 20/12/2010 02:02:03 The English language in spoken and its written form is fantastic fun.
A few words in error can change the entire meaning (and reception) of the phrase e.g;
Cor! What a vision - could mean enjoying a memory for a life time however,
Cor! What a sight - could mean exhibiting a bruise for a few weeks.
Such subtlety in a language MUST have a profound effect on the psyche surely?
In my experience the most misspelt word is alot, as it's TWO words 'a lot'. A lot is many words not one.
Whether you've (you have) read (red) the above, and I would you like you to do so, if only to share a common memory, you must admit the weather is pretty crap right now.
What other language can invoke such imagery (pretty, picturesque) with an alternative word for sewerage? Okay I'm not Homer, but I do appreciate well written prose even on the eve-o forums.
I really wish I had the aptitude to learn and much more importantly appreciate a second, third if not ALL languages, sadly not even gaining power and riches would enable that to happen.
View The Eve Industrial Organiser Site
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Grek Forto
Lionsgate Inc.
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Posted - 2010.12.20 18:43:00 -
[56]
English for the win! Pretty easy to learn, at least for me. /Swedish
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Ana'Lingus
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Posted - 2010.12.20 20:14:00 -
[57]
Originally by: Riedle my favourite word is banana because it sounds funny when you forget about the meaning..
banana.
Also, vacuum. it's the only word in English with side-by-side "U"s
Continuum.
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Corporal Punishment08
NosWaffle Nostradamus Effect
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Posted - 2010.12.20 20:50:00 -
[58]
Mouse is one, Mouses is more than one? Moose is one, Mooses is more than one?
English is complicated, but allows you to make stuff up, and assign new meanings to old words, and bring back old words and slang, like I'm doin, see?
That wet smack gave that gold digger a keen honey cooler, but she was drinkin a mickey finn, and he probably looked kippy, togged to the bricks like he was. They was both wearin iron and smokin snipes. The situation was all wet, ya dig?
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Hal Pelaeon
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Posted - 2010.12.20 21:11:00 -
[59]
Originally by: Sidrat Flush
In my experience the most misspelt word is alot, as it's TWO words 'a lot'. A lot is many words not one.
This may help: Alots
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Roosterton
Eternal Frontier Saints Amongst Sinners
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Posted - 2010.12.20 21:53:00 -
[60]
Edited by: Roosterton on 20/12/2010 21:53:27 Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo
Case in point. -------- Enemy corps raided into disbandment: Three.
Originally by: Tarminic
OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! |
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