English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room - 2014-07-16 (page 1 of 5)

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2:19 AM

Here ya go:

15

A: Why is there no "autumntime" or "falltime"?

TL;DR: Unlike most dictionaries, the OED does include autumn-time as a word. It is quite rare in comparison with the other seasons’ versions. Variations in punctuation, spacing, and capitalization do not matter. Well, there is the word autumn-tide, but it doesn’t get used much. Here’s o...

3:06 AM

!!youtube autumn wind is a raider

There is the answer^

@tchrist

4 hours later…

6:57 AM

@Johan math.

Matt Эллен

7:33 AM

Good morning

7:51 AM

Hi

How are your bruises looking and feeling @Matt

@skullpatrol math?

Matt Эллен

@skullpatrol bit of an ache, but otherwise, good, thanks :)

@skullpatrol feels wrong :)

8:51 AM

In my opinion @Johan Larsson since it has one less letter, it feels right :)

Less or fewer?

~~less~~ *fewer

Thanks @Andrew Leach :D

@AndrewLeach Prescriptivista!

No; but saying "one less letter", it feels wrong :)

Hey, @Andrew. Who deleted my comment from the "autumntime" question? It wasn't offensive or irrelevant.

9:03 AM

@AndrewLeach what about maths?

9:19 AM

@AndrewLeach: What, no answer?

@Robusto Sorry, I'm at work. A project manager arrived. I'll see what I can find...

NP

9:54 AM

@Johan Larsson it comes down to saying either six of one or a half dozen of the other.

ok I'll stop nagging now

Six=half dozen :)

If we didn't have these little nagging questions in our minds, science would not progress.

10:47 AM

@Robusto OK. Because the person who took the action is not publicly revealed, I don't believe I'm supposed to subvert that, so I won't at the moment. (I'm still finding some things are new! I've asked about policy; I may be told I can say something concrete.)

Flags on comments are even more ephemeral than comments. Can't see whether it was flagged at all, let alone which flag it was.

@AndrewLeach I'm just curious about the reason for deletion. Plenty of less substantive comments are allowed to remain.

I mean, I was not offering it as an answer. Which is why it was a comment.

I suspect it was Not Constructive, probably because it said "Not really sure why. We just do it that way."

room topic changed to English Language & Usage: / no comment / (no tags)

But even "We do it that way" can be an answer.

Although it's not an easy answer to explain.

@AndrewLeach Well, that's bullshit. Can you see the comment text itself?

10:51 AM

Yes.

Would you mind posting it here so that I have a record? I'm considering taking the issue to meta.

> We just use fall or autumn in those cases, both as nouns and adjectives. Not really sure why. We just do it that way. That's not to say you couldn't say "autumntime" if you really wanted to.

Thanks.

I think that is more informative than most comments one sees on this site. And not exceptionable at all.

As you say, it's not offensive, and it's not completely off-the-wall either.

I don't think it's even a little bit off the wall. It's germane to the question, but not really an answer: hence, a comment.

10:56 AM

... goes back to look at question again ...

Yes. I can't see an issue, really. We'll give it another go, but it may be flagged and removed again.

Thanks.

I posted a "why was this deleted" message on Meta.

11:35 AM

@SkullPatrol I'd totally take a 1/2 dozen. 6 doesn't seem like enough.

How many is that in metric?

11:54 AM

0.5 of a lot. 0.6 of several is nowhere near as much (I can understand why people might be confused)

12:21 PM

@Mitch I agree.

Have you seen this @JohanLarsson?

12:34 PM

@AndrewLeach That's interesting, it sounds fine to me. Just like one less mouth to feed . In fact, one letter fewer sounds very wrong to me.

21 hours ago, by Johan Larsson

37

Q: Did the Twitter account Fifndhs predict the World Cup results ahead of time?

