Language Overflow

Nihilist_Frost

00:05

srsly about palm?

nvm

Anonymous

> It appears to be only the words spelled with that are undergoing the spelling pronunciation. As far as I know, nobody is putting the lost /l/ back into the words like 'talk', 'chalk', 'walk', 'folk' and 'yolk'.

Anonymous

I haven't heard /l/ in talk, chalk, or walk, but I've heard it in folk and yolk!

Anonymous

In Japanese, there's a minority that pronounces the /w/ in を (which is 'wo'), which is a spelling pronunciation. The distinction between を /wo/ and お /o/ was completely lost a thousand years ago.

Anonymous

Some speculate that the spelling pronunciation has become more common because of people typing wo to produce を on computers.

Nihilist_Frost

00:27

0

Q: Whether one could use the verb drink with ice-cold tea?

I have a feeling that we need to say "I took my tea [or coffee]", instead of saying "I drank my tea" since tea is consumed hot, you take it and not drink it. If the above impression that I carry is true, should we use the verb even while referring to (say) ice-cold tea or coffee?

word-usage

what a weird leap of logic.

Jim Reynolds

01:10

I'm curiously impaired when interpreting the (I know, very simple) codes/colors that indicate edit histories. What does it seem that the question said when I answered it?

1

A: Responding to "Nice to meet you"

Here are two responses. The first is a standard response: Thanks. It was nice to meet you, too The second is more of a "joke" response: Yes it was. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Anonymous

You want to look at the timestamps, not the colors.

Anonymous

Move your mouse over "answered 2 days ago", if you're on a PC.

Anonymous

It'll say that you answered on 2016-02-08 11:34:43Z.

Anonymous

Now go to the edit history and do the same for "asked 2 days ago".

Anonymous

Obviously, that timestamp will be before yours, right?

Anonymous

01:12

So move on to the next one, "edited 2 days ago". The first revision.

Anonymous

It says 2016-02-08 11:46:54Z.

Anonymous

The first edit occurred 12 minutes after you answered.

Anonymous

So the revision you answered is the very first one: ell.stackexchange.com/revisions/80900/1

Jim Reynolds

01:26

Thanks @snailboat. You can see the little comedy of errors that ensued. Do you have a feeling for what the OP intended?

I guess they meant to ask only one question and the 2 indicated contextual information. I think I'm getting ELL fatigue, which might be a good thing. I'm probably supposed to be doing something else with my time.

Damkerng T.

01:58

@JimReynolds It's not easy for me to guess because in the original question, lots of things were confusing.

> can anyone help me out to get the solution for below question.
If someone tells us " Nice to meet you"
It was a nice meeting.
What should I reply for this question.

Is that one or two questions? Did someone really tell the OP "Nice to meet you" after a nice meeting? (I guess it was more like the OP was trying to understand how the word meet and meeting are used in the context of greeting/meeting.) And really, neither of them is a question.

Why is there an /l/ sound in palm (for some speakers), but not in calm? (Probably the answer is "Because!")

@snailboat I'm not sure if I should categorize my childhood as either indoors or outdoors. I was more like a city boy who went back to a remote city every summer. But I sure played a lot, in and out. :D

Jim Reynolds

02:19

@DamkerngT. The more I look at it, the more it seems like itbwas intended as a single question with the "2"2 intended to add supplemental information.

Damkerng T.

nods

Anonymous

@JimReynolds I rather liked J.R.'s edit!

Anonymous

What made you decide to roll it back?

Anonymous

This formatting is my kryptonite: ell.stackexchange.com/a/80901/230

Damkerng T.

@snailboat LOL -- I remember that!

Sometimes terms in programs/applications/apps are not what I expect. For example, they use "auto-mount shared folders" rather than "auto-mounted shared folders".

V.V.

02:32

Morning, everybody!

Damkerng T.

Morning!

Jim Reynolds

02:48

Hi @snailboat. It was a good solution on J.R.'s part, assuming I had tried to make a joke. But I didn't.

@sna Formatting as Kryptonite? Was that to me? I don't get it.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds No, that message wasn't directed at you.

Jim Reynolds

Morning, @V.V.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Ah, thanks for your most recent edit.

Anonymous

I thought you were saying the conversation would go like this:

Anonymous

> "Nice to meet you!"

Anonymous

02:52

> "Yes, it was! I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Anonymous

I think that's what other people thought, too.

Jim Reynolds

@snailboat Not for me? I KNEW THERE WAS SOMEONE ELSE!

