Language Overflow - 2015-10-06 (page 1 of 2)

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1:18 AM

@DamkerngT. Yep, a horrible test question.

@CopperKettle The basic problem is that most people who compose exercises/tests have no imagination.

1:37 AM

Maybe.. composing tests must be a boring work

Speaking of Present Perfect, I wonder if we can say "We received your shipment today", or is the preferable form "we have received your shipment today".

2:17 AM

Either is acceptable, but today is going to be parsed in the first instance as past-referent = "earlier today", and that's at best marginal with PrPf. PrPf names a current state; I'd avoid any timepoint adverbial except now with it.

2

3 hours later…

5:45 AM

Thank you, @StoneyB!

6:32 AM

@Rathony: You mistake me for somebody else; I'm not a follower of anybody's "rules".; I'm one of the people who discover the rules and tell people about them. And your supposed authority is, I'm sorry to have to tell you, incorrect. False information from so-called grammar authorities a very common thing, really. Everybody wants to have an authority to back them up, and since every grammatical opinion has vociferous supporters, it's easy to find authorities that agree with one's own ideas. — John Lawler Sep 26 at 16:56

2 hours later…

8:11 AM

Word of the Day: cucurbits.

8 cucurbits do not a cucurbyte make, though

4 hours later…

12:08 PM

I believe I can distinguish between the two easily; care to explain why is it hard for you? — inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M 1 hour ago

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M Because they can't!

12:23 PM

0

Q: If you'll pick up some snacks, I'll get the beer

If you'll pick up some snacks, I'll get the beer. In this sentence there is used the volitive "will" as I was thought by StoneyB in his exhaustive reply to my latest question here ("Would" in a backshifted reported context). This sentence can be paraphrased in this way: "If you are willing to t...

An interesting question, and I think it's normal.

> "This is green. You can see it, right?"
"Yes!"
"This is blue. See the difference?"
"Yes!"
[two days later]
"Sir, I know this is blue, but why don't we call it green?"

Teachers should have a higher salary.

Teaching may seem easy, but it never is.

Or even further - Yeah, these songs get me a wave of nostalgia — Maulik V ♦ 43 mins ago

An interesting choice of get.

I've never thought of a movie or a song or even a book being able to get me anything before.

12:58 PM

This was more interesting than it initially appeared:

0

A: “the 1st and 2nd students” or “the 1st and 2nd student”?

When you compare first and second children with first and second child, you see that in published books, the general principle people most commonly follow in this would seem to be that: The plural is used when there are both several first children and several second children. The singular is us...

I’m not even sure if it’s “right”, but it seems to conform to common practice.

@tchrist Indeed!

I wonder if the 1st and 2nd students is really wrong.

When the count is two total? Possibly.

nods

user image

I'm curious to see which VTC reason the system will pick! :-)

(ell.stackexchange.com/q/70126/3281)

@JanusBahsJacquet Good luck with your non-eye-dialect-old-fashioned-sticking-to-Cambridge-Grammar-Book English. I will stop it here. I am pretty sure the more people omit "that" in such cases, the sooner the grammar book will be revised. I don't think the author of the grammar book that I cited has less authority than you because his book makes me understand things while your words don't. It's a pity, isn't it? — Rathony Sep 28 at 8:59

I must've missed something. I didn't see he cite any book.

Here's Mr. Maldon begs the favor of word, sir is indeed from The Personal History of David Copperfield, but it's not a grammar book. (And it's just a quote, imho.)

2 hours later…

3:20 PM

Finally! I'm able to join the chat

@Fantasier What happened? Why couldn't you join the chat?

@DamkerngT. I dunno. It kept loading forever. "Just a second!" seemed like an hour.

Oh, no!

But hey, at least they rhymed :-)

Just a second of course rhymes with another Just a second!

3:24 PM

Nahhhh, I meant forever and hour!

Anyway, the latter half of the Introduction to English Sound System and Structure course at my uni has started, and it's syntax. Yay.

Having scanned through the material, I think it's mainly based on Quirk et al with a bit of traditional grammar and CGEL.

