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English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy
« on: June 22, 2012, 04:11:07 PM »
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English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy
« on: June 21, 2012, 10:59:09 AM »I find it amusing to see people respond to me when I put actual estimates or qualifying statements where hyperbole usually goes.
"I swear I have told that guy about four times that..."
"Did you see that movie? Ah, man! It was the best superhero movie in at least the last five years."
"This bag feels like it weighs one hundred lbs, and I've been carrying it for several minutes."
Don't get me wrong, I like hyperbole, but it loses its punching power when we use it to excuse our laziness in actually describing something.
At some point, I decided to adopt 87 as my hyperbolic number of choice. I'll say things like "yeah, it was pretty funny the first 87 times I heard it." I think it makes things a lot funnier when you use an oddly specific large number for your exaggerating. 147 works well too. It always sounds good when they end in 7.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...
« on: May 31, 2012, 08:51:49 PM »
I don't feel offended at all by phrases that were originally meant as slurs towards some of my very distant ancestors.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 25, 2012, 11:49:58 AM »
Interesting! And as I suspected. Do you have any good sources about how the Romance languages diverged? I always wondered why French and Italian used frere/soeur and fratello/sorella while Spanish and Portuguese used herman(o/a) and irmã(o).
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 25, 2012, 11:12:43 AM »
Oh. I just realized I spelled germane wrong because I was thinking in French. But I'm on my iPod and it's super hard to edit. Apologies.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 25, 2012, 11:07:45 AM »
Hey I have a question for the expert:
The other day we spent some time with my husband's uncle, who is an extremely pleasant fellow. They got on the topic of their family history, which is very complex because they're recent immigrants from a very poor country that doesn't have a lot of good records, and there are all sorts of half-siblings and mistresses and things and huge numbers of cousins. My husband's uncle (his name is Esdras) was mentioning that one of his cousins (named Mario) always referred to him (Esdras) as his primo hermano and he'd only recently figured out that this was because their fathers were full brothers and this plus the fact that they are related on the father's side, in their rather machismo-laden society, meant that being primos hermanos made them closer than normal primos.
Then just today I was reading a short story that referred to a character as a "cousin-german" to the protagonist. All I could find about the term "cousin-german" is that it means first cousin and it's etymologically related to the word germaine.
I'm wondering now if there's a Latin connection between hermano and germaine. And if there's any relationship to Germany and Germania or if that's just coincidental.
The other day we spent some time with my husband's uncle, who is an extremely pleasant fellow. They got on the topic of their family history, which is very complex because they're recent immigrants from a very poor country that doesn't have a lot of good records, and there are all sorts of half-siblings and mistresses and things and huge numbers of cousins. My husband's uncle (his name is Esdras) was mentioning that one of his cousins (named Mario) always referred to him (Esdras) as his primo hermano and he'd only recently figured out that this was because their fathers were full brothers and this plus the fact that they are related on the father's side, in their rather machismo-laden society, meant that being primos hermanos made them closer than normal primos.
Then just today I was reading a short story that referred to a character as a "cousin-german" to the protagonist. All I could find about the term "cousin-german" is that it means first cousin and it's etymologically related to the word germaine.
I'm wondering now if there's a Latin connection between hermano and germaine. And if there's any relationship to Germany and Germania or if that's just coincidental.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 25, 2012, 10:55:29 AM »
Well, in the Vulgate, yes.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 23, 2012, 10:33:42 AM »
To be fair, they changed the name of the organization to "The National FFA Organization" from "Future Farmers of America" in 1988 to reflect the diversification of careers related to agriculture.
Of course, I don't have a career related to agriculture either. But I did regale my inlaws by naming the four stomachs of the cow the other day.
Of course, I don't have a career related to agriculture either. But I did regale my inlaws by naming the four stomachs of the cow the other day.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: May 21, 2012, 09:25:53 AM »
Nope, the last name starts with Ol. They have like a billion kids. Or maybe 9.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 21, 2012, 09:24:24 AM »
Nope, still haven't gotten there.
Oddly enough, though, my little sister has. I think she did some weird voodoo and traded our futures.
Oddly enough, though, my little sister has. I think she did some weird voodoo and traded our futures.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 20, 2012, 09:17:34 PM »
I was a state officer. I don't know if you ever knew that.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: May 20, 2012, 09:15:55 PM »
I can see Long Island when I go for my run each morning. And my husband proposed to me in Rockefelluh Centuh. Those are just some happy thoughts associated with your happy thoughts. Oh, that and, if you're Mormon and from Long Island you probably know my friend Jacob or one of his siblings.
And my husband proposed to me in Rockefelluh Centuh. Those are just some happy thoughts associated with your happy thoughts. Oh, that and, if you're Mormon and from Long Island you probably know my friend Jacob or one of his siblings.
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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: May 20, 2012, 09:12:05 PM »
According to wikipedia your MOM is pretty complicated.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: May 15, 2012, 05:10:22 PM »Well the FFA has a lot of symbolism that it likes to incorporate into itself, so since the flag represents the United States, and the FFA is a national organization, the reporter (the chapter officer who says this little speech during the opening ceremonies of a meeting) represents the interests of the FFA through various media. Therefore, according to FFA logic, the reporter is equal to the flag symbolically.
It just didn't sound right to me when the person acting as reporter would say it.
Spacepook is in FFA?
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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...
« on: May 09, 2012, 08:32:39 AM »
Just now saw the Grammar Dalek post. Love it!
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English & Linguistics / Re: Writing a Book
« on: April 13, 2012, 10:33:29 PM »
Do it! Be the Lynn Truss of descriptivism!
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 15, 2012, 07:08:23 PM »
I think we might break the internet if we try that.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 14, 2012, 10:40:38 PM »
But anti-joke chicken captures the spirit of this forum so perfectly.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 12, 2012, 06:24:43 PM »
Which is weird.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 12, 2012, 06:24:32 PM »I just realized that "I do not" is not an answer to the question asked. I pronounce museum with two syllables.
As does she. She says /mju 'zɪm/
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English & Linguistics / Re: Word and phrase misuse
« on: March 12, 2012, 01:49:55 PM »
I'm pretty sure the world now needs some Neil Diamond/Jared Diamond mashups.
"Sweet New Guinean Caroline"
"America (North/South Axis)"
"Girl, You'll Be A Woman in a Collapsed Society Soon"
"Sweet New Guinean Caroline"
"America (North/South Axis)"
"Girl, You'll Be A Woman in a Collapsed Society Soon"
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 11, 2012, 12:16:00 PM »
Zal, I wonder if you say museum the same funny way your sister does. Do you say 2 syllables or 3?
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English & Linguistics / Re: I don't have an accent
« on: March 10, 2012, 01:13:28 PM »
Here's a quick survey: My fiancé is from the NYC area and says something that I find really odd. I wonder how many of you would say it which way.
Scenario. You're on the phone with me and we're discussing plans for you to come to my house later in the day. Which would you say to me:
A: OK, I'll go over about 6.
B: OK, I'll come over about 6.
Question 2:
What do you give people for holidays and birthdays: presents or gifts?
Scenario. You're on the phone with me and we're discussing plans for you to come to my house later in the day. Which would you say to me:
A: OK, I'll go over about 6.
B: OK, I'll come over about 6.
Question 2:
What do you give people for holidays and birthdays: presents or gifts?