Messages

1

English & Linguistics / E-mail or Email?

« on: January 05, 2009, 02:27:22 PM »

Chicago and the Miriam Webbstterr agree, Farmgirl.

I'm still pondering. I think I need to find out more about our audience.

2

English & Linguistics / E-mail or Email?

« on: January 05, 2009, 12:29:32 PM »

There seems to be no consensus.

*ponders*

3

English & Linguistics / E-mail or Email?

« on: January 05, 2009, 12:06:41 PM »

E-mail (email) is a word on the cusp. It almost, almost doesn't need a hyphen, and in many places, it doesn't have it.

The Library had a standard (e-mail), but this place doesn't, and I suspect I get to set it. I haven't decided yet. I suppose I could ask googlefight to settle it for me, but I thought I would poll y'all.  

4

English & Linguistics / You keep using that word. I do not think

« on: January 23, 2008, 09:17:21 AM »

It is not a Greek plural. It is a Latin one.

5

English & Linguistics / Mayfly: Spoken pronunciation

« on: November 19, 2007, 09:17:49 AM »

Try a colon after "they are."

6

English & Linguistics / When you phone work to say you won't be there...

« on: February 26, 2007, 11:12:06 AM »

I call in sick.

And are there any of you who do not have roots in the NY area who would understand what I meant if I told you to stop kvetching?

Yes. My mother (raised Baptist in East Texas) used to say it.  

7

English & Linguistics / Where you live, is "appetizing" a noun?

« on: November 30, 2006, 09:41:38 AM »

I miss hearing "fixin". "I was fixing to go to the store - do you want to come?" I liked that.

I have decided the distinctive thing about DC is that the entire town will wear black pants, black shoes, a white shirt, and red accessory ON THE SAME DAY. It's like everyone called each other the night before.

I don't mind - I like educated, dressed-up guys. I always enjoy the metro rides.

Other great locations are history conferences. The standard uniform for guys is khaki pants, a blue shirt, loafers, glasses, and stubble. Just adorable.

8

English & Linguistics / Jewish English

« on: August 30, 2006, 10:23:39 AM »

There are all sorts of ways to be provincial, including the one illustrated on that cover.

9

English & Linguistics / My English Professor doesn't know English!

« on: September 12, 2005, 12:30:28 PM »

Two of the best English lit professors I ever had were from India.

10

English & Linguistics / The joys of corporate writing

« on: July 25, 2005, 08:32:26 AM »

Banna, that so sucks. I'm sorry he's in a position to give you any evaluation at all.

11

English & Linguistics / More Comic Sans

« on: July 11, 2005, 10:20:38 AM »

I got a flyer for a conference this weekend from church.

It was in Comic Sans. Thought y'all should know.

12

English & Linguistics / Quick quiz

« on: March 11, 2005, 02:15:25 PM »

I want to change my vote.

No matter what, it's a terrible sentence.  

13

English & Linguistics / I don't know what to believe anymore

« on: January 18, 2005, 03:45:22 PM »

I really like Jon Boy's sig.

No other comment. Carry on.

For those who are truly persnickety, I reccomend The Reader Over Your Shoulder.

14

English & Linguistics / Linguists Gone Wild!

« on: January 11, 2005, 12:27:55 PM »

I <3 Slate.

15

English & Linguistics / Soda vs. Pop map

« on: December 24, 2004, 03:58:31 AM »

I'm firmly in the "other" category. We've always called it a soft drink.

16

English & Linguistics / Learning new words

« on: December 15, 2004, 01:11:19 PM »

...I'd always thought of it as TAM-bre. However, I did not encounter the word until I heard it spoken in a music class.

17

English & Linguistics / Accents

« on: December 10, 2004, 10:00:39 AM »

My mother and her family are all from Texas, and she had an accent.

She was on the phone with a customer after living in Utah for five years, and the customer asked where she was from.

"Salt Lake City, Utah."
"No, honey. Whayre ahre you fruhm?"

Eh, it was my art teacher. She also told us a story about how the first billboard she painted had a crooked chest and she tried to set me up with the cute, charismatic, but gay ceramics teacher.  

18

English & Linguistics / Accents

« on: December 09, 2004, 10:54:59 AM »

Yesterday, my art teacher expressed surprise that I was from Texas. She guessed somewhere on the East Coast, with a little bit of ValleyGirl in it.

I was born and raised in Texas, and the only other place I've lived was Utah with a year and a half in Michigan.

It was a surreal moment. Why would I have an accent from somewhere else?

19

English & Linguistics / A linguistic survey

« on: November 23, 2004, 06:10:02 AM »

I voted for "other" for the same reasons saxy outlined. The original sentence could mean either of the first two options.

Texas and Utah.  

20

English & Linguistics / Verdigris

« on: November 23, 2004, 06:06:58 AM »

...Though people here to an absurd degree
Seem fixated on your verdigris...

21

English & Linguistics / "I speak a foreign language." How do you respond?

« on: October 20, 2004, 09:56:02 AM »

How do you pronounce pecan?

puhKAHN

or

PEEcan

?

22

English & Linguistics / Double negatives

« on: October 06, 2004, 08:34:36 AM »

Latin just includes the adverb non somewhere near the verb.