Ahh

I don't get to draw many trees, but hey, at least it's syntax!

I guess most modern English grammars would be based on CGEL, more or less.

@Fantasier There are many programs that can do that for you!

@DamkerngT. Uh-huh. Aaand I get to draw those in Introduction to Linguistics anyway, so I guess that's fine.

:D

Drawing trees is kinda fun, especially when we agree upon how we're going to draw them. :-)

3:29 PM

The bit I always love about CGEL is adverb-preposition re-analysis (above in both the passage above and the bird flying above us being prepositions; rather than an adverb and a preposition)

It seems, however, that in this course they still consider it the traditional way.

Maybe I get to study stuff like that in English Syntax next year.

@Fantasier That could be confusing!

@DamkerngT. Yeah...

I see we're getting phonetics-related questions too? That's new (and good)!

Do we?

I think we have only one question about /s/ and /z/ today.

The one about unreleased stop in coda position?

Oh, I must've missed that one!

3:37 PM

(Ah well, not coda, but final consonant. :-)

Ah, it was bumped up!

I think it's a little funny to say "st" in "fast" is unreleased, though. I mean, can we have an unreleased fricative?

And I wonder if "fast" does contain unreleased sounds.

Ah, I think I hear it all the time!

Both released and unreleased "st".

What does unreleased "st" sound like?

perhaps like "st-uh" vs. "st|" :-)

3:43 PM

Do you mean /t/ is unreleased? Or both /s/ and /t/? I can't wrap my head around the idea of unreleased fricatives

Only the last one, /t/.

I see, I see. That makes more sense.

I think it happens often enough when the speaker holds their tongue because they are thinking of what they are going to say next.

Ahhh. Yes.

Hehe! They translated the inscription on a pillar, "Home of the Lions -- Pinehearst High School" as "บ้านสิงโต โรงเรียยม.ปลาย ไพน์เฮิร์สท์" :-)

It's not exactly wrong, but it sounds funny to me. :D

(I'm watching Heroes Reborn.)

3:50 PM

Indeed. บ้านสิงโต sounds much less fierce (?) than Home of the Lions.

@Fantasier Almost friendly! :D

Ah, I mistyped โรงเรียน!

It's difficult to come up with an appropriate translation though.

I could only think of "สิงห์." I think it must be something with สิงห์. Sounds better than สิงโต.

Perhaps ถิ่น or แดน. สิงห์ works too.

4:13 PM

quora.com/English-Grammar/…

I lost count of my sighs!

> 'Worth' can be both a noun and a verb.

> well, according to the OED and Merriam Webster, worth is no longer an adjective: this is archaic.

> I hope this helps to demonstrate that "worth" can be used as a verb, and helps to explain that in the example you asked about, "is worth" is the verb.

Wut

What what what

I've lost count of my whats.

Interesting question, though.

nods -- too bad that some answers spoil it.

Well, the part of worth being adjective is archaic seems to be true (according to M-W), though. M-W considers it (in the sense of "equal in value to") as a preposition.

But worth (in the same sense) as a verb sounds totally bizarre to me.

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worth

4:52 PM

0

Q: Did you think you .... me somewhere before?

Did you think you .... me somewhere before? options: a)have seen b)had seen c)were seeing My Approach: I am confused between "were seeing" VS "have seen". I think have seen should be there because it is used with the words "ever","never","before".

present-perfect past-perfect past-continuous

Perhaps we want a canon post on tenses even more than the passive.

I hate when that happens.

It happens when people who have yet to fully understand a required concept study a new concept on top of that.

The result is a mess :-(

But ho-ho, Canonical Post on tenses. Could take a year or more...

Wait whattttttt

Have a look at the answer.

They picked the right answer, but the explanation is just weird!

> "You" is not plural, therefore "had" is used.

何

Ah, you exclaimed in Japanese! :P

I do that all the time at uni with a low, fricative-ish voice.

5:02 PM

Ah, I think they have a specific name of that creaky voice...

Vocal fry!

