English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

@Sudhir Well, that's a bit complicated. London is the capital of the UK, but each country (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) have their own capitals. London is also the capital of England

Kit

Must be like how our states have capitals.

Sudhir

6:11 PM

Can you tell the capital of each 3?

Matt Эллен

@Kit yeah, pretty much the same

@Sudhir Scotland's capital is Edinburgh, Northern Ireland's is Belfast and Wales' capital is Cardiff.

Kit

Well. TIL.

Sudhir

oh thanks

I'll note down in piece of paper.

It may come in any exam

Kit

I like this fox, but I think it doesn't do well at the small scale.

Sudhir

So the whole UK is governed by single person?

@MattЭллен

or there are separate PM of each 5 countries?

Matt Эллен

6:14 PM

@Sudhir that's even more complicated!

@Sudhir Wales doesn't have it's own parliament. They have an assembly. So they don't have a PM. Scotland and Northern Ireland do, though.

Kit

TILEM.

Matt Эллен

but the UK is ruled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second

Sudhir

So they have PM?

Matt Эллен

Yes

Mitch

@MattЭллен How do you know so much? You're a genius! Do you write for google?

I'm funning. I bet you looked that up.

Kit

6:16 PM

Hahaha.

Matt Эллен

@Mitch something about paying attention in school. I don't know.

Mitch

@MattЭллен what is this 'paying attention' that you speak of?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattЭллен Come on, you never paid anybody in school. Except the big guy who wanted your lunch money.

TRiG

@MattЭллен Someone on Just a Minute once mentioned the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. He was challenged for devolution.

Kit

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I paid him a visit. With my fist.

Matt Эллен

6:17 PM

@TRiG LOL

@Kit Which is why I'm in recession

Sudhir

@Mitch: Hi

TRiG

In other news, I got a haircut yesterday. Should I change my chat avatar?

Mitch

@TRiG throw the Bible at him! Spine forward!

Kit

@TRiG No!

Or yes!

Matt Эллен

I have to do my dishes. bbl

TRiG

6:18 PM

@Kit Blade 6.

Mitch

@TRiG totally. you look different, your avatar should change with your mood. Your hair is you mood.

Kit

@TRiG Wow.

Sudhir

@MattЭллен: I want one more thing

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@TRiG Cerb would say no, Jasper would say "change it to a solid color" followed by "I'm retiring and deleting all my accounts and cancelling my internet", and Reg would say "whatevs"

2

TRiG

I actually rather liked the long hair when I was wearing a hat. Didn't much like how it looked when I wasn't wearing one.

Kit

6:19 PM

I think it's a good look, but I haven't seen you with short hair.

Sudhir

Which is best university between oxford and Cambridge?

Mitch

@TRiG wait... you liked it when you couldn't see it, but now that it's shorter and you don't wear a hat you can see that it's not there but you don't like it?

@Sudhir University College London

TRiG

@Sudhir Oxford has the better marmalade; Cambridge has the better education. (Disclaimer: This is the opinion of Missee Lee from the Arthur Ransome novel of the same name.)

Kit

University of Hertfordshire?

That's about halfway between.

Mitch

Isn't Cambridge better in sciences?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

6:21 PM

@Kit I'd say Bedfordshire

Sudhir

@TRiG: What's marmalade you mean here?

TRiG

@Mitch It was long enough to show under a hat. I liked that look. But the long hair without the hat didn't look good. The short hair looks good either way (but, when hatted, the long hair was better).

Mitch

I'd say St. Andrews, but then I'd be way off.

TRiG

@Sudhir It means I don't have a clue which is better, so I'm quoting a semi-relevant passage from a children's novel at you instead.

Kit

I don't think this fox is any better.

Mitch

6:23 PM

@TRiG What? That was a children's novel?

I hate that.

TRiG

@Mitch The Swallows & Amazons series was rather excellent, in my opinion.

Mitch

@Kit they all look fine big, but when miniaturized, it's hard to tell anything. having a distinct background helps.

Sudhir

@Mitch: You're from US. Can you tell about best technology institute in US?

Kit

It depends on what you want to study.

Mitch

@TRiG But... I'm out of touch...what is this Arthur Ransome series (rather, I can look that up myself...is it preteen literature? what decade did it come out? is it really popular?

Sudhir

6:25 PM

Tell in ranking terms

Mitch

@Sudhir I am? Everyone knows the best is MIT.

Sudhir

I've heard about stansford

TRiG

@Mitch It would probably be called "young adult" literature these days. It's about a bunch of kids going off sailing.

Kit

Stanford isn't a technology institute.

