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jabizzy
from St. Louis, Misery. Er, that's (United States) on 2002-05-15 21:57 [#00221466]
Points: 434 Status: Regular
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what bothers your about the English language?
For me it's the fact that we say ring, rang, and rung, and we say sing, sang, and sung, but then we don't say bring brang and brung. We say brought. But you don't say 'rought' instead rang or rung. "We let the phone rought off the hook." This language is seriously whacked.
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jabizzy
from St. Louis, Misery. Er, that's (United States) on 2002-05-15 21:57 [#00221467]
Points: 434 Status: Regular
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-- my example sentence there was meant to be "The phone rought off the hook". No sense being even more confusing.
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plugexpert
from Nijmegen (Netherlands, The) on 2002-05-15 21:58 [#00221468]
Points: 1073 Status: Lurker
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Try talking Dutch,.......
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afxNUMB
from So.Flo on 2002-05-15 21:59 [#00221470]
Points: 7099 Status: Regular
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Mine would be the Hung and hang..only certain times you can use those words even though it looks like you can use them to describe the samethings....hang and hung.
I've never used rung...or rought.
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MO2
from Minneapolis, MN (United States) on 2002-05-15 22:00 [#00221471]
Points: 321 Status: Lurker
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si.
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w M w
from London (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 22:04 [#00221473]
Points: 21423 Status: Regular
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"there was a picture of a lamp on a table."
was it a picture of... a lamp on a table or a picture of a lamp... on a table
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afxNUMB
from So.Flo on 2002-05-15 22:06 [#00221475]
Points: 7099 Status: Regular
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Yikes....
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Ceri JC
from Jefferson City (United States) on 2002-05-15 22:11 [#00221477]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Show recordbag
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I'm not saying she stole my coat.
This sentence has about 6 different meanings based on which word you put the emphasis on...
I'm not saying she stole my coat.
I'm not saying she stole my coat.
I'm not saying she stole my coat.
I'm not saying she stole my coat.
etc.
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Phatbert 000
from Augsburg (Germany) on 2002-05-15 22:14 [#00221480]
Points: 1618 Status: Lurker
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there's nothing worse than Irish. Fucking awful language. I know. I spent 7 years having to learn it.
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uzim
on 2002-05-15 22:16 [#00221482]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker
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of course not. she didn't stole your coat, she just turned it into a cute little kitty with her magical spell. the bad thing is that the magic spell turned her clothes into kitties too, so she's totally naked now. that's a dangerous coat you had there...
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uzim
on 2002-05-15 22:21 [#00221488]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker
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everything mentioned there have equivalents in other languages... that's not specific to the english language.
il y avait une image d'une lampe sur une table.
je ne dis pas qu'elle a volé mon manteau.
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w M w
from London (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 22:23 [#00221490]
Points: 21423 Status: Regular
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Am I reterdad or are all those "meanings" basically the same... I could very well be retarded, I have no problem with that, but I'm pretty sure that, yes indeed, they are all the same.
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uzim
on 2002-05-15 22:29 [#00221493]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker
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I'm not saying she stole my coat. = someone else is saying it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = i'm just thinking it. or whispering it. or screaming it. or writing it. or engraving it on her door. or transmitting it to my cat by telepathy.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = someone else stole it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = she did something else with it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = she stole someone else's coat.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = she stole something else which belonged to me.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = someone else is saying it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = i'm just thinking it. or whispering it. or screaming it. or writing it. or engraving it on her door. or transmitting it to my cat by telepathy.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = someone else stole it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = she did something else with it.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = she stole someone else's coat.
I'm not saying she stole my coat. = i'm drunk.
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uzim
on 2002-05-15 22:30 [#00221494]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker
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oops... sorry
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Ceri JC
from Jefferson City (United States) on 2002-05-15 22:31 [#00221497]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to w M w: #00221490 | Show recordbag
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No, the meaning is drastically altered according to the emphasis. It's a well known example used in elocution lessons for actors etc.
Based on the emphasis it means,
someone stole the coat.
someone took or borrowwed my coat, but not neccesarily stole it.
She didn't steal my coat, but she might have stolen someone elses.