Ah, yes

0

A: Did you think you .... me somewhere before?

Unfortunately, you're trying to decide between both wrong answers. Did you think you had seen me somewhere before? I don't know who taught you these rules that "have" is only used with "ever," "never," and "before," but that's incorrect. "Have" is used with a plural subject, "had" with a si...

Ah, we were just talking about that question!

You were? Or you've been? (0:

Perhaps had been

because it's singular! :P

5:10 PM

lol

(0:

I had a good laugh. Thanks!

Oh, now we know where it's from!

I feel like writing an answer for this one, but I'm not sure if there is the answer to it. (I know what the question wants the learner to answer, though)

books.google.com/…

@Fantasier VB came to the rescue!

VB?

Victor Bazarov

Hmm... the book's title is also interesting: English for Competitive Imagination By Sura College of Competition.

English for Competitive Imagination -- hmm...

5:14 PM

Examinations?

hi, can some please help me reframe this sentence better

We tried to clear files in temp folder but the folder didn’t have any files in it that were using much storage space.

@Fantasier Oh, right. I don't know how it became Imagination.

Oh well, I thought I have seen you somewhere before, while possibly grammatical, wouldn't be felicitous anyway.

So I guess I'm thinking too much :0)

@ElectricRouge Error fixing or a sentence correction is better in another room: chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/22937/ells-cabin

okay thanks

5:17 PM

Anyway, that book is so much like most English learning books for Thai students these days.

(Except it's written in English)

Whenever I see the surname Bazarov I recall Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons"

@Fantasier I think that's not surprising.

@CopperKettle Because of the name of a character in the book?

@DamkerngT. Not in content, but in style, I mean. That remember-these-rules-and-follow-them style.

@DamkerngT. Yes, Bazarov became an archetypal name in Russia for an energetic, enthusiastic science-minded nihilist guy

@Fantasier Oh, so we are still using rule-based English in our classrooms.

5:20 PM

@DamkerngT. Not necessarily in classrooms. But in most test-prep books, I guess. It's never effective.

Couldn't agree more.

"Yevgeny Vasil'evich Bazarov – A nihilist and medical student. As a nihilist he is a mentor to Arkady, and a challenger to the liberal ideas of the Kirsanov brothers and the traditional Russian Orthodox feelings of his own parents."

A very good novel, and there's a good English translation of it

Ah, it's on Gutenberg.

Yes, because it belongs to the Russian Classical period, meaning, some 150 years ago

-3

Q: The verb to use with "application"

Considering this sentence: Many different applications are [...] for this new device. What is a good verb to use here? I want to say people are thinking of these applications after the device is built. I was thinking of "defined", but it seems there should be a better choice. (Of course th...

word-request verb

Interesting. This one has only 21 views, but it has 4 answers!

5:24 PM

Does that also mean Yevgeny is a rather old name? My high school has an English teacher with that name. He's Russian.

@Fantasier Yevgeny is an old name, of course, but still current. One shortened simplified form is Zhenya

Ah. Good to know :-)

@Fantasier A Russian teacher of English? What country do you live in?

@CopperKettle Thailand!

Here's our mayor:

Yevgeny Roizman

Yevgeny Roizman (Russian: Евге́ний Вади́мович Ро́йзман; born 14 September 1962) is a Russian politician, the Mayor of Yekaterinburg after winning the mayoral election in September 2013. He is known as a campaigner against corrupt police, illegal drug sellers and for drug rehab centers. == Early life == The son of a Jewish factory worker, Roizman left home at the age of 14 and started to work at odd jobs, later to be prosecuted for theft. == Criminal record == He was sentenced to a two-year prison term in 1981 on charges of theft and fraud In 1999, Roizman cofounded the project City Without Drugs...

@Fantasier Cool!

5:26 PM

He is a PhD on English Philology, if I remember correctly.

Fantasier is a some-years-to-be linguist!

nice!

That's very flattering. Haha.

@Fantasier What languages do you specialize in?

@CopperKettle I daren't say I specialize in any languages!

