English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

tchrist

1:00 PM

Him.

ЯegDwight

"Why use Growl? — It works out of the box." So does cocaine.

Stupid marketese.

tchrist

I wonder why mine are purple.

I may have done that, but I think it came that way.

The ones on their screenshots are gunmetal grey though.

ЯegDwight

"You should use our shit because our shit can be used immediately." Yeah, but why would I use it? I don't even know what your shit is.

tchrist

The whole Growl name makes me nervous.

ΜετάEd

@ЯegDwight What matters is whose Porsche it is.

tchrist

1:04 PM

It sounds like some vicious beast.

Or a man on the prowl for the same.

ЯegDwight

I must make amends. But my friends all drive Porsches.

tchrist

Who wants a growling prowler?

Or vice versa?

ΜετάEd

1

Q: How should the word "brutal" be used in marketing?

I noticed that some companies use the word brutal for marketing their products. Examples: brutal performance – a data storage software markets itself with this, they mean that their software is very fast brutal engine – a car manufacturer uses this to indicate that their engine performs well E...

ЯegDwight

@tchrist well, they did consider calling it IamwatchingyousoonedayIcancometoyourhouseandkillyou instead, but that was a bit of a mouthful.

ΜετάEd

Maybe a trend to market things as so nasty they're good?

tchrist

1:06 PM

Bad. Wicked.

ЯegDwight

Tal is misspelled Dutch for "language", while bru is misspelled French for "cheese". So using brutal in marketing is poorly spelled cheese talk.

Gigili

Wow, I just downloaded the whole book I need for next semester.

ЯegDwight

Now you have to upload it to your brain.

tchrist

Tal is count, reckoning, catalogue.

As in Dvergatal.

Gigili

Umm, that's going to be difficult.

ΜετάEd

1:10 PM

@tchrist Wicked is good, if you are buying candles.

tchrist

Bru is noisy.

ЯegDwight

How do candles compare to cannotdles?

tchrist

So brutal is the list of things the noise-pollution officer writes you up for when your party goes too late.

ЯegDwight

> there are many times that number here

tchrist

Very poor formatting.

ЯegDwight

1:13 PM

Yeah. But I tried to look past it.

Still not very comprehensible.

Thankfully we can close it as a dupe without ever understanding it.

tchrist

Easier to understand than senhor facílimo’s.

ЯegDwight

Matt Ellen

1

american-english auxiliary-verbs british-english

Was ist das?

@MattЭллен a sockpuppet is not supposed to have sockpuppets!

Grace Note

Hohum

ЯegDwight

Gezondhijd!

Matt Эллен

1:28 PM

@ЯegDwight well... at first I didn't want to log in because that would distract me further from work, and I answered the question. Then I wondered what would happen if I logged in - it's got my email address after all - well, nothing happened. and then I got distracted

ЯegDwight

Now I'm brutally confused.

Joke or really you?

Really me

That's brutal.

thanks!

You're brulcome.

1:41 PM

@tchrist Only if you have a chattery tape drive.

tchrist

@ΜετάEd Can’t stream all 32 drives at 6250 at once.

ЯegDwight

Oh haha. I can't merge Matt because of his mighty reps.

ΜετάEd

@tchrist Ah. Should have gotten that Massbus, really.

tchrist

0

Q: What's the meaning of this sentence?

It is facile to scape out of the hands of the blind. I have searched the meaning of facile but can't understand it. And what is scape out and handes of the blynd. source

meaning meaning-in-context sentence

-2

Q: Can't understand the meaning of "facile" in these example

I found the meaning of facile is easy, getting something without effort. http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/facile I have read those sentences. But can't understand it clearly. I'm trying to understand where is facile used mostly. What does it mean by facile optimism facile respons...

meaning word-usage vocabulary sentence

Tsk.

He forgot the facile tag.

ЯegDwight

Bah, why change the spelling of every second word but not every first one?

Lemme revert...

Gigili

1:46 PM

@ЯegDwight Merge me instead if it helps you feel better.

