English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

user227867

12:02 AM

There is a very evil user on Math SE. I try to ignore her all the time, but she is too evil.

user227867

I just need to constantly remind myself that ignoring is the best policy.

user227867

@Jez Strange, there is City Hall here too.

Jez

its quite a generic name

you in singapore?

user227867

I prefer to keep my location a secret.

user227867

The reason I am doing this is also secret.

user227867

12:07 AM

And no, I am not trying to be mysterious.

user227867

I am going to bed soon. You all sleep well.

Tonepoet

3:16 AM

Dear England,

I read this on your governmental website, which is located at https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/user-centred-design/how-users-read.html , today:

"You don’t read one word at a time. You bounce around. You anticipate words and fill them in."

I recommend learning to read English properly. Maybe there would be less confusion in the world if people did so.

Sincerely meant,
Tonepoet.

SmokeDetector

3:56 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Link at end of answer: Covering cars or vans with advertisement images, what is this called? by Cristian on english.stackexchange.com

Lawrence

6:11 AM

Apropos of nothing, figure 2-1 in this link just looks so ... bureaucratic? All that build-up, then point 4 happens.

@SmokeDetector There should have been a disclaimer, but I think the link is there to support the answer.

RegDwigнt

9:04 AM

@caub psst, nobody tell caub that "www" is only three syllables in proper languages.

Or by how many % his math courses would have been shorter if he didn't use any articles, which are completely unnecessary and do not mean anything.

When the French read War and Peace, they have to read a book that's 25% longer than the original. Hilarious.

RegDwigнt

9:44 AM

1

Q: What are the reasons behind English passion for short sentences?

Sometimes it happens that reading texts with sentences that are too short I feel like there is no fluency, as if someone talks hiccupping. Language is obviously a cultural formation and where I am from there is no such apparent need for always formulating the shortest sentence as possible. I wo...

Dupe or no?

25

Q: Is there a historical trend towards shorter sentences?

From my own reading of older books (eg. 18th, 19th century) in various styles (novels, philosophical treatises, scientific publications), it seems that sentences were longer back then. Is there good hard data on this? Have sentences in fiction shrunk faster than sentences in, say philosophy jour...

history

I am sorta on the fence.

Also lulz we has banners advertising Wiktionary?

Ah the memories.

Lawrence

9:58 AM

@RegDwigнt Josh's answer put a different slant on the question. If not for that, I'd be inclined to say the question is a duplicate.

DEAD

@DEAD: well yes, I certainly expect that mods are also taking positive action behind the scenes. On the other hand, even at the liveliest convention, if I have a problem and I follow a sign saying "Help Desk this way", I don't expect to find myself in an empty corridor. The message is also visible to others who might have an interest in the post itself and want to find out what's happening to it. — Chappo 49 mins ago

Why should we find out what's happening in the first place? (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

SmokeDetector

10:22 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Few unique characters in answer, no whitespace in answer, repeating characters in answer: Generic term for songs, movies, TV episodes, etc by user194047 on english.stackexchange.com

tchrist

1:32 PM

Cowzy tweet and sowzy tweet and liddle sharksy doisters.

Mitch

2:29 PM

@Tonepoet They're not telling you how to do it. THey're saying that that is how people tend to do it.

tchrist

@RegDwigнt Duzzint memmer thit.

tchrist

2:42 PM

Confession time: I always thought cockles and cocquilles were the same thing.

user227867

Confession time: I don't know what cocquilles are.

tchrist

coquille Saint-Jacques

Noun: coquille Saint-Jacques f ‎(plural coquilles Saint-Jacques)

scallop (mollusc)...

Cocquille is an alternate spelling for coquille.

And they're scallops.

user227867

Today I went for a haircut. Now I look very sexy.

tchrist

Me too.

cockle

Noun: Wikipedia

cockle ‎(plural cockles)
Any of various edible European bivalve mollusks, of the family Cardiidae, having heart-shaped shells.
The shell of such a mollusk.
(in the plural) One’s innermost feelings (only in the expression “the cockles of one’s heart”).
(directly from French coquille) A wrinkle, pucker

(11 more not shown…)

Verb: cockle ‎(third-person singular simple present cockles, present participle cockling, simple past and past participle cockled)

To cause to contract into wrinkles or ridges, as some kinds of cloth after a wetting; to pucker.