5:29 PM

ah, just general linguistics (0:

But I do know something about English linguistics and a little of Thai linguistics.

(And a bit of many others, as usual for linguists.)

And exclaims in Japanese sometimes. :P

You're bound to know a word or two in Swahili anyway, if you study linguistics.

Eugene is a common (masculine) first name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (eugenēs), "noble", literally "well-born",[1] from εὖ (eu), "well"[2] and γένος (genos), "race, stock, kin".[3]

(this is the origin of Yevgeny)

Oh, its cognate with Eugenics probably

Very interesting indeed. So Eugene and Yevgeny share the same root(s)?

5:31 PM

yes

Eugenics (/juːˈdʒɛnɪks/; from Greek εὐγενής eugenes "well-born" from εὖ eu, "good, well" and γένος genos, "race, stock, kin") is a set of beliefs and practices which aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population. It is a social philosophy advocating the improvement of human genetic traits through the promotion of higher rates of sexual reproduction for people with desired traits (positive eugenics), or reduced rates of sexual reproduction and sterilization of people with less-desired or undesired traits (negative eugenics), or both. Alternatively, gene selection rather than "people...

Ah, that, I know, from my Introduction to Literature class :-)

We usually learned this word in our History classes

Was nice chatting to you, Fantasier, Damkerng! BBL!

Yeah...

TTYL!

Comparative Literature studies a bit (or much more) of virtually everything to study their relationships with literature, so Eugenics popped up somewhere.

Which is precisely why I don't minor in it. That's load of work. :-P

5:35 PM

I wonder if there is a minor for creative writing. :P

There's no minor in creative (is that what you mean?) writing. The English department does have Creative Writing as a course, though.

Worth 3 credits.

Ah, sorry for the typo!

My mind and my fingers don't usually go well together. :D

It sounds like a fun course, but quite difficult at the same time.

I guess I'll probably end up filling my language-related (as opposed to literature-related) slots with English-Thai translation & English linguistics courses.

Translation studies can be fun too.

(Especially when it's done wrong. :P)

Yeah... Last time on my exam I had to translate dictate (as in dictate a letter)...

It's a good skill to have, but very difficult to achieve.

Translation, that is.

5:42 PM

nods -- It can be very difficult when the text is sensitive. It'd be even more difficult to translate from L1 -> L2.

I agree, but my instructor disagrees :-P

Oh! What is his or her opinion?

She said that at an advanced level, L2 -> L1 translation is more difficult, because with L1, you can be sure what it means, so you only have to work out how to transfer the meanings, but with L2, sometimes you are not really sure about the meanings, and that complicates things.

That's just weird.

Huh? I think it kinda makes sense.

To translate accurately, the translator has to get the most precise meaning of the text first (which is obviously more easily done in L1?)

5:48 PM

I always think that a good translator will have stronger reading skill (input) than writing skill (output).

Yeah, I guess that's the reason for "at an advanced level" part.

Hmm... I don't know, but I think a lot of translated works done by an L1 speaker learning L2 will have a lot of grammatical but less natural choices of words and phrases.

And that, I mean, at the very advanced level.

I think even good translators are bound to encounter a discourse they find confusing. Like, they're able to catch the core meaning, but not what it connotes, what it actually means when taking into account the cultural, societal etc etc context.

Something rather exclusive to the native speakers, so to speak.

I think it's based on the "input deficit syndrome" assumption of L2 speakers. (I made up the term myself.)

But I see your points :-) And as I said, I agree, because from my experience English -> Thai translation is much, much easier.

5:53 PM

@Fantasier If that happens in L2, I'd say that a similar thing can happen in L1 as well.

@DamkerngT. Could happen, yes. But it'd still be much easier to figure it out if it's L1.

(E.g., pick something in old Thai poems or novels and try to translate it; it's indeed difficult.)

@Fantasier Because we assume that we're familiar with the input in our L1.

(And we usually overlook a fact that there are many kinds of input in L1 that native speakers are not really familiar with.)

@DamkerngT. Yes, but as I said, we are still relatively more familiar with those than L2 speakers.