Matt Эллен

@ЯegDwight lol, surely the little one can be merge into my mass of reps without me even noticing?

ЯegDwight

Nope.

tchrist

Sympathy merge?

Cause not?

ЯegDwight

I actually got an error. Which I ignored because I'm not used to getting errors there. It's only when I noticed both users were still around that I wondered and went back to merge again. And it said, them devs was notified of your naughtyness and wrath is impending and very many of it!

Matt Эллен

oh noes! Not David Lee Wrath?

ЯegDwight

1:48 PM

No details was disenclosed.

So basically we have a 10k user who don't know how to log in, and a mod who don't read no error massage. The devs will be happy to know.

Gigili

bye

6.1k 11 23

meaning word-choice etymology phrases orthography single-word-requests adverbs

Bye.

ЯegDwight

That's Stan Rogers.

Gigili

Umm, well, ignore me.

tchrist

Gosh, I was just going to start a rousing round of the obvious song.

ЯegDwight

@Gigili Too much work. Don't even know where that button is.

@tchrist "Buy Now" by Atomic Titten?

prime

1:52 PM

Helllo?

ЯegDwight

Helllllo.

ΜετάEd

@prime Please state your greeting in the form of a question. Oh. You did.

ЯegDwight

►

prime

Why is this link here?

Gigili

1 hour ago, by ЯegDwight

That's loser talk.

prime

1:55 PM

YOutube link is here, why? How is it pertinent here?

Pertinent to what?

to this room

Very.

I can't understand, why the people are down-voting here, they have the power, so they are down-voting

Gigili

There's no why, Яeg is the God here.

prime

1:56 PM

That's bad/rude

That's misuse of power,

Gigili

Or good.

prime

-1

Q: Can't understand the meaning of "facile" in these example

I found the meaning of facile is easy, getting something without effort. http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/facile I have read those sentences. But can't understand it clearly. I'm trying to understand where is facile used mostly. What does it mean by facile optimism facile respons...

meaning word-usage vocabulary sentence

ЯegDwight

@prime do elaborate. How is that a misuse?

prime

misuse of power of downvoting

ЯegDwight

How is that a misuse?

What should the power of downvoting be used for? Upvoting?

prime

1:58 PM

Is there any reason to down-vote that question?

ЯegDwight

For at least two people, there is.

And for at least three people, there's a reason to close it.

The system works as designed.

Matt Эллен

It works as coded on my machine

Gigili

Is that a new Carlo or what?

tchrist

2:15 PM

I think he’s a what.

And what he is is a time vampire. It’s like being asked questions by four-year-old who keeps asking why every time you give another answer.

2

ΜετάEd

@prime Stack Exchange is a growing network of individual communities, each dedicated to serving experts in a specific field. The English Language and Usage Stack Exchange is for linguists, etymologists, and (serious) English language enthusiasts. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Matt Эллен

EL&U chat is a place for people to goof off work and speak in such a manner that others occasionally find it difficult to follow, and balrogs.

Grace Note

Balrogs are a common occurrence here, now?

Matt Эллен

well, they've become less common, but there was a time...

Em1

Hey guys

> we are getting low on space due to drops.

What is "drops"? Just something that hasn't been deleted? It's about building assemblies.

Matt Эллен

2:27 PM

drops of what?

@Em1 compiling code?

Em1

@MattЭллен Yes.

Matt Эллен

I don't know then

where did you see this?

Grace Note

This sounds like something you should ask whoever reported that

Em1

Well, sure.

ЯegDwight

@GraceNote you're way too late to that party.

Grace Note

2:30 PM

@ЯegDwight Better late than never, eh?

ЯegDwight

Aug 23 at 14:37, by RegDwight АΑA

room topic changed to English Language & Usage: aka The Incomprehensible Room. Now with 89% more Balrogs. (no tags)

That's like totally last month.

Grace Note

Three weeks, more like it

ЯegDwight

Yesterday can be last month.

One second ago can be last month.

One second from now can be last month.

The possibilities are endless!