Yes, because the question was edited.

I lost any sense of amusement when I read Colleen's reply, which I think J.R. nicened up.

Jim Reynolds

03:10

To take tea, coffee, brandy . . . strikes me as BrE-flavoured.

1

Q: Whether one could use the verb drink with ice-cold tea?

I have the idea that we need to say "I took (not drank) my tea (or coffee) . . ." because we consume these beverages hot. If my idea is true, should we use take even when referring to cold tea or coffee?

word-usage

And as upper-class flavoured.

I wonder if "take" is associated with place. We'll take it in the library (to a servant).

And/or us associated with accoutrements, Take it with sugar?

Anonymous

@JimReynolds I think we also probably read the question differently.

Jim Reynolds

I think the original question is at least somewhat easy to read as two questions.

But the edited version of the question obscured the ambiguity.

It seems to be one question, but I can understand how I misread it. A beginner at that level might say this question instead of these questions.

My humor often treads the line, to perhaps put it kindly, but I wouldn't make such a joke to a beginner asking a very basic question.

Damkerng T.

03:26

I find it safer to rephrase the OP's question(s) the way we understand in our answer. Then again, I don't do that myself every time, perhaps to save some space.

Jim Reynolds

I think I answered too quickly, and I don't think it occurred to me as being ambiguous.

But it seems reasonable to me to notice the potential ambiguity before accusing me of "letting someone make an ass of themself."

And it doesn't seem appropriate to answer a very basic English question with a joke.

Damkerng T.

nods

Jim Reynolds

I think a very active group of fairly new people are very occupied with closing questions lately, and a good number of them seem to have very little clue as to what the on-topic guidelines seem to mean.

And a couple of very busy and prolific writers answering with more nonsense than I'd seen before in my admittedly short history with SE.

Just to vent a little. Ha.

Why should we expect it to be any different, after all?

I could be happy that they make some of my answers look intelligent!

Damkerng T.

03:46

I'm not on the main site as often as before, but I think I understand what you mean.

Jim Reynolds

:-)

Jim Reynolds

04:13

Why can't people be more Jim-like?

guest

Why can't Jim like more people :P

Jim Reynolds

Why can't Jim be a person?

guest

Why ask why?

Jim Reynolds

I give up. Why?

guest

Why not :D

Jim Reynolds

04:26

To change the subject: What's the reason?

guest

Reasonable change.

Jim Reynolds

O.O

Are you a wordsmith?

guest

nah, I just like to unlock the meaning of words

How about you?

Jim Reynolds

04:41

I am a pedestrian.

Oh, that was a clever answer. I just got it!

:-)

guest

:-)

Jim Reynolds

I am eating a Hakkanese feast with like 100 relatives right now. I only know maybe 25 of them.

guest

Wow, sounds festive.

Jim Reynolds

Or approximately 25%, in case you don't have a calculator.

guest

:-/

Jim Reynolds

04:46

Well, I'm mostly on my phone.

guest

Me too.

Jim Reynolds

What "country" are you in, if you believe in borders.

I believe in walls.

Ultimately, I'd just like to be left a loan.

guest

bye

Jim Reynolds

No, please. It was just a defense mechanism.

guest

good luck paying back your loan :-)

jak123

04:49

Hello .... I want to ask what is the word used to refer to the act of commenting or asking questions during a presentation. Not interference?

guest

A question period.

Jim Reynolds

Hmmm... people often say, If you have a comment or question, just interrupt me. ..

jak123

I remember there was a word for that, similar to intervention, but not sure

guest

Inquiry.

jak123

Maybe I'm mistaken. In Arabic we have a word that I couldn't find a proper translation to

Thank you

guest

04:56

Thanks for asking.

:-)

Jim Reynolds

Well, keep trying if you'd like.

It is the action of asking/commenting?

Or it's the name for a time period when audience members do that?

Interaction?

Can you make a sentence of how you might use it?

Ladies and gentlemen, please hold your comments and questions until the _________, at 10:30.

Intermission? A break.

Not circumcision! Please don't be ridiculous, Guest!

That's not even relevant!

guest

what is the word used to refer to the act of commenting or asking questions during a presentation. The "act" would be the act of inquiry.

Jim Reynolds

An inquiry is a question, but not a comment.

guest

True.

Jim Reynolds

05:13

Maybe we should have some made-up words ready, in case someone else comes aaking forvacword.

guest

Perhaps, there is no translation in English.

