English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Yodel-ay-hee-hoo! Switzerland August 23-29 2014

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cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

So I misspelled it?

Hmm.

I'm not sure if yodeling has a fixed spelling or not.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Phew!

user227867

4:13 AM

@Tonepoet So you need to check the dictionary to find out =P

@WillHunting My doubtfulness stems from the variety of ways to yodel, as seen in that video. XP

user227867

@Tonepoet Not even clicking on it =P unless it's Jacob yodelling

Then you'll just have to take my word for it.

user227867

I take your word and words as AUTHORITATIVE

YOU

4:48 AM

what is Paper Service in catering and dining?

user227867

8:09 AM

When I saw 'YOU' talking, I thought it was me talking. But it turns out that 'YOU' wasn't me.

1:04 PM

@WillHunting It was fun trying to explain that to my daughter when she was learning to talk. We'd point at a picture of her and say "Who's that?" and she'd say "You!"

2:02 PM

Is there a specific category of noun for those usually applicable to humans: said, reported, claimed, thought, argued, bought?

Thanks

verb, not noun, of course!

@Jdoh There aren't many verbs that aren't applicable to humans. Actually, I'm not sure there are any at all since even those that sound odd might be used for a specific effect.

2:19 PM

@terdon - I meant usually applicable to humans, not other things. I know it's not exact (most could be used after the New York Times, for example) but the list of verbs in my post would rarely be 'done' by things other than people.

@Jdoh Like?

Talk?

'said'

@Jdoh The weather report said we would have sunshine tomorrow

Although I realise what you meant. Almost all (if not all) verbs are applicable to to humans.

Come into my lair said the spider to the fly

2:21 PM

Yep, or the New York Times...

lair :)

Argh!

Wow.

You never saw that :)

I was just writing a fairly novice piece about how to find names in text. 'rules' I have are: following a title, capitalised, capitalised word (x2) followed by a comma and an integer (eg. John Doe, 27) and the one I can't explain properly, followed by verbs which are usually applied to humans such as said, reported, claimed, thought, argued, bought.

I just assumed that those verbs would have a category of their own

Most of those verbs are not just applied to singular humans, to but anything that is personified, like a team, a group, a business, etc.

Simliarly, anything that is capable of speech or independent action, like an AI, Narnia's talking animals, etc.

true @Mr.ShinyandNew安宇

Thanks both of you

I'm actually arguing showing the issues for using 'rules' to find a person's name in a text, saying that those verbs could follow something else, that capitalisation could give you the name Chicago etc

You could coin something and call the verbs you're thinking of "human-centric" or some clunky thing like that, but I doubt there'll be an established word for it since I don't think there is such a thing.

2:30 PM

Thanks both of you. I'll stick with my clunky explanation rather than coining something clunky!

@Jdoh well, when you need to categorize things you often have to invent or repurpose labels

true