Hmm... I think I really can't agree; I think it's just about the input in L1 and L2 we've taken so far in our life.

The amount of input, to be specific.

Traditionally, it's really difficult, almost impossible, that we can have even 10-20% of input in L2 compared to the input in L1 we have, and we have it routinely every day.

Exactly, so perhaps except in the case where the translator is bilingual/multilingual, L1 speakers are generally more familiar with the input?

5:59 PM

Yes, in general contexts, I assume.

And since language and culture is closely tied, L1 speakers, who have lived in the main society that speaks the language, should therefore generally have a deeper and better understanding of it?

2

Q: What does "spike on" mean in these sentences?

During a review of the records made by an ex-employee of the company where I'm working now, I found many records starting with "Spike on", such as: Spike on how to detect new blobs in an Azure Storage account Spike on how to trigger a job after a new blob is uploaded using Azure Spike on repla...

^An example of a domain-specific context where an L2 speaker can outperform L1 speakers.

@Fantasier They surely stand a better chance to guess it, or to feel the underlying subtext of the message, but I'd say that it's a little too traditional to always say that L2 speakers can't do the same. (But traditional L2 learners are probably unable to do the same.)

Well, but in this case, it has virtually nothing to do with the language and culture itself, out of the domain exclusive to natives.

We have similar contexts in Thai too.

And the natives can do the same thing with enough information.

So in this case, I don't think we can actually say "outperform?"

6:05 PM

Isn't that the same kind of 'outperform' when we say that native speakers can outperform non-native speakers?

No.

Hmmm

How should I put this...

If you think about it, it's all about input.

But the traditional framework usually leads us to think that it's impossible for non-native speakers.

Waittt I didn't even say impossible

I thought we assumed "advanced".

> She said that at an advanced level, L2 -> L1 translation is more difficult

6:08 PM

Hmm... "advanced level" of the text, or the translation, or the translator?

Of the translation

Let me talk about the difference first.

Did she (or he) give any examples?

(of the genre of the text)

Take ไหว้ for example. We Thais know how and when to ไหว้ right?

Yes.

@DamkerngT. No, but could be fiction.

6:09 PM

nods

Something that reflects a lot on native speakers.

Back to ไหว้...

Now, there are several nuances we have absorbed, when it is OK to ไหว้, when it is not, when it is considered strange to ไหว้ at this or that level of hands etc etc.

This is one of those exclusives that foreigners will have a hard time understanding. It is a result of long-time experience in a society with such culture.

Even if the foreigner goes on and look up information on how and when to ไหว้, it still won't suffice.

This is where I think the concept is a bit old: "It is a result of long-time experience in a society with such culture."

I think the Internet has created so many shortcuts through all cultures around the world.

@DamkerngT. I don't think anyone can understand the whole concept of ไหว้ and do it appropriately in a short period of time.

Tell me if you have an example, though. I'm pretty sure I can come up with a situation where they will get it wrong.

@Fantasier Yes, but to be able to translate anything, it'd take someone to learn L2 for some years anyway, at the very least, I think.

@DamkerngT. Yes, but still not as long as L1 speakers! We're talking relatively, remember?

6:14 PM

@Fantasier For some reason, you know how to say "nani" in an appropriate context, right? :-)

@DamkerngT. Because that is a rather universal concept, plus I've watched so many animes.

Isn't it interesting how you know that?

@Fantasier See, you have had the input, so you know.

Unlike ไหว้, it doesn't differ much from exclaiming "ฮะ!?" or "What!?"

@DamkerngT. Yes, I'm not disagreeing with your input theory.

I believe that if someone have been in contact with Thai culture, even second-handedly for quite some time, they would know.

What's her name again? Hmm...

That's the thing! My English teacher has been here for more than 10 years, and he was still asking about ไหว้...

That's why I brought it up.

6:18 PM

Ah, I bet that Natalie Glebova came to how to ไหว้ appropriately, in appropriate contexts, in just a few years.

@Fantasier Well, it depends on how much someone cares, I think.