There was a feeling of exhilaration and excitement on Twitter, with the Twitter account @FifNdhs called “FIFA Corruption” seemingly having predicted the final result of the World Cup final hours ahead of time. The amazing German footballer Mario Götze scored the game’s only goal in the 113th m...

sport social-media football

Too slow @skullpatrol :)

sorry

Why sorry? Cant be expected to read the whole transcript every day! I just thought it was funny you both posted the same Q.

More proof that we live in a fantasy world.

I'm just not as much on the ball as @JohanLarsson is.

If it's a soccer ball, @JohanLarsson is on it. ^_^

12:38 PM

-_-

Matt Эллен

If it's the ball of his foot...

Where does the 'S' come from in the UK version? Could be the same origin as the s in mathematic**S*?

@JohanLarsson I think that's likely.

Americans just truncate the whole word. Brits seem to feel that the word requires the plural distinction.

Neither way is "right"; just a matter of style.

ok feels better now, felt wrong without the s, now I'm not alone.

Which s is that?

12:42 PM

Still have to wrestle with VS for a couple of hours more.

@terdon mathematic[s]

@JohanLarsson VS?

What's a UK thing? Does anyone say mathematic to refer to the science?

Visual Studio

Ah, right.

I knew that meant something, but I don't use VS these days and it wasn't on the tip of my thoughts.

huge bs today, been moving backwards poking with all things I could think of

12:43 PM

I like a lot of things about VS, but dislike a lot of others.

@terdon math(s)

jinx

Ah! Math, versus maths OK.

@Robusto what is your preferred editor/IDE?

Also, does anyone else agree with @Andrew that one fewer letter sounds better than one less letter?

12:44 PM

I do.

@JohanLarsson If I could I would go back to editing in emacs. Other than that, I have no preference, as long as it isn't Eclipse.

@terdon Not me. I actually think one less letter sounds better.

I agree with Andrew cos he is so much better than I am, no other opinion really, both feel ok.

The distinction between fewer and less cannot be resolved to six decimal places.

@Robusto Me too. One fewer letter sounds outright wrong actually.

@Robusto Or less.

@terdon Yes. Because fewer implies quantity, and when it gets a singular complement it causes consternation.

12:47 PM

I meant six decimal places or less.

I know what you meant. Took me a few seconds, though.

By the way, why would you have given up on emacs? What have you found that's better?

Traitor.

@terdon Like "how many" and "how much" ... "fewer" is discrete, while "less" is continuous.

Heh. When I was just coding on my own I used emacs. Then I started working for companies, and so the IDE thing began.

@skullpatrol It's not as clear as that. Consider one less mouth to feed for example.

12:49 PM

that is an idiom

But an instructive one.

Idioms are part of the language too.

@terdon I'm talking math

@Robusto Use EBC!

23

Q: Which is correct: "math" or "maths"?

Which one is considered correct? I say "math", however I believe I heard somewhere that "maths" is correct. Also, should it (and "mathematics") be capitalized or not?

user image

12:50 PM

@terdon wtf

@skullpatrol So? How about one less thing to worry about? One less bug to solve_?

@JSBձոգչ emacs baby!

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

one less man to pick up after

@terdon no, i mean why does preflightCheck return a 20-element array?

make that thing a hash or... something

@terdon Does it have intellisense, code completion, automatic syntax checking, etc.?

@JSBձոգչ I never use it as an array. The function is just reading options and setting those variables. I use the array syntax for simplicity, that's all.

12:52 PM

@terdon Is there no difference between the discrete and the continuous?

@terdon i am also suspicious of a function that returns 20 values

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 What is the optimal number of men to pick up after?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I gotta shower.

@Robusto Some of that, yes. Completion certainly, syntax checking in as much as the coloring changes (but that is very extensible, I just haven't bothered) and intellisense I don't know.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto one, as long as he appreciates it.

12:53 PM

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 That's not an answer.

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 So if you had one less, that would be zero. Zero men to pick up after.

