In Defense of English - Page 11

Xenophon · 04-11-2009, 03:02 PM

I usually go ahead and use the "Stupid." After all, in places where the KISS principle makes sense -- which, goodness knows, is not everywhere -- well... I ARE STOOOOPID! As, indeed, are most of us.

The simple is good so I can handle things on my "stupid days."

Xenophon

P.S. My usual description of those days goes like this:

Some days I feel smarter than other days. Today is one of the other days!

Curly · 04-11-2009, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thibaulthalpern

I grew up using British spelling too so when I say the title "In Defense" I knew what the OP was talking about but it looked really weird.

Another example that I find very strange too: Americans do not distinguish between practice and practise. In British English, "practice" is a noun and "practise" is a verb.

Anyway...I stick to what comes "naturally" to me...

Yeah, that practise/practice thing trips me up all the time over here.

What I really like the use of 'whilst' in British English as in 'Whilst driving the car through the roundabout...'.

slayda · 04-11-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LazyScot

I would never associate "common" with "women". I think it may be a Pavlovian association.

Since there are more women in the world than men, they are therefore more common, as in "of frequent occurance" (re. the American College Dictionary) than are men. Although I admit that they are not common, as in "of mediorcre or inferior quality (re. same source).

Unfortunatly the common English language can sometimes be uncommonly ambiguous.

6charlong · 04-12-2009, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thibaulthalpern

Bleh. All languages are flexible and have large vocabulary. There's nothing about English that is so superior to other languages.

If you have access to the Oxford English Dictionary, you will be able to find the word "nother".

Yes, yes I see it: A nother, also No nother. Yes, it's there alright but I hardly ever use the OED: it contains so many misspellings.

It does have some lovely words such as floccinaucinihilipilification but you hardly ever hear it spoken in the United States.

roger64 · 04-12-2009, 06:44 AM

Never heard about it ? Well, like it or not, "English" is now an international language. It has indeed UK and US (and NZ and...) flavors but also an international one.

Globish can be a useful international communication tool (I did not say language) and you have to accept it. If it helps a Turk speak to an Indonesian and get understood, it's just good enough and who cares about syntax really? Somebody feels here happy not having an "Académie française" like in English, so what's the problem? Look (or hear) sideways and be happy.

HarryT · 04-12-2009, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thibaulthalpern

Bleh. All languages are flexible and have large vocabulary. There's nothing about English that is so superior to other languages.

English has a far larger vocabulary than pretty much any other language in the world. Eg, French is estimated, according to an article I read recently, to have about 120,000 "root" words; German has about 150,000. English, by comparison, has at least 750,000.

Xenophon · 04-12-2009, 09:57 AM

@HarryT -- It's those constant thefts of vocabulary from the rest of the world.

<channelling Tommy Chong playing El Nebuloso in Yellowbeard>
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
</channelling...>

Xenophon

MickeyC · 04-12-2009, 09:59 AM

Prince Charles put it best when he said "The international language is bad English"

Greg Anos · 04-12-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenophon

@HarryT -- It's those constant thefts of vocabulary from the rest of the world.

<channelling Tommy Chong playing El Nebuloso in Yellowbeard>
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
Now we are the richest language in all the world.
</channelling...>

Xenophon

Yes, your blind stupudity....Oops...

HarryT · 04-12-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenophon

@HarryT -- It's those constant thefts of vocabulary from the rest of the world.

Yes, absolutely! I think that's one of the strengths of English, the fact that it's happy to "steal" from other languages when it needs a new word. If you have a situation like in France, where there is an official body to protect the "purity" of the language, and the government passes laws to try to "ban" the use of foreign words; that seems like a sign that a language is "in trouble" to me.

YGG- · 04-12-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, absolutely! I think that's one of the strengths of English, the fact that it's happy to "steal" from other languages when it needs a new word. If you have a situation like in France, where there is an official body to protect the "purity" of the language, and the government passes laws to try to "ban" the use of foreign words; that seems like a sign that a language is "in trouble" to me.

do you really think anyone gives a f*ck ?
& Are you so insecure that you have to find other people insecure???

HarryT · 04-12-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YGG-

do you really think anyone gives a f*ck ?
& Are you so insecure that you have to find other people insecure???

Don't you think it's faintly ridiculous for the government to try to tell people that they shouldn't say "le weekend"? Does anyone take the blindest notice of such things?

YGG- · 04-12-2009, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't you think it's faintly ridiculous for the government to try to tell people that they shouldn't say "le weekend"? Does anyone take the blindest notice of such things?

My point entirely : do you think anyone pays any attention? Would you? Then why do you think other people would?

HarryT · 04-12-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YGG-

My point entirely : do you think anyone pays any attention? Would you? Then why do you think other people would?

Because it shows that someone - the Académie française? - "worries" about the "purity" of the language. What on Earth is the point of even trying to legislate about such things? I just find it somewhat baffling that anyone would even make the attempt, I'm afraid.

YGG- · 04-12-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Because it shows that someone - the Académie française? - "worries" about the "purity" of the language. What on Earth is the point of even trying to legislate about such things? I just find it somewhat baffling that anyone would even make the attempt, I'm afraid.

Are you aware that you are thinking of the f*cking Académie Française about 1,000,000,000 times more than any French? Doesn't this strike you as slightly off-kilter? (may I say that in English?)

Are you that interested in the French poeple's freedom of speech? Or do you have some vested interest? Ulterior motives?

You sound like you're mostly interested in making (French) people wrong; can you pick someone else now? Or quit doing that?

As for me I feel this is becoming fastidious; I consider this topic closed, OK?

04-12-2009, 06:44 AM	#155
roger64 Wizard Posts: 2,625 Karma: 3120635 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle PW3 (wifi)	globish for me please Never heard about it ? Well, like it or not, "English" is now an international language. It has indeed UK and US (and NZ and...) flavors but also an international one. Globish can be a useful international communication tool (I did not say language) and you have to accept it. If it helps a Turk speak to an Indonesian and get understood, it's just good enough and who cares about syntax really? Somebody feels here happy not having an "Académie française" like in English, so what's the problem? Look (or hear) sideways and be happy.

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04-11-2009, 03:02 PM	#151
Xenophon curmudgeon Posts: 1,487 Karma: 5748190 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA USA Device: Kobo Aura HD, (ex)nook, (ex)PRS-700, (ex)PRS-500	I usually go ahead and use the "Stupid." After all, in places where the KISS principle makes sense -- which, goodness knows, is not everywhere -- well... I ARE STOOOOPID! As, indeed, are most of us. The simple is good so I can handle things on my "stupid days." Xenophon P.S. My usual description of those days goes like this: Some days I feel smarter than other days. Today is one of the other days!

04-12-2009, 09:57 AM	#157
Xenophon curmudgeon Posts: 1,487 Karma: 5748190 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA USA Device: Kobo Aura HD, (ex)nook, (ex)PRS-700, (ex)PRS-500	@HarryT -- It's those constant thefts of vocabulary from the rest of the world. <channelling Tommy Chong playing El Nebuloso in Yellowbeard> Now we are the richest language in all the world. Now we are the richest language in all the world. Now we are the richest language in all the world. Now we are the richest language in all the world. </channelling...> Xenophon

04-12-2009, 09:59 AM	#158
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Prince Charles put it best when he said "The international language is bad English"

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