Some L2 speakers don't want to sound exactly like native speakers of L2 for many reasons.

Well, here's the situation my teacher asked about "two businesspersons meet for the first time, one ไหว้ the other, but the other just ไหว้ in at a very low level, does that mean the latter one is trying to send a message that he doesn't like the former person?"

(Because sounding exactly like L2 speakers could lose some of their advantages.)

(He has seen people being lazy and ไหว้ at a low level, around the waist, so many times, so he wonders)

Something like this, I don't think Natalie Glebova knows.

BTW, I wonder if all Thais know how to wai properly. Though I think it's safe to assume that most of us are passable when it comes to wai.

@Fantasier If she doesn't know, I'd assume that it means that it doesn't really matter to her.

I might be wrong to assume that all the text, the translation, and the translator are at the advanced level.

@DamkerngT. Well, I think it's safe to say what matters to L1 speakers is what makes L1 speakers better at this here.

6:23 PM

Actually, this makes me think of our "Home of the Lions" example.

"Home" is actually quite a simple word.

"Lions" too.

And yet we get บ้านสิงโต

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@Fantasier It happened to me too, but not here. The Screening Room

@DamkerngT. That's great. What does it mean?

Lion House, perhaps. :P

Uh-huh

I guess that it was done by a Thai (with perhaps some help of some tools and some translation memories).

I wonder if a non-native speaker (of Thai) will do better.

(Note that we both feel that something doesn't sound quite right with บ้านสิงโต.)

I guess not. (If we assume the levels of the two translators are the same) But I think this is still not complicated enough.

6:31 PM

I think choosing to translate that Home to บ้าน is missing something.

Of course. Its connotation.

(And picking สิงโต instead of สิงห์ is also a less than ideal choice.)

Again, its connotation.

Yes! It's all about connotation, besides the cultural stuff, that is usually considered hard to grasp by non-native speakers.

Er, no?

6:32 PM

No?

At least that's not what I'm arguing for.

Isn't wai the same thing?

No, Wai is obviously cultural.

To me, that Home is cultural as well.

Maybe, but not as exclusive as Wai.

We do have a similar concept of that home in Thai.

6:33 PM

Hmm...

Do we?

Perhaps รัง as in รังโจร?

Eep!

I think I really need to go to bed :-) I have a morning class tomorrow. Love this argument with you! Maybe sometime later.

Oh, yes! It's rather late. Same here. TTYL!

Good night!

6:36 PM

Good night!

> A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any.

> Proverbs 30:30

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

0

Q: Is Li[Li0.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2 is equiavlent to 0.5Li2MnO3.0.5LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2?

I saw in some papers about the two equivalent way of representation? However i couldn't figure out how? One has Li of 1.2 moles one has 0.5 mole ? Is that correct way of interpretation? similar for the other elements

This kind of mistake has been observed numerous times in chem today.

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M What a title!

6:59 PM

Note to self: This could be useful for another discussion with @Fantasier. The so-called "close reading" could enhance the perceptiveness of a non-native speaker. This could reduce the gap between the L1 and L2 translators when working on L2 texts.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. Code formatting still pings.

Ah! Is it so?!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@Dam @Dam @Dam

Indeed!

Thanks for the tip!

I wish we had a scheduled ping!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. What is that?

7:07 PM

Like, [tomorrow 10:00am @inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M] message...

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. Hehe what would be the use for that?

Waking me up?

Possibly! :-)

1

Q: the meaning of "under a glass"

‘The world corrupts me, I think. Or perhaps it's just the weather. It pulls me down and makes me think like you, that one should shrink inside, down and down to a little point of light, preserving one's solitary soul like a flame under a glass. — Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel All I ...

prepositions phrase-meaning

Another text that L1 and L2 speakers could get about the same headache.

It looks like our answer is correct, but is it really correct? I can't be sure.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

feature-request Set alarm clock for 3:00 a.m. UTC. CC @Dam

\o @Stoney

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M ^^

7:34 PM

Yo @inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@StoneyB \O

0

A: "Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the branch."

