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English & Linguistics / Re: Dear Expert
« on: January 19, 2017, 02:52:34 PM »
Seems like an appropriate time for a classic: The Alot Is Better Than You At Everything
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English & Linguistics / Greetings and Salutations!
« on: December 04, 2009, 10:44:40 AM »
I thought it would be Ms. but I wasn't sure.
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English & Linguistics / Greetings and Salutations!
« on: December 04, 2009, 10:19:36 AM »
Does anyone know the proper title to use in a letter's salutation when you are addressing a woman whose marital status you don't know and with whom you are not on a first-name basis?
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English & Linguistics / If I were king of the world,
« on: November 17, 2009, 12:16:57 PM »Quote
Minister of Sandwiches is a lofty enough title for you?Apparently so.
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English & Linguistics / If I were king of the world,
« on: November 17, 2009, 10:31:32 AM »
Every time I see this thread I think to myself something like, "If I were king of the world, I'd get a PlayStation 3," or "If I were king of the world, I'd have nicer furniture." Or sometimes, "If I were king of the world I think I'd abdicate."
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English & Linguistics / The random etymology of the day
« on: October 14, 2009, 12:07:36 PM »
The other day I heard a very brief clip on the radio where some guy claimed that the word "pilot" is derived from the name Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, who was one of the men who made the first hot-air balloon flight. That just struck me as ludicrous--the first hot-air balloon flights were in the early 1700s, but I know that the word "pilot" was used in nautical speech a lot earlier than that. Fortunately, m-w.com backs up my suspicion.
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English & Linguistics / a suffix question
« on: September 24, 2009, 11:13:23 AM »
I propose that we all henceforth use "happyality." Or, if you prefer, "happiality."
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English & Linguistics / Linguistics and Science Fiction
« on: September 18, 2009, 10:19:06 AM »
Hmm... I'm not sure that any definition of "science fiction" with which I'm familiar would include George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.
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English & Linguistics / Linguistics and Science Fiction
« on: September 18, 2009, 10:09:00 AM »Quote
From that list:I was just about to say the same thing. I <3 Borges.Quote"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" in Ficciones — Jorge Luis Borges (1956)
One of my favorite stories ever. Also, "The Library of Babel."
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English & Linguistics / The random etymology of the day
« on: September 10, 2009, 11:08:47 AM »Quote
What about "charisma" ?In case you forgot, dude, etymology by sound is not sound etymology.
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English & Linguistics / I hate journalistic writing
« on: August 26, 2009, 12:06:24 PM »
I have seen a pickled cucumber glow in the dark. Of course, it had been plugged into a 110-volt wall socket.
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English & Linguistics / What happened to "You're welcome"?
« on: August 25, 2009, 03:10:07 PM »Quote
But, like I already said, you seem surprised that some people have gotten annoyed. And like Porter said, you're trying to have it both ways. If you want a real discussion, don't be annoying.I'm sorry to keep harping on a subject that seems to have passed (as well as one that I have been talking about quite a lot lately), but this is kind of the crux of what I'm always telling you about the problems you report in your personal interactions. You can disregard how other people will feel or react and behave exactly according to your desires, but then you have to deal with the fact that people will sometimes be bothered by your behavior. Or you can modify your behavior in order not to bother people, in which case you have to deal with the fact that sometimes you don't get to behave in exactly the way you want to behave. But you can't insist that you get to behave however you want and no one should ever be bothered by it. Or rather, you can insist, but people won't comply. Nobody owes it to you to not get bothered when you behave in ways that bother them.
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English & Linguistics / What happened to "You're welcome"?
« on: August 20, 2009, 11:20:25 AM »
Sometimes I also hear and use "Any time." Or "Sure." Or "Of course." Occasionally, "De nada" or "Prego" or "Right on."
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English & Linguistics / What happened to "You're welcome"?
« on: August 20, 2009, 11:19:01 AM »Quote
I usually hear, "My pleasure" or "No problem" or "Thank you" as a reply to "thank you".I use and hear all of those, but I also use and hear "You're welcome" (or sometimes just "welcome") quite frequently.