@skullpatrol Well, I would use less for both I think.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto hey, I didn't write the song.

@Robusto I was answering skullpat.

!!afk shower

every day i write the book

Matt Эллен

@terdon when do you use fewer?

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 Nobody cares.

12:54 PM

@terdon That is not the mathematical convention :)

@JSBձոգչ Well, it's only run once, and its job is to check that everything is OK. Those are global variables used throughout the script. Also, bear in mind that I am a biologist by training and trade, not a programmer :)

@terdon perhaps i'll grant you an indulgence :)

@MattЭллен That's what I'm trying to figure out. There were fewer people than I expected for example.

@JSBձոգչ Thanks :). By the way, I enjoyed the story you posted the other day! Sounds like an interesting universe. Keep them coming!

@JSBձոգչ Me me me! raises hand furiously I want one!

@terdon My son is a biologist too. His programs get the job done, but I always tsk-tsk when I see his code.

12:56 PM

:)

@Mitch what sins have you committed?

I want to save up. Just in case.

@Robusto I've improved immensely but I've never taken a programming class in my life so my style is probably not too good.

Matt Эллен

Mitch has committed the sin of preparedness for sinning.

@skullpatrol I would say that fewer can only be used for discrete while less can be used for either.

12:57 PM

@MattЭллен Dammit... turns in chips

The main difference being the presence of a number. So, fewer mouths is fine while less mouths sounds strange while 5 less mouths sounds fine.

I'd like to take a moment to publicly praise our new moderators. They are doing a great job.

7

@terdon 5 less mouths sounds horrid.

I think for me the difference is whether the number is specified.

Matt Эллен

basks

who are the new mods?

12:58 PM

@KitFox Whohooooooooo Yay new mods!

@JSBձոգչ Matt, Andrew, Yoichi.

@JSBձոգչ All them new blue people.

Yoishi?

@terdon I'm going to start saying 'fewer' for indiscreet things. "I'll have fewer guilt once I have my prophylactic indulgences"

Have you been under a rock?

12:59 PM

And you can't stop me.

we allow septegenarian japanese men to mod on ELU now?

@KitFox star worthy

@KitFox yes

@JSBձոգչ Octogenarian.

@KitFox even better.

12:59 PM

@Mitch Oy! Nobody said anything about countable vs non-countable!

@JSBձոգչ Allow, shmallow, he was voted in and by a landslide if I remember correctly.

@JSBձոգչ And it is more of an honor post.

in all seriousness, i can hardly think of a better person than Yoichi

maybe we can make him president

I'd love to meet the guy.

@MattЭллен Wait, you can prepare for sinning? If so, how do you prepare for Original Sin?

@JSBձոգչ Dude.... I've been under a rock (long story) and I still know.

1:01 PM

i knew we were having elections. i hadn't looked at the results yet

@Robusto Always carry a small fruit knife?

@terdon He'll probably tell you to get off his lawn.

@JSBձոգչ It's Yoichi, not Yoishi. Sheesh.

@Mitch Heh, probably.

@Robusto Oishi-san.

1:02 PM

@Robusto It's a skill.

Matt Эллен

@terdon lol

Speaking of original sin:

I haven't seen his name in Japanese, but if I were to guess Yoichi means "first good" and Oishi means either "small stone" or "big stone" . . . In fact, I find it rather disconcerting that I can't see his name in the original. Leaves me always to guess at this.

there's no such thing as an original sin

I really need to spend some time listening to Costello. One of those musicians I know I'll like but have never really gotten into somehow.

@terdon Ask @cornbreadninja麵包忍者. She's got the bug.

1:10 PM

@yoichioishi Would you share your honorable name with us in chat, as it is written in Japanese?

So @JSB, when do you talk to your agent?