Matt Эллен

and we don't mean no Street Fighter boxer, neither

tchrist

@GraceNote Is it? Your call, Grace.

ЯegDwight

2:36 PM

Considering the activity here, anything under OVER 9000 hits is nothing.

tchrist

Nothing is better than Balrogs.

Robusto

OK, I'll have nothing.

ЯegDwight

2525 nothings found.

Take your pick.

Robusto

Nothing for me, thanks.

That's 2526.

2:40 PM

@ЯegDwight 2525 nothing found. ftfy

ЯegDwight

♫ in the year twenty-five twenty-five, if man is still alive... ♫ — ЯegDwight Nov 23 '10 at 13:05

Matt Эллен

Apr 26 at 9:49, by RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jun 27 at 13:28, by RegDwight ΒВB

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

ЯegDwight

I'm sure there's one with "gayed" as well.

ΜετάEd

2548 nothing* found.

Robusto

2:43 PM

►

ЯegDwight

48 mins ago, by prime

YOutube link is here, why? How is it pertinent here?

Robusto

►

ΜετάEd

Aug 14 at 12:03, by Robusto

@RegDwightАΑA Nothing genitive, nothing gained.

ЯegDwight

@Robusto Twelve-bar blues or no blues at all. Wimps and posers, leave the hall!

ΜετάEd

@ЯegDwight Run or walk or creep or crawl.

2:53 PM

Another wipeout.

later...

3 days later...

10 years earlier...

Matt Эллен

but... that's before Stack Exchange! I sense some kind of paradox

ЯegDwight

Our parades only have horses.

Robusto

2:56 PM

@MattЭллен Paradox != paradise

Matt Эллен

our fords have oxen, our paras have diddles

Robusto

I prefer Oxbridge. It's a step up from an ox ford.

Matt Эллен

@Robusto It's just another day for you and zeno's paradox

Robusto

Plus you don't get your feet wet.

tchrist

The oxen are pining for the fjords, that they might wet their feet.

Robusto

2:57 PM

xenomorph's paradise is zeno's paradox.

ЯegDwight

But Ox Ford is Prefect!

Matt Эллен

:D

Robusto

I think it is postfect.

tchrist

$ oed --fuzzy postfect
ex post facto
post facto
postfactor
post factum
postfertilization
post festum
postpectoral
postpectus
post-tectonic

I can’t decide between post festum and postpectus.

Robusto

Yes, let us have more text. That will surely solve the problem.

tchrist

3:00 PM

There is no more text: those were the only hits.

Small bong.

Robusto

You need a bigger bong.

ЯegDwight

Big fuzzy.

tchrist

Or a fuzzier one.

Matt Эллен

oh no! it's the fuzz! scarper!

tchrist

That one is definitely prefestum.

He still has his clothes on.

Robusto

3:01 PM

@MattЭллен The fuzz? Why did you just journey back to the 1950s? Live in the now, dude.

Matt Эллен

@Robusto nah, just to 2007

I need to get a run up to jump the next 5 years

Robusto

@MattЭллен But ... people were still using IE6 in 2007. Are you sure you want to go back there?

Matt Эллен

oh! the horror! the horror!

Robusto

Remember the Peekaboo Bug? The Guillotine Bug? The Holly Hack?

ЯegDwight

People still use IE6 in 2012. It is safe to say that some will in 2017.

Robusto

3:10 PM

@ЯegDwight I dispute your use of the word "people" ...

ЯegDwight

Then I dispute yours.

Robusto

The point is, I don't have to develop for IE6 anymore. I did in 2007.

ЯegDwight

The point is, you will have to develop for IE6 again in 2017. Except it will be called Firefox 26.

Matt Эллен

there will be no web in 2017, we will all work from home and robots will build us houses from recycled CO2

we will be linked to each other, so the internet will be us

ЯegDwight

2017 in which decamillenium?

Matt Эллен

3:14 PM

the one where it's true

Robusto

In 2017 the singularity will be here and we will be subsumed into a giant mainframe somewhere on that scientology or mormon planet.

