ELL's Cabin - 2015-09-17

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12:01 AM

Australian politicians are hilarious.

"I'm quoting a poet here!" @samdastyari reads the lyrics to Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" into Hansard 😂😂😂😂😂 http://t.co/xZTdZNOQwz

Tweeted by MarkDiStef on September 15, 2015 at 7:59 AM

Anonymous

@jimsug Is it true that Australia has a more casual relationship with profanity than, say, the US or UK? Someone said that to me recently, and I have no idea whether it has any basis in fact.

I think we definitely have a more casual relationship with racism than the US or UK.

Anonymous

Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure what this 'casual relationship' business means specifically.

Anonymous

@jimsug Racism is different in different places around the US.

Heh, I suppose.

12:24 AM

@snailboat The top left ticker thing pisses me off...

Anonymous

12:45 AM

@Catija I personally wish the "post links to questions as chat messages" thing were not a feature.

1:38 AM

@snailboat Really?

3 hours later…

5:04 AM

Good Morning everyone! It's gonna be a big day for me. There are about 35 companies. Best IT companies in Sri Lanka. I am so existed. I was waiting for this day for more than a year

Career day in our college.

5:41 AM

@JudeNiroshan Oh, good luck!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

6:15 AM

3

Q: Can I promote our site by email?

I've recently started thinking that law students would be a great target audience for our site, and so I'm planning on sending a couple of emails to student law societies introducing them to our site, giving a brief overview of what we do, and asking them to mention us to their members. I've loo...

discussion growth

James your name is out.

Who?

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@jimsug James James James James James James

Luckily, only @jimsug pings me :P

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Yes James @jimsug.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

7:06 AM

@Dam we need your ~~doodling~~ designing skills for a chat ad.

Hehe! I wonder if I have time for that. (I'm not a real designer, so it could take me way longer than a real one would need to make one.)

BTW, I just downvoted the template, to make its score lower than +6.

Hmm... the meta post doesn't say anything about the deadline.

There's no deadline.

It just needs 6 upvotes at any time.

Oh! So the template already made it!

The twitter thing?

Yes.

7:19 AM

5

A: Community Promotion Ads - 2015

I meant a score of 6 :L

I just downvoted it down from +6.

lel

:D

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I can't down vote it. :'(

Oh, why not?

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

7:20 AM

'Cause I've upvoted it before.

Ahh

quick, someone edit it :P

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Can . . . someone edit that?

yush

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

>:)

Edited.

Down voted!

7:22 AM

:D

Such under-handedness :P

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Seriously guys.

Make an ad!

I think it has to be finished and ready to use, not just a sketch.

But maybe we can pitch our sketches here.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I'm not on my laptop, so an nbsp is all I can give you.

Anonymous

8:18 AM

The vast majority of Indian English speakers are non-native, by the way. It would be weird to ask for feedback from native speakers of Indian English.

Indeed, though I believe that there is more or less standard Indian English. Probably governed or standardized somehow by the government and standardized tests.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Well he seems to miss the point, so I won't make this more confusing.

I believe he really missed the point.

In the context, it's more like a learner posted a question, a non-native speaker answered, and then the learner asks, "Are you a non-native speaker?"

Anonymous

Indian English is a natural language and its characteristics emerged naturally through use

It may or may not sound okay, depending on the intention.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

8:22 AM

Hmm.

Anonymous

Through language contact, through second language errors that spread and became normal, by missing changes that occurred in other dialects, and so on

In any case, I think we shouldn't forget that when someone claims that he is something, it doesn't mean that he's always right about that thing or anything that that something implies.

For example, if there were a Thai language stack, and I answered a question, with a note, "I'm right because I'm Thai." -- I don't think that's a right attitude.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. Specially on the interwebz.

Anonymous

I think we have plenty of examples of native speakers failing to describe their own language here on ELL, which is understandable—describing language is hard!

@snailboat Indeed!