Damn it.

> From Old French coquille, from Vulgar Latin *cocchilia, form of Latin conchylia, from Ancient Greek κογχύλιον ‎(konkhúlion), diminutive of κογχύλη ‎(konkhúlē, “mussel”), from Proto-Indo-European *konkho.

user227867

Still no sight of Kit. She must be very busy.

tchrist

2:48 PM

So our word cockle is a direct borrowing from the French co(c)quille, yet scallops are in the Pectinidae mollusk family while cockles are in the Cardiidae mollusc family. Which aren't the same. I think. @terdon How ever do you keep all these straight?

user227867

Today I looked at a few Macbooks and was surprised to find that they had NO USB drive.

RegDwigнt

-1

Q: Another way to say?

How could one rephrase: "It has made me more determined"? I have already used "it has developed my..." and "it has increased my ..." and so would like to avoid such examples. Thanks in advance!

phrase-requests

tchrist

I was going to bring that up.

What should we do about those?

RegDwigнt

Srsly. People. Get rid of this.

tchrist

There are infinitely many of them.

RegDwigнt

2:49 PM

Yes. Because you people don't get rid of them.

tchrist

I'm trying not to hammer too often, but gah.

That.

RegDwigнt

I Can't Do It Alone from Chicago

►

user227867

Use the hammer if and only if it need be used.

tchrist

It doesn't even have any close votes.

user227867

Whether it need be used you decide for yourself.

tchrist

2:51 PM

Bad questions draw bad answers.

Not even ELL would take that one.

RegDwigнt

If you can't reword a sentence, nobody can help you.

user227867

Maybe I can.

tchrist

Too Broad, No Research, Primarily Opinion Based.

user227867

My job is to help people with no more hope.

RegDwigнt

You're an undertaker?

I didn't know that.

tchrist

2:53 PM

That's it: Jasper just outed himself as the Phial of Galadriel!

He probably keeps all his phials in a folderol.

user227867

Mariah says there can be miracles when you believe.

RegDwigнt

What is this gay language.

tchrist

Polari

Polari (or alternatively Parlare, Parlary, Palare, Palarie, Palari; from Italian parlare, "to talk") is a form of cant slang used in Britain by actors, circus and fairground showmen, merchant navy sailors, criminals, prostitutes, and the gay subculture. There is some debate about its origins, but it can be traced back to at least the nineteenth century and possibly the sixteenth century. There is a long-standing connection with Punch and Judy street puppet performers who traditionally used Polari to converse. == Description == Polari is a mixture of Romance (Italian or Mediterranean Lingua Franca...

Whoa oh oh oh.

RegDwigнt

My portefeuille is full of lexiphanitic patavinities.

tchrist

Polari, bobo bobo.

user227867

2:56 PM

Today I ate spaghetti carbonara.

tchrist

Nobody says car anymore.

RegDwigнt

Yeah certainly not Americans.

user227867

I think they just call it carbo.

RegDwigнt

This car? Not a car.

user227867

Here we call a truck a lorry.

RegDwigнt

2:57 PM

This car? Not a car.

This not-a-car? Car!

tchrist

We don't say car any longer anymore because parce que is so popular.

@RegDwigнt Yes, that one actually is a car.

user227867

Why is the latest edition of MW Collegiate from 2003?

user227867

It's high time for them to publish a new edition.

RegDwigнt

@tchrist No. It's a training wagon. It says so right on its friggen side.

tchrist

@JasperLoy Pretty sure your isle is too small for proper lorries.

RegDwigнt

2:58 PM

Alas, Americans don't read.

user227867

A dictionary cannot be more than a decade out of date.

tchrist

Islets can hold only lorikeets, not lorries.

RegDwigнt

What's new, pussykeet? Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh?

user227867

What is the most popular dictionary that people buy from bookstores in America? Is it MW Collegiate?