It wasn't me that implied she stole the coat.
It's not the coat that I'm saying she stole.
Uzim: You're right, this sort of thing is prevailent in other languages too.
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mylittlesister
from ...wherever (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 22:35 [#00221500]
Points: 8472 Status: Regular
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no they are different
#1.protesting about the fact that he's the one blaming people.
#2.protesting that he said someone took his coat, and that he didnt mean her.
#3.protesting that a coat has been stolen, not neccesarily his.
#4.protesting that somethings been stolen, but not his coat.
well, that's how i see it! ____ (/ - . - \) \ __ /
hehe, ^ monkey.... or something!
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uzim
on 2002-05-15 22:35 [#00221501]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker
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all latin languages have similitudes... what's more interesting is languages like japanese...
where languages really show their uniqueness is in untranslatable puns (among some other things).
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mylittlesister
from ...wherever (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 22:36 [#00221502]
Points: 8472 Status: Regular
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haha.... i did mine too late.... and the monkey came out wrong
oh well, not like u can sue me :-)
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:29 [#00221566]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker
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Manderin Chinese is meant to be the most complicated language to learn!
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smokehammer
from Saigon (Vietnam) on 2002-05-15 23:35 [#00221573]
Points: 1463 Status: Lurker
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the problem with the English language is that I am able to read "The Sun " before I am able to eat solid food.
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:37 [#00221576]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker
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I suppose it all boils down to what your first language is, isn't it? You know, what you know! I have great respect for people who speak English as a second language!
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B3n
from Manchester (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 23:38 [#00221580]
Points: 4700 Status: Lurker
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I love the way the English language is sometimes so odd! especially in england (as regard to america)
the way there are some rules but they don't apply for certain words
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:40 [#00221581]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to B3n: #00221580
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I find it strange how some American spelling is different from ours. It's almost laziness.
Examples:
Neighbourhood - Neighborhood Centre - Center Favourite - Favorite Colour - Color
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smokehammer
from Saigon (Vietnam) on 2002-05-15 23:41 [#00221582]
Points: 1463 Status: Lurker
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"set" has around 14 meanings apparently
can't think of them all though...
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:41 [#00221583]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to Jedi Chris: #00221581
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Damn Americans....stealing our language and butchering it!
.....just kidding!
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B3n
from Manchester (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 23:44 [#00221586]
Points: 4700 Status: Lurker | Followup to Jedi Chris: #00221583
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no no no, that'd be 'american' =)
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smokehammer
from Saigon (Vietnam) on 2002-05-15 23:48 [#00221592]
Points: 1463 Status: Lurker
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DJ set ( mixed chosen group ) set of cutlery ( complete group ) badgers set ( community home ) set jelly ( solid state ) set sun ( state of finishing or being over ) rain set in ( becoming constant ) set up a date (arrange) set out with intentions ... set trap ... set in tennis...
or are all these the same meaning used differently ? hmmmm....
I'm amazed foreigners can be arsed to learn it.
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:52 [#00221600]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker
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What do Americans consider the language they speak as? Do they speak American or English?
It's English surely??
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B3n
from Manchester (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 23:54 [#00221606]
Points: 4700 Status: Lurker
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yes its english but some think its american (because they don't know better, and I don't mean that in an anti america way)
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pachi
from yo momma (United States) on 2002-05-15 23:56 [#00221608]
Points: 8984 Status: Lurker
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haha i can speak a lil 'american'
but seriously, i wonder how languages would evolve centuries or even millenia later. if there was just one central international language tho, it'd be kinda boring.
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smokehammer
from Saigon (Vietnam) on 2002-05-15 23:56 [#00221609]
Points: 1463 Status: Lurker
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American language was what the people they killed spoke before they killed them and their language. Now America is full of English and Spanish speakers. Imperialist tongues .
Murderers .
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B3n
from Manchester (United Kingdom) on 2002-05-15 23:58 [#00221614]
Points: 4700 Status: Lurker | Followup to smokehammer: #00221609
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yeah and the british empires never done any whack things in its colonisation of other countries..
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:58 [#00221615]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to smokehammer: #00221609
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LOL!!