TRiG

> BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN

Mitch

6:26 PM

@Sudhir I may speak US English but I could be from Guam, or have grown up in a what do you call it...international school run by Californians but in Mongolia.

Sudhir

OH

Mitch

@TRiG and solving crimes? or just talking about which school is better to get in to?

Sudhir

I don't know much

@Mitch: You've listen Indian companies over there?

TRiG

It's quite unrealistic that real-life parents would let their kids take those risks. Two of the books, though (Peter Duck and Missee Lee), are a lot more far-fetched than the others. Pirates on the high seas! Cambridge-educated Chinese pirates, no less, in the case of Missee Lee. Little asides in other novels suggest that those two books didn't actually happen: rather, they're stories the protagonists made up together while confined indoors and unable to sail on the lake over a bad winter.

Sudhir

@Mitch?

TRiG

6:31 PM

In the other books, the kids are sailing on a lake in the Lake District, or on rivers in the Norfolk Broads. Far more true-to-life (if still a little too risky for most parents to really allow).

@Mitch Solving crimes does happen in one of the books: The Big Six. Sort of. Ish.

Kit

Sadly, none of these foxes is to my satisfaction.

Sudhir

@MattЭллен: What's capital of Great Britain?

London?

TRiG

@Sudhir Tricky. Until quite recently there was no such place as "London". There was the City of London, and there was Westminster.

Mitch

@TRiG What? of course, there is a place called London.

I've been to London.

waits for response

@Sudhir I'm not sure what you mean. Listen to a company?

TRiG

►

Sudhir

6:42 PM

I mean capital of Britain

TRiG

►

I think the capital of England is technically the City of Westminster.

Sudhir

ok guys its late

Bbye

TRiG

That's where the Houses of Parliament are.

Sudhir

@MattЭллен Bye

TRiG

@Sudhir Bye.

Sudhir

6:43 PM

Have a nice talking with you.

@TRiG: what's the time ?

MετάEd

@Mitch I can't decide which of y'all is trolling. Probably mutual.

Mitch

@Kit I think that was the mistake, the coffeeshop. Lots of protective juju or mojo or excess of metachlorions. Do that in a football stadium then see what happens.

Kit

@Mitch I've done it in a church.

Mitch

@Kit God damn you for that.

Kit

Hahaha.

Mitch

6:45 PM

Wait, done -what-?

TRiG

@Sudhir 18:45.

Mitch

oh saying bad things about the local sun god?

TRiG

@Mitch Blaspheme!

Kit

Also had sex.

Mitch

@TRiG Oh...you want another...OK... thinking

all I can think of is rude things about his mom, and that's just plain not fair (and pretty vulgar).

Kit

6:47 PM

Oh shit. Production error.

brb

Mitch

@MετάEd trolling? y'all? just me, I'm pretty sure.

Kit

OK, not one that is my fault.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

phew! time for beer then

or cider for @Matt

MετάEd

Are we trading blasphemies?

Monica

Hello

Could anyone help me out with an exercise, please?

Kit

6:53 PM

Sure.

Monica

:)

I need to count syllables and mark the stress

Kit

Well, I imagine that will depend on the dialect.

Monica

But I don't understsnd how to do that accroding to their _ + signs

A. _ _+_

B._ +_+

C. _ + _ _+

1.Are you coming? (A) The correct asnwer given in the book.
2.I am waiting for Jay.
3.He's on the phone.
4.I'll give you a map.
5.You can't miss it.
6.I'll ask her the way.
7.Can you help us?
8.It isn't far.
9.You are really late!

Kit

Yes.

Monica

the first has 3 syllables

Kit

6:56 PM

Are you COM-ing.

Monica

4 syllables

Kit

+ is the emphasized syllable.

Monica

and it is stressed, right?

Kit

Yeah.

Monica

I am has one syllable

Mitch

6:57 PM

@MετάEd Yes! It's Blaspheme Day (on the ecclesiastical calendar, only in Canada) Sorry, the fucking ecclesiastical calendar.

Kit

Although I'm not sure what the difference would be between emphasis and stress.

@Monica No, two. I and am.

wai-ting-2

Yes.

for 'one' of course

+_

6:59 PM

Jay also one

Kit

WAI-ting.

I am WAI-ting for Jay.

Mitch

@Monica did the book give the answers for the others?

Monica

so 6 syllbles in the second sentence]

No, only for the first sentence

Kit

@Monica Yes.

Mitch

(I'm having a hard time matching those three patterns, A,B,C to 1 through 9)

Monica

7:00 PM

I don't know how to match them

Kit

And the stress falls on the first syllable of waiting and probably also on Jay.

