Author Topic: Funny English and Linguistics stuff... (Read 203987 times)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1050 on:** August 06, 2015, 01:19:02 PM »

I don't think Chomsky's views are as undeserving of consideration as you're saying, at least when it comes to linguistics. (On politics, I think he's a nutter.)

And the fact that the article cites Chomsky probably says more about the sad state of public awareness of linguistics than it does about the quality of the article itself. (Though, yes, it's a bad article.)

rivka · « **Reply #1051 on:** August 09, 2015, 05:52:46 PM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #1052 on:** August 09, 2015, 06:35:07 PM »

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #1053 on:** August 10, 2015, 01:39:27 PM »

That was pretty good.

pooka · « **Reply #1054 on:** August 18, 2015, 09:24:48 PM »

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1055 on:** August 25, 2015, 12:17:10 PM »

How to use a comma (Facebook video)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1056 on:** August 25, 2015, 01:43:37 PM »

That was . . . kind of weird and not totally accurate. First off, I've usually heard them called subordinating conjunctions or subordinators, not subordinates. I thought she was talking about subordinate clauses until she finally gave some examples. Also, subordinate clauses sometimes do need a comma, so the whole analogy about physics and balance and WWE heavyweights doesn't really work.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1057 on:** September 11, 2015, 08:58:16 AM »

rivka · « **Reply #1058 on:** September 11, 2015, 09:03:31 AM »

Those are not the only two choices.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1059 on:** September 11, 2015, 09:42:44 AM »

So what's your choice?

rivka · « **Reply #1060 on:** September 11, 2015, 10:11:49 AM »

Far more complex than either of those two.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1061 on:** September 11, 2015, 10:26:31 AM »

I'd love to hear it if you don't mind. I think the way people react to errors is a fascinating subject that doesn't get nearly enough attention. I may come across as a grammar free-love hippy who tries to tear down all usage rules, but that's really only one side of me. There are a lot of things that still irk me even though I know in the rational part of my brain that they shouldn't. Why is that? I don't really know. (And of course, there are a lot of things that still irk me because they're just wrong.)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1062 on:** September 11, 2015, 12:06:10 PM »

Sorry if that made it sound like I think of you like some sort of psychological experiment or something. I am genuinely interested in what people think about language.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #1063 on:** September 11, 2015, 03:01:25 PM »

Jonathon gets out his notepad and adjusts his pince-nez. "So . . . tell me abaut your mahzah . . ."

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1064 on:** September 11, 2015, 03:25:58 PM »

Well, you see, once my people were slaves in Egypt, but they left in great haste, and did not have time to leaven their bread . . .

Jonathon · « **Reply #1065 on:** September 11, 2015, 03:31:35 PM »

rivka · « **Reply #1066 on:** September 11, 2015, 06:23:40 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on September 11, 2015, 12:06:10 PM

Sorry if that made it sound like I think of you like some sort of psychological experiment or something. I am genuinely interested in what people think about language.

Nah, it's just been a really long week in a month of long weeks. Sunday is Erev Rosh Hashanah, but I'll see if I have any spare brain cells to rub together then.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1067 on:** September 11, 2015, 07:00:51 PM »

Okay. And if you don't, no worries. I've been running pretty low on spare brain cells myself lately.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1068 on:** September 15, 2015, 08:15:02 AM »

Quote

did... did a rottweiler write this

Jonathon · « **Reply #1069 on:** September 15, 2015, 12:17:56 PM »

Dirtbag Beowulf

Farmgirl · « **Reply #1070 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:34:26 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on September 15, 2015, 08:15:02 AM

Quote
did... did a rottweiler write this

Wow - that is so bad it hurts to read. I wasn't for sure, at first, whether it was just a very bad copy/paste/editing job (like they left in parts of sentences they meant to overwrite), or what. I have since decided that probably English is not their first language.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1071 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:40:44 PM »

Yeah, I'm almost positive the author wasn't a native speaker. I think it's likely that they just ran something through Google translate, and that's what come out the other side.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1072 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:45:14 PM »

I still like imagining that a rottweiler wrote it, though.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #1073 on:** September 18, 2015, 05:06:35 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on September 17, 2015, 07:40:44 PM

I think it's likely that they just ran something through Google translate, and that's what come out the other side.

Taught EFL in Asia - can confirm.

pooka · « **Reply #1074 on:** September 22, 2015, 07:38:41 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on September 17, 2015, 07:45:14 PM

I still like imagining that a rottweiler wrote it, though.

LOL