Author Topic: Funny English and Linguistics stuff... (Read 203957 times)

rivka · « **Reply #1250 on:** March 26, 2018, 05:42:39 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on March 26, 2018, 12:08:20 PM

The letter y also represents a vowel in Welsh.

It sometimes does in English too, though. I have heard versions of the vowel song that end "and sometimes Y".

Jonathon · « **Reply #1251 on:** March 26, 2018, 10:04:09 PM »

Yeah, but it represents a vowel by default in Welsh.

rivka · « **Reply #1252 on:** March 27, 2018, 06:38:12 AM »

Quote from: Jonathon on March 26, 2018, 10:04:09 PM

vowel by default

Good band name.

Dobie · « **Reply #1253 on:** March 27, 2018, 10:11:45 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNpjxakqtqk

Ela · « **Reply #1254 on:** March 28, 2018, 12:03:53 PM »

Welsh spelling is just fantastic. If you try to sound it out in English, forget it. Nothing sounds like you think it should.

Kate Boots · « **Reply #1255 on:** March 29, 2018, 11:37:03 AM »

Quote from: rivka on March 26, 2018, 05:42:39 PM

Quote from: Jonathon on March 26, 2018, 12:08:20 PM
The letter y also represents a vowel in Welsh.
It sometimes does in English too, though. I have heard versions of the vowel song that end "and sometimes Y".

When I learned the rhyme it ended "and sometimes Y and W."

rivka · « **Reply #1256 on:** March 29, 2018, 02:24:25 PM »

That is so interesting! I never heard it that way before.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1257 on:** March 29, 2018, 02:56:31 PM »

Me neither. And in what English words does w represent a vowel? The only one I can think of is cwm, which is a borrowing from Welsh.

rivka · « **Reply #1258 on:** March 29, 2018, 03:59:57 PM »

As Dobie's video points out, it is part of a vowel ("aw") in many words.

Dobie · « **Reply #1259 on:** March 29, 2018, 04:27:22 PM »

In many Welsh words in which w precedes another vowel, the vowel sound of the w is so short that it sounds like an English w. ("Anwyl" sounds more like "on wheel" than "on oo eel".)

Jonathon · « **Reply #1260 on:** March 30, 2018, 08:25:05 AM »

That's why I said it represents a vowel by default. Both w and y can represent semivowels at times.

Quote from: rivka on March 29, 2018, 03:59:57 PM

As Dobie's video points out, it is part of a vowel ("aw") in many words.

I didn't actually watch the video, but I think this is one reason why it's important to distinguish sounds and the way we represent those sounds. Strictly speaking, vowels and consonants are sounds, not letters. A word like awl has one vowel and one consonant, despite its spelling.

And even when w and y represent semivowels in Welsh, it's always as part of a diphthong, so you could still consider those instances to be part of one vowel.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1261 on:** March 30, 2018, 12:12:08 PM »

Quote from: Kate Boots on March 29, 2018, 11:37:03 AM

Quote from: rivka on March 26, 2018, 05:42:39 PM
Quote from: Jonathon on March 26, 2018, 12:08:20 PM
The letter y also represents a vowel in Welsh.
It sometimes does in English too, though. I have heard versions of the vowel song that end "and sometimes Y".

When I learned the rhyme it ended "and sometimes Y and W."

I've heard it that way, but it never made sense to me because I could never think of any words where "w" was a vowel. Maybe Mrs. Deere, my 1st grade teacher was Welch.

Dobie · « **Reply #1262 on:** March 30, 2018, 03:13:15 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on March 30, 2018, 08:25:05 AM

That's why I said it represents a vowel by default. Both w and y can represent semivowels at times.

Quote from: rivka on March 29, 2018, 03:59:57 PM
As Dobie's video points out, it is part of a vowel ("aw") in many words.

I didn't actually watch the video, but I think this is one reason why it's important to distinguish sounds and the way we represent those sounds. Strictly speaking, vowels and consonants are sounds, not letters. A word like awl has one vowel and one consonant, despite its spelling.

And even when w and y represent semivowels in Welsh, it's always as part of a diphthong, so you could still consider those instances to be part of one vowel.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vowel

Jonathon · « **Reply #1263 on:** August 06, 2018, 11:39:08 AM »

Ela · « **Reply #1264 on:** August 14, 2018, 07:44:43 PM »

This made me laugh:

https://twitter.com/bepryor/status/1029066832131629058

rivka · « **Reply #1265 on:** August 14, 2018, 10:56:58 PM »

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1266 on:** August 16, 2018, 06:35:19 AM »

"All Star" translated to Aramaic and back to English.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #1267 on:** August 19, 2018, 12:36:02 PM »

I wonder what one molass would look like.

Nighthawk · « **Reply #1268 on:** August 28, 2018, 05:26:39 PM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #1269 on:** August 28, 2018, 05:54:34 PM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #1270 on:** August 29, 2018, 02:49:55 PM »

Ela · « **Reply #1271 on:** August 31, 2018, 12:02:07 PM »

Ha.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1272 on:** September 07, 2018, 08:46:53 AM »

Ela · « **Reply #1273 on:** September 07, 2018, 01:12:52 PM »

That's twisting my brain power.

rivka · « **Reply #1274 on:** September 07, 2018, 04:41:59 PM »

[pedant] A boat that holds a boat is not a lifeboat. That is the boat held by the boat, not the reverse. And it should perhaps be apartment building, but not apartment. [/pedant]