What does the text of the instructions say?

Mitch

I'm trying to tap them out musically:

Monica

The book matches the first sentence with A

Kit

There are no instructions?

Monica

so it matches a four syllable sentence with A?

Kit

7:02 PM

It looks that way.

Monica

no instructions were given at all

Mitch

1.Are you coming?_ _ _ -
2.I am waiting for Jay. _ _ _ - - _
3.He's on the phone. _ _ - _
4.I'll give you a map. _ _ _ - _
5.You can't miss it.
6.I'll ask her the way.
7.Can you help us?
8.It isn't far.
9.You are really late!

does that give you a better idea?

Kit

Now you're just confusing.

TRiG

Meanwhile, some sentences can be stressed on any word you like, and each version will give a completely different meaning: I didn't say she stole it.

Mitch

Sorry...that's the way I read them.

Monica

7:03 PM

Thanks, Mitch

Kit

What are those, halfsies?

Mitch

yeah...for shorter syllables.

TRiG

@Mitch Really? Would you stress coming on the last syllable?

Mitch

lack of stress.

- is for -lack or stress-

Johan Larsson

Question about the lyrics for 'the lady is a tramp' one line is 'hates California, it's cold and it's damp'. What does it mean? When I think California I think the opposite of cold and damp. Is it an illustration that shows that she really is a tramp or is there a hidden meaning?

Kit

7:04 PM

Syllables are pretty straightforward. It's the emphasis that's tricky.

Monica

in some books stressed is shown with arrows

Kit

@JohanLarsson She's so sophisticated that Cali seems cold and damp to her.

Mitch

_ _ - _ _ _ - I didn't say she stole it

Monica

in this exercise they only confused me

Kit

Which is to say she's not sophisticated at all. e.g., she's too hungry for dinner at eight.

Classless.

Mitch

7:06 PM

bohemian

MετάEd

@Mitch Okay, I'm in.

Mitch

nice

you fucking bastard.

oops...this is blaspheme day not expletive day

Johan Larsson

@Kit ty

TRiG

Blasphemy Day

Blasphemy Rights Day International is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to openly express their criticism of, or even disdain for, religion. It was founded in 2009 by the Center for Inquiry. A student contacted the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York to present the idea, which CFI put its support behind. Ronald Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry said regarding Blasphemy Day, "We think religious beliefs should be subject to examination and criticism just as political beliefs are, but we have a taboo on religion," in an interview with CNN. The day...

30th September, that says.

Mitch

so it's half blaspheme day? Goldurn it?

Kit

7:08 PM

@JohanLarsson No, thank you for having such good taste.

TRiG

Hiya @Ali.

Mitch

"We're not seeking to offend, but if in the course of dialogue and debate, people become offended, that's not an issue for us. "

Um... I think the definition of blasphemy involves 'offending'

Matt Эллен

men in labour

Ali

what is the etymology of cow?

hii

Matt Эллен

cow

Johan Larsson

7:13 PM

@Kit this is a gem if you like jazz also Ella and Louis is pretty sick.

Kit

@MattЭллен She should be putting the electrodes lower.

Matt Эллен

@Kit I see

TRiG

@MattЭллен Having a cow.

Kit

@MattЭллен Well, she's got the second set low around the pelvic region, that's better.

Monica

I wrote again with the number of syllables. .Are you coming? 4
.I am waiting for Jay.6
he's on the phone.4
I'll give you a map.5
you can't miss it. 4
I'll ask her the way.5
Can you help us? 4
it isn't far 3
you are really late 5

Matt Эллен

7:15 PM

@TRiG can you have a cow and eat it?

MετάEd

@Mitch “Drink from me and live forever: the case for Vampire Jesus”

TRiG

@MattЭллен In that order, yes.

Monica

'really' has two syllables if I am not mistaken.

Kit

Haha, these guys are a bunch of babies.

Matt Эллен

lol

@Monica that's correct

Monica

7:19 PM

Thank you

and the rest

Kit

Laughing gas? HIlarious.

Matt Эллен

and still the pain was too much

Kit

It's different with guys though.

Matt Эллен

indeed

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

> Zombies are considered highly uninteresting conversationalists even among neuroscientists (who share some of their interests)

Kit

7:23 PM

It's nice to see the one of them appreciated the experience.

Matt Эллен

yeah. it made them think

user19161

I see @kit has changed her username. I prefer kit to kitfox. kitfox is too foxy.

MετάEd

“Raked leaves today and after doing so I sat down and had a couple of nice cold beers. The day was really quite beautiful, and the brew ignited some deep thinking on various topics …

“Finally I thought about an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts.