ЯegDwight

Well, the singularity will be five years too late to witness the end of the world.

Matt Эллен

Mormon and Scientologists living together in harmony. it's madness I tell you!

ЯegDwight

Mortologists?

Mitch

@cornbreadninja it's not what she says, but how she says it (through a translator. argh...spoiled again!)

Robusto

3:17 PM

@ЯegDwight Morticians?

ЯegDwight

Anjelica Huston?

Matt Эллен

scientomormonologism

ЯegDwight

Scientomorstereologism.

Cerberus

Morning.

ЯegDwight

Top of the said to you.

Cerberus

3:20 PM

puzzled

Robusto

@Cerberus I thought you preferred the British spelling: mourning.

Cerberus

Hey, I'm not that weak.

Robusto

Well, how weak are you?

Cerberus

You tell me.

ЯegDwight

Seven.

Cerberus

3:23 PM

So many?

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus "the said" being that which was previously mentioned

Cerberus

I know.

Matt Эллен

yeah, now! so ungrateful

ЯegDwight

He's just used that the previously mentioned is balrog.

Cerberus

I thought "top of the morning" meant something else, but it is an Irish greeting, apparently.

Matt Эллен

3:24 PM

:Þ

ЯegDwight

Aug 22 at 14:03, by cornbread ninja

Top o' the balrog, all.

Cerberus

@ЯegDwight That, too.

Matt Эллен

:D

Cerberus

@MattЭллен I thank thee.

ΜετάEd

@ЯegDwight And a tip o' me wing to ya.

Matt Эллен

3:25 PM

You're welcome :D

Cerberus

blows away shadow wings

Matt Эллен

@Matt Эллен - Why did you remove important parts of my question? — Venemo 7 mins ago

lol

Cerberus

Those are VIP.

ЯegDwight

Ask him right back, "Why did you add important parts to your question?"

Matt Эллен

oh my! what a mistake to make

Cerberus

3:27 PM

No, "why did you question important parts of my removal?".

Matt Эллен

lol

ЯegDwight

No, "and who are you?"

Cerberus

No, "shut up".

ЯegDwight

No, yes!

Matt Эллен

well, I ended up showing him to Jon Skeet

Cerberus

3:28 PM

Yes, "seven".

Always showing off your victims, hehe.

Matt Эллен

well, directing him, I should say

ЯegDwight

There's no team in victim.

Matt Эллен

victeam

ЯegDwight

That one's pronounced vitless.

Matt Эллен

tasty, tasty victeam

ЯegDwight

3:31 PM

So how was your "date" last "night", "Cerberus"?

Andrew Leach

@MattЭллен I've just realised why you were a little non-plussed earlier. I've no idea how I ended up in the wrong room and gatecrashed that conversation.

ЯegDwight

God guided you.

Matt Эллен

@AndrewLeach no worries :D I was a bit confused, but it's all good!

ЯegDwight

Better confused than sinfused.

Andrew Leach

@ЯegDwight Scary, perhaps?

ЯegDwight

3:33 PM

God likes neocons, but not neosins.

Robusto

All I know is, we have lost our vitality on ELU.

ЯegDwight

@AndrewLeach I'm not really expecting an answer.

For one, he's drunk and doesn't listen.

For two, I was just practicing my in-and-out-nuendoes.

Robusto

But for the record, nonplussed doesn't require a hyphen.

Matt Эллен

13 hours ago, by Cerberus

Yeah, it was OK, but not fantastic.

ЯegDwight

@Robusto obviously it requires a plus, though.

Robusto

3:36 PM

@ЯegDwight That goes without saying.

ЯegDwight

I wonder where.

Matt Эллен

it didn't say

Robusto

@ЯegDwight in your underwhere.

Andrew Leach

@Robusto I suppose I'm just oldfashioned.

ЯegDwight

@MattЭллен no quoting Yesterday in this chat.

Matt Эллен

3:38 PM

but all my troubles seemed so far away

ЯegDwight

@AndrewLeach as demonstrated by your misspelling of "im".

@MattЭллен you shouldn't have been holding the binoculars all wrong.