Jim Reynolds

I don't wish to appear foolish.

guest

We gave the best true approximation.

If we wish to paint the facts with our own interpretation of the truth that would not make us appear foolish, but instead more authoritative.

Jim Reynolds

Excellently impremtified!

guest

:-)

Jim Reynolds

05:27

I wish I had reminded jak that the very term presentation is culturally loaded and carries with it a number of sociohistotic implications which could render the very question offensive to nonliterate peoples.

guest

05:44

Oh well, live and learn.

CopperKettle

06:33

23,008 questions! It was 22 000 just a short time back.

Jim Reynolds

@Cop In some South American tribes, certain species of birds are seen as mediators which transmit questions to the gods through subtle changes in humidity.

CopperKettle

@JimReynolds Birds change the humidity of air, and then the gods use spectroscopy and gigroscopy to tease out peoples' requests?

A nice hack.

(0:

Jim Reynolds

My goal is now to appear knowledgeable and to be "teaching" in every comment.

CopperKettle

Ah.

BBL!

Jim Reynolds

You got it, baby.

Ok

CopperKettle

07:07

I'm a chemist. You're right the "the" is superfluous. — MaxW 3 mins ago

Chemists are the go-to guys when a question about articles arises.

Jim Reynolds

Wow. Who knew?

@Dam

@Roa To eat medicine is a direct/literal translation from Mandarin. — Jim Reynolds 5 mins ago

guest

A lofty goal indeed :-)

CopperKettle

07:58

"there is only one physical state of gas" sounds like the other answerer's "There is only one infix form, and it is what you will be writing the expression in." -- so why don't we say "in gas state" while we do say "in infix form"? — CopperKettle 56 secs ago

Anonymous

State is different from form.

Anonymous

But as you point out, the answer about infix form doesn't make sense.

V.V.

@JimReynolds, hi, the moment I greeted everybody I was disconnected. Nice, you are celebrating!

@CopperKettle, people still know Gogol on RSE. They liked the quotation. Amazing!

CopperKettle

08:23

@V.V. I was amazed at that too. I thought people stopped reading books with all the computers around.

@snailboat Good afternoon! Doesn't it make sense as a whole or only the excerpt I quoted?

2

A: "we write expressions in infix form" - why not "we write expressions in the infix form"?

Because "infix form" is a non-count noun phrase. That is, it's not a phrase that would make sense in the plurality, such as referring to "the infix forms". There is only one infix form, and it is what you will be writing the expression in. Compare the sentence using "exponential notation" or "h...

If it does not make sense as a whole, I'll uncheck it.

Salam, Muhammad!

IͶΔ

Salam

CopperKettle

08:40

("The booted cats")

IͶΔ

Hmm, is there any place left in the world we haven't pushed the poor cats in?

guest

A black hole?

IͶΔ

@guest Not sure.

guest

I'm not sure it can be called a "place."

Perhaps, a "region," in the mathematical sense.

CopperKettle

08:55

Infix, postfix, prefix can be used as adjectives. Gas is a noun, gaseous is the adjective. Gas shows as an adjective in the dictionary but the examples I've seen are more slang. In gas state will sound odd as will in the gas state since there is only one gas state**, in a gas state would be better but in a gaseous state is best. In the gas state of Oklahoma works but has a different meaning. Oklahoma produces natural gas as a by product of its oil drilling and fracking. — Peter 1 min ago

What on Earth has it to do with "gas" being an adjective or a noun?

All nouns can be used as noun adjuncts.

It would be nice to have good answers to both "in the gas state" and "in infix form".

Jim Reynolds

10:55

If we compare the gas of oranges to the gas of apples, we are comparing the gasses of apples and oranges.

Felicitous!

Damkerng T.

11:53

@JimReynolds That was what I thought, too!

I wasn't sure when I looked it up and found that chia can mean "take" too.

(吃)

Damkerng T.

12:10

@CopperKettle Ahh... state and form. These nouns sometimes behave in an unexpected way.

(from a non-native speaker's point of view)

> This chapter continues to explore states of matter by focusing on the gas state.

> (from somewhere in Google Books)

(goo.gl/ZvAzPa)

IͶΔ

People hate gasses now.

Damkerng T.

Which one does that chemistry manual use? a/the/(null) gas/gaseous state

Jim Reynolds

12:27

End all gasses now!

Damkerng T.

Are your gasses natural? :P

Jim Reynolds

Ask my poor dog here. :-)

Damkerng T.