“Well, after another beer, and even more deep thinking, I have come up with the answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby and here is the reason for my conclusi…

Kit

Having a baby is a rush. It wasn't painful for me though.

And I mean, fuck, you get a baby at the end and you are all like "I fucking made that, bitches!"

4

Matt Эллен

indeed!

Kit

7:27 PM

A guy gets kicked in the nuts and he just vomits and cries.

Matt Эллен

I have no idea how that feels, but it must be good

Kit

Not exactly empowering.

Matt Эллен

no. no it is not

it is the complete opposite

Kit

@MattЭллен Indescribably powerful.

user19161

@Kit I think getting kicked in the nuts might be as painful as if not more painful than giving birth.

Kit

7:30 PM

If giving birth is painful, you aren't doing it right.

Besides, everyone knows that meningitis is the most painful thing, followed by kidney stones.

Matt Эллен

yes. I've heard that about kidney stones

user19161

Oh damn, I hope I don't get either of them.

Matt Эллен

I've not heard anything about meningitis

user19161

I think men and women should be made so that they can choose to give birth or not without having to use contraceptives.

user19161

Also, they should be made so that giving birth is painless and can be done by the male or female.

user19161

7:33 PM

I hope God considers changing his design plans.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

One time I was playing on a swingset, and we had pushed a picinc table up to the edge of the swingset so that we could jump off it. Anyway I slipped and swung down and hit the pole that holds up the swingset .... with my crotch. It was the most painful thing I've ever felt. But I'm pretty sure that what my wife went through was way worse.

Kit

user19161

@Kit Who is the girl on the left?

Kit

Kin.

Let me think.

Monica

Cute children :)

Kit

7:35 PM

Sort of a step-niece.

user19161

Oh OK, I thought it's your boy's gf, LOL.

Matt Эллен

9

Q: Is there a single word for "native English speaker"?

Is there a single word for someone who is a "native English speaker" (or more generally, for native speaker of language X)? There are single words for people having given nationality (like Englishman), believing in given religion (like Christian), so why shouldn't there be a single word for desc...

word-request

temptation mounts

oh damn

I mis read that

user19161

@MattЭллен Unpineapple.

Matt Эллен

I thought it said "non-native"

user19161

7:49 PM

@MattЭллен Geezis there actually is such a word.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Questions that ask "Is there" should only allow two answers: yes, and no

user19161

Exactly.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@JasonBourne Anglophone and Francophone are commonly used words in Canada.

Matt Эллен

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 that should be one answer: yes and no

user19161

And questions which say "I am looking for ... " should not be given an answer, because there is no question.

Matt Эллен

7:50 PM

I am looking for Bo Peep's sheep

user19161

That is why I always edit questions to say "What is ... "

user19161

But now that I am not here you can edit them yourself.

Matt Эллен

What is Bo Peep's sheep

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@JasonBourne You should edit the questions to be statements, and the answers to start with "what is", just like on the show Jeopardy

Matt Эллен

I'll take single-word-requests for 200, Alex

Kit

7:54 PM

Where is Reg today anyway?

Matt Эллен

he was here this morning

9 hours ago, by RegDwighт

Ima make me noodles.

probably still making noodles

Mitch

@MετάEd OMG that's gross.

@Monica wait... "isn't" is -two syllables: 'iz-int'. It's very difficult for an English speaker to say that as one syllable. the 'n' might be called a 'syllabic n'.

@Kit um...you are so lucky. That's like saying "if you are tall, you're not doing it right."

Kit

@Mitch Pish posh. Of course it's going to hurt if you induce it or your baby's breach.

Otherwise, it's just difficult.

Mitch

If God was involved he totally screwed up (blasphemy 1)
If God was not involved, then what the hell is he _good_ for anyway (blasphemy 2)
Which God are we talking about? (blasphemy 3)

user19161

@Mitch Geezis (blasphemy 4)

Mitch

8:00 PM

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 ow. That is all.

Kit

sighs

I'm hungry.

Also debating leaving early to buy sex toys on the way home.

user19161

@Kit Do you need them? LOL

Kit

Need? It's not a question of needing.

Mitch

@Kit That just makes me think of Legos...perverted Legos. Or Candy Land the board game. (just Candy Land).

Kit

Queen Frostine got demoted to Princess.

Matt Эллен

8:04 PM

nobody needs butt plugs, but, well, you know

Kit

This is what I'm saying.