@KitFox already talked to her. i'm taking a bit to clean up the doc then sending it in

Did she know you had a novel?

i told her

!!jquery isArray

@JSBձոգչ api.jquery.com/jQuery.isArray

@JohanLarsson It really bugs me when people use the term OCD when they really mean fastidious or obsessive! nerd rage

2

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

1:21 PM

@Robusto it's more like a virus that flares up. Herpes Simplex EC.

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 There goes the neighbourhood.

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 The gift that keeps on giving.

I liked the Battleborn reveal trailer.

Just saw it on my way to some tingles.

@Mitch Indiscreet things like “seeing” your mistress before going to church with wife and kids?

@Robusto You can turn a programmer into a biologist, but not the other way around. I’ve seen it so often that is to cry for.

@tchrist discretion is the better part of valour

1:26 PM

@tchrist Ha! That's what programmers think.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto it looks like a luxury and feels like a disease

Accretion is the better part of value.

@skullpatrol The worst part of valor is that chicks think you're stuck up.

@terdon Discretion may or may not be discrete.

@tchrist Excuse me?

folds arms

1:28 PM

@KitFox Are you one or the other?

It was a biologist who turned into a developer. Now I'm a business analyst in a research laboratory.

@Mitch chicks like that need an attitude adjustment

@terdon Neither here nor there? Linsey-woolsey?

@KitFox That's some trajectory you (it?) have there.

@Robusto I dunno the difference

1:31 PM

@JohanLarsson joke

@skullpatrol You should 'check' the 'dial' before 'seeing' her before 'church'. Wait... that's the instructions on my chafing dish that I use the for the poached salmon for brunch on Sunday.

@terdon There were other stops and other dimensional trajectories as well.

It all comes clear now.

I'm rather non-linear.

@Robusto I got that much, but not the joke :)

1:31 PM

@JohanLarsson When it's you doing it, you are meticulous, a perfectionist who gives great attention to detail. When it's someone else, they're anal or have OCD.

ty ty

@JohanLarsson The joke was, my statement itself was an example of what many would consider OCD behavior.

i'm not feeling great. i may have to capitulate and go get food

See, it ruins a joke to have to explain it to a Swede.

I thank you for your patience though :) (All of you)

1:34 PM

Swedes are cool

Suedes are cooler.

!!youtube dont step on my blue suede shoes

@skullpatrol Rutabagas. Kohlrabi.

@skullpatrol No! Not the Elvis version! The Perkins one I posted is much better (and came first) :)

1:39 PM

I'm not interested in originality, just popularity :D

Tsk.

:P

@terdon Ah, a Carl Perkins aficionado. Cool.

@JohanLarsson do you like ABBA?

@robusto At least for that particular song, certainly.

@skullpatrol no, vocals are ok but the songs are meh

1:41 PM

Gotta go into a meeting. laterz.

later

pal

2:33 PM

So @Matt, I am writing more flash fiction for Neil.

Matt Эллен

yay!

what's it aboot?

let me think a min.

"on your doorstep" is the theme.

It's going to have a dishwasher — the person kind — and a potentially homeless young woman who is not a homeless young woman at all.

Matt Эллен

interesting

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox So an appliance that's actually a person and a person who's potentially not a person.

Funny how my brain jumps immediately to thinking they're both evil robots.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:42 PM

@aediaλ! hao jiu bu jian!

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Hola!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

how've you been?

Good! Busy. The start of summer has been a bit crazy at w*rk on account of everyone's vacations, but now things are settling down again.

And I'm almost done redoing my front porch! That's been absorbing every spare minute of my time except when it's raining.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

nice

Kit and I are planning a party on your front porch

so it's nice that you're getting it tidied up

Last night it was pouring out so I gave myself a night off and played videogames.

Hehe!

You'll like it. The blue and white is very relaxing.

user116848

2:57 PM

Hi folks!

Hello!

user116848

@aediaλ You mean it was raining. How much rain?

Matt Эллен

Hello!

user116848

@Cerberus Hey Cerbs. How are you doing today man?

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