Andrew Leach

Argh. George Bernard Shaw. Or that Trask bloke.

Matt Эллен

lol. I often make that mistake

ЯegDwight

You see, Patricia — or Delicia — not only is a singer; she also removes all her clothing.

cornbread ninja

@Mitch you think it was coerced?

Matt Эллен

3:43 PM

Au revoir!

Cerberus

@ЯegDwight Sorry, yes, what Matt said: it was OK, but not a great match, I think.

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus I don't know if you are aware, you can post a link to a diff.

@Robusto And it must not have a plus.

Cerberus

@ΜετάEd Hmm I think I was, but pictures are easier.

Well, I mean, they are immediately visible.

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus english.stackexchange.com/posts/81086/revisions

@Cerberus Well yes, like a postage stamp is in my case. So not actually legible.

Cerberus

english.stackexchange.com/revisions/81086/4

See, this doesn't expand.

ΜετάEd

3:54 PM

But that's because I have styled them down.

Cerberus

@ΜετάEd But you do know immediately what the picture is about, right?

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus Yes, it would be nice to see them oneboxed.

Cerberus

@ΜετάEd Oh, why?

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus Because all day people post stuff that is not, in my case, SFW.

Cerberus

Hmm.

Do you work in Mecca perchance?

Andrew Leach

3:55 PM

Not NSFW?

Cerberus

He meant without not.

ΜετάEd

@AndrewLeach ftfm

Cerberus

That's what happens with silly acronyms!

stamps on acronym

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus What acronym.

Cerberus

NSFW.

ΜετάEd

3:56 PM

@Cerberus Okay, how would you pronounce that word?

Cerberus

I would never.

ЯegDwight

He would draw it in the air with his tail.

Cerberus

Or do you mean I should say initialism?

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus I would not say acronym. That is all.

Cerberus

@ЯegDwight I would bite it.

ΜετάEd

3:58 PM

How do you feel about silly FLAs?

ЯegDwight

I would just say doughnut. Then eat it. Then say it some more.

ΜετάEd

@ЯegDwight Ugh.

Cerberus

@ΜετάEd Okay, then I won't either. Except that I feel the meaning of the word is a bit unnecessarily restricted.

Andrew Leach

@ΜετάEd FLAs are one-up on TLAs.

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus You can say anything you like ... and you're responsible for the resulting confusion.

Cerberus

3:59 PM

Gladly.

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus Incidentally, OPEC will be sending you a registered letter later. And expect one from NASA, too.

How do you feel about acronyms on stamps?

What about acornyms on stamps?

Haycornyms?

Eggcornyms?

Johncornyns?

Robusto

0

Q: Is using "long" necessary when talking about particular periods of time?

e.g. John: How long was your vacation? Ben: It was ten days long. Can it be simply answered like: it was ten days.

time

Yawn. This is what passes for a question on ELU.

Cerberus

@ΜετάEd Then I will send them back a page from a Greek dictionary.

ΜετάEd

@Cerberus You'll just get back the μετά page —

Gigili

JFTR, the day before yesterday was my birthday,

Yes, that's a comma at the end of that sentence.

Cerberus

4:04 PM

@ΜετάEd That would be great.

ΜετάEd

@Gigili Happy birth anniversary.

Gigili

Thank you, I guess.

Birthanniversaryday.

It'll be my birthday for a month.

ΜετάEd

@Gigili Just celebrate it for one day.

Then invite everyone to celebrate your unbirthday.

Unbirthdays are much better.

Gigili

I'd need an unbirthdayer then.

ΜετάEd

@Gigili What would that do?

Gigili

4:12 PM

It, umm, unbirthdays me?

I hate that "Canadian spelling: why?" question.

ΜετάEd

@Gigili That happens automatically.

Just wait a day, then celebrate 364 days of unbirthday.

With presents.

Gigili

That makes sense. I'll do that. Thank you for your elegant suggestion.

ЯegDwight

Ich bin dann mal weg.

Andrew Leach

@Gigili The answer to that question is even worse.