Anonymous

8:25 AM

The misconception that being a native speaker means you know everything about your own language is regrettably common…

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Should I invite him here?

Anonymous

It's also easy for speakers, native or non-, to underestimate how much variation there is in a language.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Hullo @Rigor! Welcome to the Cabin!

hi

Even an assertion such as, "This is how it's used in Tinglish. I know this because I'm Thai," could as well be shabby.

Anonymous

8:27 AM

I'm not talking about a specific person. I'm just discussing attitudes toward language in the abstract.

@Rigor Hi, skull! (Is that you?)

yep

Hello!

Hi pals

:-)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Huh.

Would you at least somehow indicate that you're on Patrol?

8:28 AM

aka skullpatrol

@snailboat Me too. I remember that J.R. posted a post asking all answerers to back their answers up with references, and I think that's fair and probably the best.

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M da raiders are always on patrol pal :P

True, that!

Anonymous

Ideally evidence of some kind, not necessarily a reference work.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Bah, at least you should make us somehow recognize you.

8:30 AM

nods

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M Just the emblem (logo?) is enough for me. :D

^

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

What logo?

the mystic of the silver and black

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Bah dum TSS

:D

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

8:32 AM

Autocorrect, destroying your jokes since 1888.

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M raiders.com

can't wait for the world cup of rugby to start on friday :-)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Oh look! A website with pictures that isn't censored!

@Rigor Oh, belated congratulations on the last game!

@DamkerngT. but we lost?

8:36 AM

Eh? I read it the wrong way? Sorry!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Hah!

we were kicking field goals down by 33 :-/

Aww

like I said:

4 mins ago, by Rigor

can't wait for the world cup of rugby to start on friday :-)

:D

8:37 AM

:D

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

:D

9:36 AM

2

Q: Morphology or structure?

What is the difference in meaning between "morphology" and "structure"? Coming from a physics background and being a native German speaker, I tend to use "structure" when describing an internal configuration, and to use "morphology" when describing an overall outer appearance. I wonder if this ...

This is probably better on the Linguistics stack.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I've noticed people coming from other SEs tend to think of ELL as a place where nonnatives belong, rather than a place for questions nonnative speakers happen to have.

Anonymous

Morphology is a technical term in linguistics. It's also a technical term outside linguistics. I don't see any indication that they have the linguistics sense in mind.

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M I think it's a little worse than that. I think there seems to be a tendency to think of ELL as a place where nonnative speakers with moderate fluency belong.

@snailboat When someone is talking about morphology in the context of language, it makes me think of linguistics.

Oh, right. They said, "an overall outer appearance".

I think the first comment threw me off a little.

in biology they use it like the word "form"

or the study of form

iirc

:-)

Yup!

In computer science too. (Like, shape recognition.)

Anonymous

9:49 AM

Or biology.

I just left the Title Editing room. I think we've made something happen. Title of new questions appear to be improved. Thanks go to the man behind the movement (yes, @inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M, that's you!) and everyone who's helped edit the titles!

2

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

10:38 AM

@DamkerngT. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ Thanks!

I'm back to the laptop. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

10:56 AM

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M has removed an event from this room's schedule.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

^ Removed the TCE event.

If people are getting into the habit of either improving titles, or writing better titles, then I would consider TCE a huge success.

Might need to wait until the next data dump to see if editing patterns have changed.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I think it's good enough. We just need to remind ourselves to link to it next time we catch a crappy title.

We might also go off editing some stuff when we've got the time.

For now, we can see good titles.

CopperKettle also seems to help fix a bunch of titles every day. ^^

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Yep.

@Copper thanks for that.

11:53 AM

Oh, hey!

8

A: "There IS/ARE rice, meat and potatoes on my plate"

It really depends on whether you're referring to the "rice, meat, and tomatoes" as a collective unit or separate items. From the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002): Typically the subject and verb should agree (pg 499). There are however "sematically motivated overrides." The per...