What does "swooping out of the clear blue sky" mean ? Since "swoop" means (here) "sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat" (from dictionary.reference.com), we conclude that the motion of the blue jay is to gracefully, gradually, following a smooth curve, fly [down]. The words "out of the ...

Hmm... I usually think of "swoop" as something rather fast.

So, the answer kinda surprises me.

Me too, and I've commented as much. Also "out of the clear blue sky" is not "out of the blue".

Woo! In 3 minutes I can leave and avoid getting trapped in a Discussion or Conference about today's work.

Counting down ...

2 minutes ...

1 minute ...

7:59 PM

Almost there!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@StoneyB -1 minute  . . .

Gone

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Yay!

Congrats!

Improbable String of Text of the Day: "earth is not eligible"

(3 results on Google)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Now I'm leaving this tab open, ping me if you have something to do with me. I need to stay up for another 4.5 hours, since I'm doing some homework.

8:29 PM

Note to self: Another possibility that may explain why some believe that translation from L1 -> L2 is easier that L2 -> L1: their thinking mode is extrovert by default (whatever that means); i.e., when they learn a new language, they tend to care more about their speech than others'. Introverts (again, whatever that means--personally, I don't think anyone is truly in/extroverted), I suspect, would feel that L2 -> L1 is easier, because they're more perceptive (when they learn L2).

8:43 PM

It means simply before the time previously appointed for us: early. — StoneyB 21 secs ago

Ah! 8 seconds before my comment!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

You snooze you lose. :P

Hehe!

Home again, home again jiggety jig ..

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. How on Earth is L1-L2 easier?!

I find L1 > L2 much harder.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

8:45 PM

@StoneyB Me too.

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M An instructor at Fantasier's U suggests that.

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

Or me either.

@DamkerngT. Fantasier doesn't have a U.

How 'bout "uni"? :P

I know what's right and wrong in English; from English, I can only translate using what I've been exposed to in French or German.

I suppose that this post has answered your question? english.stackexchange.com/questions/256379/…. There is really no need to post it in both Stack Exchange sites. Not sure if it counts as a duplicate. — CipherBot Jul 2 at 2:18

Should we close it because it's already been answered on ELU? (The ELU question appears to be posted by the same OP.)

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

8:56 PM

41

Q: The Power of Teams: A Proposed Expansion of Stack Overflow

This past spring, the product team held a multi-week brainstorming session where we thought about how we could build on Stack Overflow's current success of improving the lives of developers. What other valuable information does the programming community need, but is trapped elsewhere online and o...

discussion featured teams

Haven't read it, but it looks like SO is going to spawn a couple more sites: Documents, and Teams.

Wow, a post on SO can get almost 550 views in just one hour!

Let A = That's where the problem lies, B = I'm not very clear about the reason. A natural sentence would be [ A(,) but B. ] (The comma is optional.) Some other possible alternatives with although are [ A, (al)though B. ], and [ (Al)though B, A.] (you need a comma after B, not after although). You can arrange your thought in a reverse order: [ B(,) but A. ], [ B(,) although A. ], [ Although A, B. ]. Though it's generally not recommended, you can start a sentence with but, but it will link the whole sentence to the previous one: [ But B, although A. ]. — Damkerng T. Jul 8 at 10:44

I wonder if it's understandable.

Clear as sparkling wine: perhaps a little obscured by the bubbles, but they make it more attractive.

Thanks!

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

@DamkerngT. I wonder if they'll dare read it.

Hehe!

9:11 PM

@inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M This makes it sound like SO is going to become a direct point of contact between users and the different companies... and I'll bet a l lot of the questions won't be answerable due to them being "secret".

inɒzɘmɒЯ.A.M

-9

Q: Feature Request - Notification on comment upvotes

I know there are a lot of requests for reputation changes for great comments. This is not what this request is for. I was wondering if it would be possible for notifications to be posted in the inbox or recent achievements dropdowns when we got a comment upvoted? While I understand the reason no...

feature-request status-declined comments notifications top-bar

One of the worst feature requests ever.

Agree

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