Author Topic: Funny English and Linguistics stuff... (Read 216979 times)

pooka · « **Reply #1075 on:** September 22, 2015, 07:49:45 PM »

I was thinking of a third choice yesterday. I wonder if that can be applied to this comic.

Spoiler: original third choice (click to show/hide)

So regarding the particular construction about caring less, languages generally have idioms in the sense of a collection of words that has a discrete meaning not depending on the meanings of the constituent words. To correct a meaning with a hyperliteral interpretation is as fruitless as pointing out that a spelling/pronunciation pairing is not in logical agreement. This kind of arbitrariness is part of what distinguishes natural language.

Oddly, such arbitrariness seems to go along with the ability to interpret things that do not make sense, so that we don't just run around saying "Syntax error!" at each other, or worse, acting on syntactically sound, semantic gibberish with hyperliteral accuracy. We have the ability to say "based on tone and context, this person meant x and not b" I'd conjecture that people who lack this ability seem to struggle with the task of acquiring language at all.

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1076 on:** September 26, 2015, 11:47:54 PM »

WebMD's glossary of teen slang

Jonathon · « **Reply #1077 on:** September 27, 2015, 08:49:53 AM »

Oh dear.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1078 on:** September 27, 2015, 11:42:02 AM »

My favorite bit was the slang "POS" for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #1079 on:** September 28, 2015, 11:57:31 AM »

Did they write that ten years ago? And why were they asking 12 year olds? 12 year olds are going to tell you what they imagine all the cool older kids are saying.

Not to mention, how did they think they could capture all of the teen slang in America?

More accurate: "Here's a random sample with a very small N from a handful of teens scattered across various geographical areas. Have fun extrapolating from this!"

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1080 on:** December 15, 2015, 08:54:41 AM »

Last night at work, I heard an old woman refer to her brassiere as a booby trap.

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1081 on:** December 22, 2015, 10:30:09 AM »

At the company I work at, as a reward for shipping our first product, they gave each person a steel buckler with a label indicating the game we shipped.

It also includes a label signifying a sort of rank depending on your involvement with the project. The levels were "scout", "sentinel", "warrior", "ninja" and "zen master".

I received "warrior", but a majority of the staff (half of them, to be precise) were given the title of "sentinel". Unfortunately... they didn't bother to use spellcheck, so half our employees have no choice but to proudly display their rank of "sentinal":

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

***headdesk!!!***

Hey, at least I'm a warrior...

Jonathon · « **Reply #1082 on:** December 22, 2015, 11:16:06 AM »

Amilia · « **Reply #1083 on:** January 03, 2016, 10:20:19 AM »

My brother gets the Word of the Day from the OED. Friday's word was

Quote

Bruce, Robert the: see Robert

Jonathon · « **Reply #1084 on:** January 03, 2016, 05:29:18 PM »

Huh. That seems more like an encyclopedia entry than a dictionary entry.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1085 on:** January 13, 2016, 02:34:36 PM »

Saoirse Ronan tries to teach Stephen Colbert an Irish accent

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1086 on:** January 21, 2016, 08:43:59 AM »

The singular ‘they’ has been declared Word of the Year (Washington Post)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1087 on:** January 21, 2016, 08:51:35 AM »

I'm happy that it won. I've been boosting it for several years now.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1088 on:** January 22, 2016, 12:30:03 AM »

Joint bank accounts?

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1089 on:** January 22, 2016, 07:25:46 AM »

Listening to Sarah Palin's endorsement makes me feel all Picard when someone keeps saying "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra."

Jonathon · « **Reply #1090 on:** January 22, 2016, 08:35:50 AM »

Quote from: Tante Shvester on January 22, 2016, 12:30:03 AM

Joint bank accounts?

Jonathon · « **Reply #1091 on:** January 22, 2016, 08:51:14 AM »

Quote from: Tante Shvester on January 22, 2016, 07:25:46 AM

Listening to Sarah Palin's endorsement makes me feel all Picard when someone keeps saying "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra."

Accurate.

Sputnik · « **Reply #1092 on:** February 06, 2016, 06:13:53 PM »

*sigh* Am I going to h3ll for this?

AND HIS NAME IS JOOOOHHHHNNNN CEEEENNNNAAAA!!!!

This took a while too, so it kind of has to be appreciated... Yeah, I'm definately going there, but at least it wasn't as bad as the one I made in Word, where it alternated Comic sans, Papyrus, and RussellSquare.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1093 on:** February 09, 2016, 01:28:51 PM »

I do not think that phrase means what you think it means.

link

rivka · « **Reply #1094 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:50:45 PM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #1095 on:** February 09, 2016, 07:08:24 PM »

Apparently at least one dictionary records the neutral sense of "living with", but I'm not sure why you'd ever use it that way if most people use it to mean "to live with in a sexual relationship".

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1096 on:** February 18, 2016, 10:24:33 AM »

Spoiler: My greengrocer totally rocks the greengrocer's apostrophe (click to show/hide)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1097 on:** February 18, 2016, 11:30:36 AM »

That's great. Would you mind if I shared it on Twitter?

Farmgirl · « **Reply #1098 on:** February 18, 2016, 03:30:37 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on February 18, 2016, 11:30:36 AM

That's great. Would you mind if I shared it on Twitter?

I sure hope you can -- because I can't see her image (photobucket is blocked at my work); but I can see your Twitter! :-)

rivka · « **Reply #1099 on:** February 18, 2016, 05:11:56 PM »