That gives me a link to an online version of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language! (And on a specific page at that!)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. I again remember why I love ArXiv.org

I wonder if we, as a site, should do anything about it.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Nope.

12:27 PM

0

Q: Is my example the same case as the link I gave?

Does"She went into the home and left shoes on the floor" equal "she went into the home , leaving the shoes on the floor". Plus,many people of this site said it was not the same thing. But I wish you guys could check the link below out.

grammar american-english

Aww...

Hmm... it looks like the OP asked the 2nd question because of this comment (in the first question):

"She went into the home and left her shoes" does not equal "She went into the home, leaving her shoes" Is the question still valid? — Maulik V ♦ 4 hours ago

So, the best person who should answer the question would be Maulik, because he stated it firmly, that the question is (probably?) not valid because the two aren't equal.

12:48 PM

@DamkerngT. I also did that until I discovered, with @snailboat's help, that that version is pirated.. (0:

^^

So called reputed companies are suck! Believe me. It's true

talking about WSO2

@JudeNiroshan companies suck. Although I've seen it often enough to wonder whether it's not a subcontinental English idiom.

they need only old grads to work in their company. Poor interviewers; sorry for them. They lost an exceptional 2nd year student as were putting glasses to hunt 4th year students.

I'm really disappointed as it was my main target today.

3 hours later…

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

3:39 PM

@JudeNiroshan Don't let it get to you.

4:00 PM

I have no more hopes for them

Company policies are there to maintain the quality of the workers. But why those people cannot understand that some people are there who can maintain that quality without fit into those policies?

Wierd... but true

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Hmm.

How are you?

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Great!

user116848

4:18 PM

If I had a penny for everytime I have changed my avatar...

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I'd be rich.

user116848

So...

user116848

Hey, I have a formatting question.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

?

user116848

4:34 PM

When we give a list in the answer and press "numbered list" or "bullet points" button it only does the job for a single line.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@Arrowfar - will turn into a bullet.

user116848

If we already have a whole list saved somewhere and we are just pasting it in the answer what's the best way to make it all numbered or bullet points without pressing enter on every single line?

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

And you can just try 1., 2., 3. etc. for ordered lists.

You have to press enter on every single line. :/

user116848

So we have to type it by ourself eachtime?

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Depends on how compatible that website's code is with SE editor.

@Arrowfar What are you trying to paste?

user116848

4:36 PM

Oh! Bummer.

user116848

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M I gave an answer and it seemed like a hassle to arrange all the points.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Link?

I'll edit like lightening.

user116848

Yes you are pretty fast. Our fast and furious MA :)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

I'm curious, not furious. Well, most o' the time.

user116848

Yeah that's me.

user116848

4:42 PM

Our fast and curious MA :)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

LINK!

user116848

2

A: Things required for nice beach experience

There are zillions of items that you can take with you for a nice beach experience. If you are expecting rains then you must take a beach umbrella or a simpler one with you, to keep your phone and other small stuff from getting water and/or moisture keep them in a zip lock sandwich bag. You can...

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

So you want a numbered list?

user116848

No, bullet points are okay.

user116848

Someone already edited it.

7:28 PM

Hello, @Pulkownik! Welcome to the room! :D

hah Hello :)

i just want to return to the previous room and say to you that here the last message was 3 hours ago ;p

Well, that's true!

do you know any sites where i can find people to talk by skype?

Hmm... Freddy mentioned something a couple days ago...

yesterday, by Freddy

http://www.speaking24.com/#

It's only yesterday! :D

ok thank you

7:31 PM

No problem. I haven't tried it myself, so I can't say what it's like.

1 hour later…

8:36 PM

0

Q: Do prescriptive but not descriptive rules find more favor on ELL than on ELU?

I've just begun using this site and ELU. As far as ELU is concerned, I think I know that at least some prescribed conventions aren't going to be the most favored answers. As in this case. So far, so good. But is ELL at all different from ELU in this respect? If an ELL questioner asks abou...

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Sep '1517

ELL's Cabin

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