In fact it's Not an Answer.

Gigili

@AndrewLeach Because the question is Not a Question.

Grace Note

4:17 PM

Quite

Gigili

@ЯegDwight tschau.

Andrew Leach

@ЯegDwight Auf wiedersehen.

@Gigili I can't work out whether there is a question in there or not. But the answer isn't even an answer to the question as it stands, let alone what it should have been

Cerberus

Does anyone think the Iphone is starting to look outdated?

The new one looks pretty much the same as the older ones.

Just a big bigger (but still too small).

Andrew Leach

Ooh. My journey home has come at just the right moment...

Cerberus

Haha.

Grace Note

4:21 PM

The question seems to be "Why is there an independent Canadian English which is nuancedly different from both American English and British English?" Or, simpler, "Why is it not just one or the other?"

Cerberus

You hate Iphones, or discussing them?

@GraceNote That doesn't really sound like a valid question...

There is no reason: it is just there.

Grace Note

That's what my study of the question reveals is the intent behind it

Cerberus

Heh.

Grace Note

Up to y'all to agree or disagree with that assessment, and furthermore take action through it

Of course, with a bounty on it, you can't vote to close it anyway ♪

Cerberus

Heh.

It is a bit vague.

"Give me as much information as possible on the history of Canadian English with a view to explaining modern spelling."

That's how I read it.

Grace Note

4:25 PM

@Cerberus The core, as I can read it, is basically this as a means to extend into "And why it is different from the other two"

Cerberus

But he is a bit more specific than just "why": he want to know historical developments that led to certain spelling variations.

Grace Note

That's still contained within "why". Just is actually smart enough to give an explanation of what kind of answer is being sought

Cerberus

I meant that I felt he explained this direction a bit better than simply "why" in his answer.

With the examples he gives.

It is still a bit vague: he should have worded it more specifically.

Grace Note

Didn't seem that vague to me

Cerberus

You don't feel that "why" is vague?

It is like asking "why is France shaped like a hexagon"?

Grace Note

4:33 PM

I'm not entirely sure it's possible to be any less vague when asking for the reasoning behind the development of a particular linguistic tendencinitis.

Cerberus

@GraceNote If you ask for "reasoning", then you imply that all of it was set up according to a master plan by a few people. This was not the case. So then the question is bad.

If you ask for details about its development, then it could be an OK question; but then perhaps you should ask for certain specific details, not just any and all details people could come up with.

Grace Note

@Cerberus The assumption behind asking such a question is that the asker believes that there is indeed a reasoning, conspiracatorily or simply just what events of history led to it. Otherwise there wouldn't be any need to ask the question.

tchrist

“Why” questions related to linguistic change are almost always virtually impossible to answer.

This one is no exception.

Cerberus

@GraceNote All of this is obviously not true, so then it would be close-worthy. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Because the examples he mentions make it more specific and less teleological.

Grace Note

I have no idea what teleological even means

Cerberus

4:37 PM

Trying to explain something as leading towards a certain goal or endpoint.

Grace Note

Ah

Cerberus

This is counter to academic standards.

Grace Note

I'd imagine so

Cerberus

Because it is plainly false.

So I agree with you that he seemed to be doing that;

But then the examples he gives make it seem more like a valid question.

As in, "what developments have led to...".

Then it's still a bit of a boundless list, though.

tchrist

List question. OT. Two demerits.

Cerberus

4:40 PM

If we read it as "what are the most important factors that led to the development of modern Canadian spelling?", then it becomes acceptable.

The answer would be a short essay going over a few of the major developments.

13

A: Why is it that Latin was more "successful" in the western part of the Empire than in the eastern part?

I'd like to add a few of the underlying reasons why the Greek half of the Empire never took to Latin as much as the western half. During Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the population and the economic power of the eastern half of the Mediterranean was greater than that of the western half. ...

It would be similar to this question.

It is a "why" question, but it can easily be interpreted as "explain to me the major factors that caused the state of affairs".

Matt Эллен

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EL&U Blog

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…