RegDwigнt

Dan Brown's Inferno.

user227867

3:01 PM

I will tell you what is most popular here... It is...

RegDwigнt

Dan Brown's Inferno.

user227867

OALD.

user227867

One copy costs about 20 USD here.

RegDwigнt

Boring.

Just buy something already.

You've been buying a dictionary for five years now.

English will cease to exist before you make up your mind.

user227867

Actually currently I own a copy of OALD. But I still like to talk about dictionaries.

RegDwigнt

3:04 PM

Well how about talking what's inside them rather than how many roubles they cost in Port-au-Prince. Because who cares.

user227867

Well, I like to give readers of this chat value for money.

user227867

I know we can look words up online easily, but I am quite addicted to physical books.

RegDwigнt

Yeah. That's why this chat is free to read.

user227867

The binding and the font in a book is also important to me.

user227867

Five years from now, I will still be talking about OALD.

RegDwigнt

3:07 PM

Fonts? In a book?

Certainly you mean typefaces.

user227867

OK, my word choice is not very good.

RegDwigнt

If only you had a dictionary...

user227867

Now I must look up font and typeface.

RegDwigнt

35

Q: What is the difference between a font and a typeface?

Originally, the typeface is a particular design of type, while a font is a type in a particular size and weight. In short, a typeface usually gathers many fonts. Nowadays, with the digital design of documents, you often see those two words used rather interchangeably. It doesn't make much sense ...

fonts typography typefaces terminology

user227867

I have been thinking of buying the Collins English Dictionary for a while now. Maybe I will get it later this year.

user227867

3:09 PM

I think it is the most comprehensive single volume dictionary of the English language.

user227867

However, the OALD is small and light, hence very portable.

user227867

Ah, tomorrow is the first of September.

user227867

It is also the first of the eight month in the Chinese calendar.

user227867

All calendars sold here have Sunday as the first column.

user227867

I need to print my own calendar then, with Monday as the first column.

user227867

3:15 PM

Alternatively, I can cut the first column and paste it as the last column after doing a vertical shift.

user227867

Wow, this method is ingenious.

RegDwigнt

3:38 PM

I am off for tonight. I hope I can trust y'all with keeping an eye on this.

-1

Q: I need to divide every word used in the English language into just ten categories

Looking for some suggestions on some very broad categories that I could use for this. Note that I'm not looking to divide up the words into things like verbs, adjectives. Instead looking to group them by a theme. Here's are some of the categories I thought of but I would appreciate any suggesti...

vocabulary

-1

Q: What category can I use for the word "climate"

I am trying to group words and came up with this list of categories: Times & Dates Counters Locations Foods & Drinks Small Items Structures Colors Animals Body parts Expressions Verbs Adjectives People & Family Transportation Now I am trying to fit words into categories and in pa...

word-choice vocabulary

kthxbai

tchrist

@RegDwigнt yes

Mitch

4:25 PM

@RegDwigнt You monster. All the French readers having to read about dead French people even longer

Mitch

4:45 PM

@KitZ.Fox What section are you in? I don't see you anywhere. I'm at a table in the Music section, near the big windows that overlook the cemetery.

Mitch

4:55 PM

@JasperLoy What? I have a number of dictionaries that are at least 20 years out of date.

Kit Z. Fox

5:16 PM

@Mitch I'm up in the tower, but not the YA section -- I'm in that little "bridge" alcove.

@Jasper I did see the link, thank you.

user227867

Wow, I logged in right when you typed, magic.

user227867

5:30 PM

@KitZ.Fox Am I right that accepted answers cannot be deleted?

Kit Z. Fox

@JasperLoy I think that's true.

caub

5:47 PM

@RegDwigнt :)) "trois double vé" isn't too long

@RegDwigнt it could be done with machine-learning

self-learned clustering

you'd need to use a graph maybe, to represent similarities between words (synonyms, et..), well off-topic

Færd

6:03 PM

What does Empire State even mean? The State of the states? The capital of the empire where the headquarters are? A state that is like a whole empire?

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…