:D

IͶΔ

Three smileys in the last three messages. （ノT＿T)ノ＾┻━┻

@CopperKettle Well, there's a reason.

Damkerng T.

12:54

0

A: Why the definite article in "in the gas state"? Why not "in gas state"?

The choice of determiner communicates the speaker's thought or attitude at that moment with respect to the noun in question. Liquid, liquidity. Solid, solidity. Gas, __________. Molecules in the excited state are said to have high entropy. Paraphrase: When molecules are in the state of exci...

It's an interesting answer.

We have solidity, liquidity, but no gasity.

IͶΔ

Such discrimination.

Damkerng T.

We have solidify, gasify, but no liquidify.

(Do we?)

Ah, right! liquefy!

IͶΔ

Liquefy.

Right. Stupid English spelling.

Damkerng T.

nods -- or liquify (both are fine, I think)

Damkerng T.

13:16

5

Q: Saying "I feel you" in a conversation

As I've heard many people say "I feel you" without sexual connotation. But I am a bit uncomfortable to say that. When do you often use it? Do native speakers commonly use it?

word-meaning phrase-usage conversation

I don't know what others think, but I think our answers are not in the "state of solidarity". :P

Crazy Ninja

hi

Good Evening!

I can't understand this sentence. Can anyone help me?

You will place the interests of the public above those of personal, business or sectional interests

source > acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/7835/Code-of-Ethics.pdf

Damkerng T.

Hmm... what part is it you can't understand?

"Public interests before personal, business, or sectional interests." -- That's pretty much it.

Crazy Ninja

i can't understand that sentence

what does it actually saying?

Damkerng T.

1 min ago, by Damkerng T.

"Public interests before personal, business, or sectional interests." -- That's pretty much it.

"Public interests" come first.

Crazy Ninja

ookkkay

i think they have missed a comma

nope. I couldn't understand it properly

my mistake

Damkerng T.

13:27

Ahh

Pandya

14:34

Help me to write appropriate one sentence:

I want say something like-

command-line is very interesting for me

I found command-line extremely interesting

I am fan of command-line

I am fascinated with/by command-line

Crazy Ninja

I <3 command-line ? o.O Lol

Pandya

I have given five example above. help me to make one appropriate sentence that interrelates good

@CrazyNinja ^^

Crazy Ninja

@Pandya sorry mate. I'm not a pro. You should try out @DamkerngT.

Pandya

interprets not interrelates sorry

@DamkerngT. chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/27496890#27496890

Damkerng T.

I'm more familiar with fascinated by, but I think it's okay with with.

Fan is countable, so I'd probably go with, I'm a big fan of command-line.

You know, they say Real programmers don't use IDEs. :D

Crazy Ninja

14:45

but big fan for a terminal ??? o.O

@DamkerngT. unfortunately it's really hard to find Real programers :D

Damkerng T.

:-)

Depending on the language and libraries/tools of choice, we're forced to use an IDE anyway in many cases.

Pandya

what is meant by IDE?

Damkerng T.

Integrated Development Environment

Pandya

so, Which sounds better: "I'm a big fan of command-line" or "I am fascinated by command-line"?

Damkerng T.

They suggest different things.

Pandya

14:51

Hmm... That's why I am here to know.....

Crazy Ninja

@DamkerngT. apparently he seems to be like a ~~Real~~ programmer :D (just kidding)

Damkerng T.

"I'm a big fan" <-- You probably really use it, like a lot. "I'm fascinated by" <-- You're probably just curious about it after seeing it used by others.

Though, practically, they could be somewhat interchangeable.

Pandya

Thanks for clearing, I don't want to mean "after seeing it used by others"!

Damkerng T.

It's not necessarily so.

I mean, literally, it doesn't have to mean so. It's just implication, at least that's what they appear to be for me.

guest

What do you like about "command-line" @Pandya?

Damkerng T.

14:56

@guest Selamat malam!

Pandya

Just for understanding better let me know about my thoughts on command-line: When I started computing with GNU/Linux, I found command-line extremely interesting & helpful. What I realize about command-line is:

Powerful computing

more control over computing

computing intelligently

knowing exactly what's going on...

tweaking it as we like..

Damkerng T.

nods

Along the same lines, from three decades ago: Real men don't use mice. :-)

guest

Selamat malam @DamkerngT. :-)

Pandya

I read once in the book:

"graphical user interfaces make easy tasks easy, while command line interfaces make difficult tasks possible" !

so, after discussing this did it become more clear what I want to say?