Mitch

@Kit You need to go to talk to more women. Didn't you read the Bible? Eve's curse? (unblasphemy1)

Kit

I thought a... debates whether or not she's oversharing right now

Mitch

@MattЭллен I'm sure there's some sort of medical ...

nope, no there really isn't one.

Matt Эллен

lol

Kit

8:05 PM

Anal stretching.

Mitch

@Kit um...

Kit

It's really critical for avoiding ass cancer.

I thought everyone knew that.

Mitch

Like an exercise? Like eye pushups?

Kit

Yeah.

user19161

I don't have ass cancer but I have piles LOL

Mitch

8:06 PM

@Kit ass cancer really is a thing.

tooth cancer is not.

user19161

I stuck something up my ass once for the piles, some medication LOL

Kit

feels she must be missing a joke

Mitch

@JasonBourne Kit, what was that term you just mentioned, something about over sharing?

user19161

@Mitch TMI

Mitch

'Piles' has gotta be a great punchline to a million jokes, because it sounds like something else.

but I don't know of any so we're safe.

Matt Эллен

8:08 PM

donkey piles?

user19161

I wanna take part in the game show The Moment of Truth.

user19161

But the show is not done here, so I can't.

Matt Эллен

you should become a TV executive in your country, and make it happen

MετάEd

@Mitch I was shooting for blasphemous.

Kit

I'm thinking Thai food tonight would be good.

user19161

8:20 PM

I just had a Subway sandwich.

Kit

I could get a Whopper Jr. on the way home.

It was two bucks last time though. I thought that was a little crazy.

I am so bored right now.

Mitch

@Kit crazy cheap or crazy expensive?

@MετάEd Oh , I got the blasphemy and it was good. but step back from that and the whole myth is just so... what the hell were they thinking? it's way weirder than circumcision.

which is weird enough.

Kit

@Mitch Expensive. Don't you think?

Mitch

it's not terribly uncommon for societies to do cannibalism and body mods. But in -that-- particular way. creep out city. (blasphemy 4)

Kit

Speaking of body mods, @Matt.

Mitch

8:32 PM

@Kit $2? if the entire meal is < $5 then I think that is pretty good.

Kit

@Mitch But just the burger?

Meh.

Mitch

@Kit I don't like those burgers, so it would be a waste of $2.

which would have you think that I would consider $2 too much or too expensive.

but I would eat subway which is ~$5.

@Kit what, did he cut his hair? I thought that was Trig.

Kit

Oh, he's well-pierced.

From what I hear.

He also had awesome facial hair which he has reportedly removed.

Matt Эллен

I'm OK pierced. not as pierced as I'd like because it's impracticle

@Kit really?

I have a beard, but it's not like in my SO avatar

Mitch

Between having growing facial hair and giving birth? I'd choose facial hair. "I made that bitches!"

Kit

8:36 PM

Haha.

@MattЭллен I left you a message.

Matt Эллен

scurries off

Mitch

actually, I think I'd rather have the baby instead of being kicked in the balls, because, at least with the baby, you get something out of it. Kicked in the balls, you just don't get anything.

Matt Эллен

you lose something. the right to not be in excruciating pain.

MετάEd

@Mitch That's a question that people have been asking for hundreds of years.

Mitch

@MετάEd So is "Your superstition is dumb" a blasphemy? Or is it only blasphemous if you hold some tenuous connection with the belief (like an apostate or heretic)?

@MετάEd How about some easy myths like "A raven was flying overhead and crapped on the leaf of a mulberry bush. And that is where people come from."

@MετάEd they're thinking too hard then.

@MattЭллен I'm still trying to parse that. give me a few moments.

RegDwighт

9:06 PM

0

A: "What about you?" versus "How about you?"

my name is velmurugan.i am comming thiruporur near madayathur.my qualification b.sc and i am studying pachaiyappa's college.i am working well.

Matt Эллен

I was about to write just the same thing

Kit

Bye!

Matt Эллен

CU

MετάEd

9:56 PM

@Mitch I think equating the god to a cursed creature is classic blasphemy.

cornbread ninja

10:30 PM

howdy M'Ed

Mitch

10:50 PM

@MετάEd '(deity of your choice), you pusillanimous chicken-shit, halfbreed of a poltergeist and temple prostitute... oh, and your mother too'. I don't get it; people are so sensitive.

MετάEd

@cornbreadninja Hello ... and good night!

tchrist

11:44 PM

@MattЭллен Donkey piles come from abusing your ass (or hinney), and can be cured by a jumbo dollop of Preparation-H. Just don’t get kicked while trying to insert the applicator.

tchrist

11:56 PM

Hi, cool name.

TemporaryNickName

thx

tchrist

Ni empieces.

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…