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-15 23:59 [#00221616]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to pachi: #00221608
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Pachi, dear boy! How the devil are you?
*best upper class english accent!*
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pachi
from yo momma (United States) on 2002-05-16 00:00 [#00221619]
Points: 8984 Status: Lurker | Followup to Jedi Chris: #00221616
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i'm well fine, dear jedi ;)
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-16 00:01 [#00221620]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to pachi: #00221619
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Jolly good!
;)
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nene
from United States on 2002-05-16 01:14 [#00221676]
Points: 1475 Status: Lurker
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the use of 's to show possession is pretty weird when you think about it. for instance, if you say "the man with the hat's leg," you're not saying the leg belongs to the hat, you just attach the 's to the end of the whole phrase.
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jabizzy
from St. Louis, Misery. Er, that's (United States) on 2002-05-16 01:54 [#00221681]
Points: 434 Status: Regular
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a "set" is also the props and background used in a theatre. or theater.
and this is a dumb question that has nothing to do with language, but why in England are there crooked lines on the streets?
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Sido Dyas
from a computer on 2002-05-16 02:20 [#00221693]
Points: 8876 Status: Lurker
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Alot of English words comes from scandinavian words because of the Vikings.
About 900 of english most common words to be more exact.
Words like sky,skin,scrape,skirt,husband (husbonde) and window (vindue)
And all the land names that ends with "by" (by =vilage) like Grimsby ,Thoresby(Thor=god of thunder"thors village") and the "toft" like Brimtoft , Langtoft etc..
The vikings really invaded England. You even had a Danish Viking king for a while.
The french language has also a bit skandinavian and have many land names that is scandinavian like Bourguebu (Borgeby) and names like La Londe (Lund).
The Vikings founded Normandie.
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Inverted Whale
from United States Minor Outlying Islands on 2002-05-16 02:30 [#00221700]
Points: 3301 Status: Lurker
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And the Vikings got 4 days of the week. Go Vikings!
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xlr
from Boston (United States) on 2002-05-16 05:48 [#00221903]
Points: 4904 Status: Regular
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I love the english language. More synonyms than you can shake a stick at!
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jabizzy
from St. Louis, Misery. Er, that's (United States) on 2002-05-16 05:49 [#00221904]
Points: 434 Status: Regular
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synonyms truly are the best; i agree
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sadsquasH
from Chicago (United States) on 2002-05-16 06:24 [#00221926]
Points: 9 Status: Lurker
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no but seriously, why do you crazy brits have the crooked lines on your streets?
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pachi
from yo momma (United States) on 2002-05-16 06:28 [#00221929]
Points: 8984 Status: Lurker | Followup to Sido Dyas: #00221693
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ya i thought i heard something about english deriving from scandinavian languages
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pachi
from yo momma (United States) on 2002-05-16 06:29 [#00221931]
Points: 8984 Status: Lurker
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and arent gaelic and welsh quite similar to scandinavian languages?
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license
from out of nowhere on 2002-05-16 06:54 [#00221944]
Points: 865 Status: Lurker
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I've made a concious effort against the Americanisation of the English language by preserving its words in their original form. I'm striving to keep the name with which I have chosen to identify myself as the sole exception.
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Taxidermist
from Black Grass on 2002-05-16 06:58 [#00221945]
Points: 9958 Status: Lurker
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I like the english language :(
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afxNUMB
from So.Flo on 2002-05-16 07:24 [#00221958]
Points: 7099 Status: Regular
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Spanish is pretty tough cause you change words around..damn I'm hispanic myself and i look retarded speaking the language...hmm I wonder how many people here are hispanic?
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Jedi Chris
on 2002-05-16 13:27 [#00222259]
Points: 11496 Status: Lurker | Followup to pachi: #00221931
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Welsh is crappy! A waste of space!
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Meho Krljic
from Beograd (Yugoslavia) on 2002-05-16 13:29 [#00222262]
Points: 6617 Status: Addict | Followup to Jedi Chris: #00222259
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Oh, jesus, Chris, stop lobbying against Welsh!!! No one is forcing you to speak it.
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