What do you recommend/suggest for chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/27496890#27496890 ?

Besides: I feel happy while doing job (computing/scripting) with command-line.

Damkerng T.

@Pandya It's not clear what angle you want to emphasize.

(This kind of thing in general makes editing a lot more difficult than proofreading.)

guest

15:08

That's why I asked what it is about command-line that you want to say ;-)

Pandya

Forgot other sentence, How about "command-line is extremely interesting for me and I enjoy computing with command-line"

any improvement/suggestion?

Damkerng T.

I think it's quite an okay sentence.

Pandya

@DamkerngT. Thanks

Damkerng T.

Just to give you an idea why it's so difficult to suggest anything, I imagine myself writing a blog about using command-line in my computing stuff, and it could go like this: Some people say the command-line interface (CLI) is clunking, distressful, and some go so far as to say that it's obsolete (gasp!). I used to think that, too. I always used GUI with all my computing stuff in my research. That is until Jim told me that he routinely uses the CLI. I learned some tricks from him and ...

See, it's from an entirely different angle.

Pandya

Hmm......

Advantage vs Criticisms

@DamkerngT. ^^

Damkerng T.

15:17

:D

*clunky

Pandya

BTW, I also do usual computing with GUI

Damkerng T.

nods -- I think most of us do that these days.

And we use our fingers more and more.

Pandya

By the way you may found the popularity of the command-line at unix.stackexchange.com/tags

good-bye!

Damkerng T.

@Pandya Yay!

o/ See you around!

Jim Reynolds

15:33

Uses command-line to delete humans, and settles down to an eternity of pleasant chatting with a robot and tales of his cat (and his or her tail).

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Sounds like a plan! :-)

V.V.

15:57

It should have been "their " tail.

Jim Reynolds

17:24

@V.V. Are you suggesting that it's incorrect to refer to a gendered being of unknown gender as he or she? AND ARE YOU CORRECTING AN ENGLISH TEACHER????

CopperKettle

How DARE you!! (0:

Damkerng T.

17:44

2

Q: Site design for English Language Leaners community

I'm Stéphane, a senior product designer at Stack Exchange. First, I wanted to announce that this site is now starting the process of moving out of beta to become a fully-graduated site! Congratulations! Graduation and Your Site Design Graduation comes with a few perks. I have already be...

discussion featured design graduation

guest

::applause::

V.V.

18:07

@JimReynolds, it's a question of politcorrectness

Bravo

The cat might ttake offence

My!HOW CAN I? @JimReynolds.

IͶΔ

@DamkerngT. :O

V.V.

Hiding among questions...

Damkerng T.

@V.V. Don't worry. It wasn't a serious comment by Jim.

CopperKettle

Good evening, @IͶΔ, @V.V., @DamkerngT.!

I'll lurk some.

IͶΔ

Evening!

Just back from the class.

Damkerng T.

18:16

I think my cat wouldn't take any offense, either.

IͶΔ

I have an exam tomorrow, and I don't give a s***.

Damkerng T.

o/ @CopperKettle @IͶΔ

IͶΔ

\o

Damkerng T.

@IͶΔ Poor exam!

IͶΔ

SITE DESIGN, FINALLY

CopperKettle

18:18

@IͶΔ It figures. Who ever gives a sloe about an exam? (0:

IͶΔ

@CopperKettle Or shoe.

CopperKettle

(0:

V.V.

MAR, we shall overcome!

IͶΔ

Love the design. Great work! Can't wait to bug you with the bugs . . . — IͶΔ 4 mins ago

V.V.

I promise to put fingers into ink(if I find it)

CopperKettle

18:23

@V.V. sooomeday

V.V.

Smiling

I think I will collect a rich vocabulary of interesting words.

IͶΔ

20:09

Also, regarding the font - this question about daisy pom was read by some as "daisy porn". It would be nice if we could have a font that might be a little less pretty but have some serifs to help make individual letters more distinct. — ColleenV 29 mins ago

"Daisy porn" LOL

Anonymous

22:08

@DamkerngT. I remember a while ago we were talking about what kinds of words compounds can be made of. Another example just occurred to me! Shortfall :-)

Damkerng T.

Short + fall!

Anonymous

22:26

It's interesting that the designer worked from a copy of what the site was like in February 2013.

Anonymous

Well, most of the site. The right column is from 2015, I guess.

Transcript for