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English & Linguistics / The random etymology of the day
« on: July 22, 2009, 02:43:49 PM »
I can see the progression from a cabinet or chest of drawers to a washstand to a chamberpot stand to a toilet. I can't see how to get to the cabinet in the first place, though.
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English & Linguistics / The random etymology of the day
« on: July 22, 2009, 01:05:11 PM »
The words "accommodate," "commodious," and "commode" all share a Latin root. The first two both have to do with comfort or convenience. The third usually means "toilet" these days. Does this have to do with toilets being convenient?
Something I didn't know before is that the word "commode" has also been used to describe a particular style of women's hat, a washstand, and a type of chest of drawers.
Something I didn't know before is that the word "commode" has also been used to describe a particular style of women's hat, a washstand, and a type of chest of drawers.
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English & Linguistics / "Wouldja"
« on: July 21, 2009, 11:17:37 AM »Quote
Sure, but that's a process that took centuries, right?I don't know, though that certainly seems plausible. I suspect that this phenomenon I'm asking about has been around for a long time, too, though.
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English & Linguistics / "Wouldja"
« on: July 20, 2009, 08:40:45 PM »
I'm pretty sure that there are English words whose pronunciations have changed to the point where the original standard pronunciations would now be considered incorrect. I could be wrong though--I certainly can't think of any off the top of my head.
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English & Linguistics / "Wouldja"
« on: July 20, 2009, 07:59:10 PM »
I just mean that I think that, currently, there are very few people, if any, who would consider that pronunciation to be correct, despite the fact that it's perfectly understandable. Like, nobody, hearing "Would you," would correct the person saying, "No, it's pronounced 'wouldja.'" I was just wondering if that's something that might change.
I had a psych prof in college who claimed that some day "nucular" would become the standard pronunciation of the word "nuclear." I don't know if that's true or not, but it seems like an analogous scenario.
Anyway, is there no specific linguistic term for this example of palatalization? And what about the combination of /t/ followed by /j/ becoming /t?/? To me these seem like examples of the same phenomenon.
I had a psych prof in college who claimed that some day "nucular" would become the standard pronunciation of the word "nuclear." I don't know if that's true or not, but it seems like an analogous scenario.
Anyway, is there no specific linguistic term for this example of palatalization? And what about the combination of /t/ followed by /j/ becoming /t?/? To me these seem like examples of the same phenomenon.
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English & Linguistics / "Wouldja"
« on: July 20, 2009, 06:02:08 PM »
A lot of people, myself included, have a tendency of slurring over certain final consonants, as exemplified by the title of this thread. I find that I often say "would joo," keeping "would" and the vowel part of "you" as normal but slipping on the Y.
I'm curious: what's this phenomenon called in linguistic terms? And is this something that's likely to become a permanent feature of the language over time, or is it more regional?
I'm curious: what's this phenomenon called in linguistic terms? And is this something that's likely to become a permanent feature of the language over time, or is it more regional?
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English & Linguistics / Pulmonic Ingressives
« on: July 20, 2009, 03:18:16 PM »
A few months ago an episode of A Way With Words was discussing the pulmonic ingressive and its use in certain English dialects. Apparently, in some regions, parts of Ireland, for example, or Maine, people will use short, sharp inhalations as part of an assent in order to underscore the agreement. I found some examples on this page and I think it's neat. I've certainly never heard anyone do that though. Have any of you?
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English & Linguistics / The random etymology of the day
« on: July 17, 2009, 11:49:41 AM »
"We're gonna whoop them Yankees"?
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English & Linguistics / Language Crossovers
« on: June 22, 2009, 04:49:15 PM »Quote
You say that it seems likely that people surrounded by idiographic writing will pick it up through exposure. I'm asking if you have any knowledge of this actually happening.I have a hard time imagining that it could be avoided. People pick up stuff like the symbols on bathroom doors pretty readily, for example.
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English & Linguistics / Language Crossovers
« on: June 18, 2009, 10:19:47 PM »
I read that book, and while I do remember a bunch of linguistic analysis, what I recall had to do with using linguistics to chart the spread of the Polynesian migration. But that's not really the same, since those languages all have a common ancestor language, and would thus be in the same language family. But maybe I'm forgetting something?