English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Mitch

20:09

@MetaEd I guess so.

@Cerberus you mean...there Superman?

Vitaly

@Cerberus How do you feel about using the backticks instead of italics for formatting words and phrases?

MetaEd

@Cerberus Ah I see. The thorn ascender got shorter and there was no ascender to cross anymore.

Don't you hate fashion?

@aediaλ I don't. I still use it.

But I use a lot of obsolete things. Like ⁂.

Which also shows up in my published works.

Cerberus

@Mitch Uhhh...

@Vitaly Here, you mean? I find the change in font not very noticeable, so I think it doesn't work very well. Why do you ask?

@MetaEd It could be that, I don't know; have you looked it up?

Vitaly

@Cerberus In general. I find it ugly, and feel free to weigh in on that issue in the other room.

Cerberus

What do you think of these tweets? Offensive? Silly? Unremarkable? ^

MetaEd

20:16

@Cerberus Yes.

Vitaly

Cerberus

@Vitaly The Russian room?

Vitaly

@Cerberus Yep.

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus people are ugly.

Cerberus

@Vitaly Hmm at least those are a bit more visible, because of the grey.

MetaEd

20:17

Thorn with stroke

(minuscule: ), or (thorn) with stroke was a scribal abbreviation common in the Middle Ages. It was used for Old English (Modern English "that"), as well as Old Norse . In Old English texts, the stroke tended to be more slanted, while in Old Norse texts it was straight. In Middle English times, the ascender of the þ was reduced (making it similar to the Old English letter Wynn, ), which caused the thorn with stroke abbreviation ( ) to be replaced with a thorn with a small t above the letter ( ). Unicode encodes as , and at . A thorn with a stroke on the descender also exists. The ...

Vitaly

@Cerberus They are ugly and unconventional.

Cerberus

@cornbreadninja Ugly?

Mitch

@Cerberus just checking if MetaEd is reading.

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus ugly souls.

Vitaly

5

A: What emphasis to use when referring to words?

To add on to nohat's answer, italics are really the standard typographical practice for this. Wikipedia states that italic type is used when... Mentioning a word as an example of a word rather than for its semantic content (see use-mention distinction): "The word the is an article". As anot...

Cerberus

20:18

@Vitaly I must say I don't have a huge problem with them if they are noticeable enough and if there is no other use for them in the given context. But I would probably still prefer italics myself.

@MetaEd All right all right, I trust you!

@cornbreadninja Jews?

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus no.

MetaEd

@Mitch Sometimes.

Cerberus

OK.

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus the first tweet hit me poorly.

Cerberus

Hit you poorly? What do you mean?

I am trying to gauge to what extent different cultures have different opinions on such utterances.

user19161

20:26

@Vitaly You might as well reference Wikipedia itself.

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus the bit about penis-looking is juvenile. This is coming from a serious penis lover.

user19161

@cornbreadninja What are you talking about? No penises in chat!

Cerberus

@cornbreadninja Yeah it is a bit juvenile. But it does serve some sort of a legitimate purpose.

cornbread ninja

Hi @JasperLoy! See Cerb's tweet picture.

user19161

@cornbreadninja I know, I was just having some fun with you!

cornbread ninja

20:29

@Cerberus many, many circumcised belong to goy.

goys?

@JasperLoy oh, you. :D

user19161

So my "Now I feel gay" got only one star while Kit's "I feel pretty gay too" got three.

2

cornbread ninja

whistles

Gigili

@JasperLoy Now you know how to say it next time.

user19161

It's very interesting to ponder how these stars work.

user19161

I am beginning to see Regis Roux's pattern. Almost every time he gets a close vote or downvote he would comment why?

user19161

20:34

And his accept rate is quite low.

user19161

I think I will avoid his questions from now.

MetaEd

All your pen is belong to us.

user19161

Then every time John Lawler answers him, he will go wild as if he is God.

cornbread ninja

@MetaEd :D

@JasperLoy but it's all so trainwrecky

user19161

@cornbreadninja He does put effort into writing his question. But they can be very obvious to the native speaker.

cornbread ninja

20:38

@JasperLoy I wish I had been here for the Thursagen days.

user19161

I think we all have our own fans. Sometimes A's fans comes and you see all of A's answers upvoted, then B's fans come and you see B's answers upvoted.

user19161

@cornbreadninja You may wait 2 years 3 months for his suspension to end.

Cerberus

@cornbreadninja Yes, and Muslims, I believe. Or do those count as goyim?

cornbread ninja

@JasperLoy I recently read the penalty box meta.SO post which states that suspensions last from 1 to 365 days, so serious suspension is serious.

@Cerberus I'm out of my element now, but it is widely performed in the US in the name of 'cleanliness'.

I have no idea why I hyphenated that at first.

Cerberus

Oh yes, true.

But not in Sweden.

user19161

20:42

1

Q: What is the antonym for conversely?

What is the antonym for conversely? Or what is a concise way to say, "because of x, y follows"?

antonyms

user19161

Not sure what this is.

user19161

Voted as NR.

user19161

Anyone understands the question please explain to me.

Gigili

21:19

[Lively chattering]

user19161

tchrist - Hello Christ, I have improved my question and you have voted to close. Well, I cannot close your questions, but I have a lot of downvotes for they and for your answers. – Régis Roux 27 mins ago
combread ninja - Hello Ninja, as I said to Christ, you have downvote my question after I have improved it. Why is difficult to tell what is being asked here for you? Do you have problems with your brain? – Régis Roux 22 mins ago

user19161

Now I have a problem with him.

user19161

@corn Did you see the comment above?

anon

This time I'm actually here with an English question.

DylanMoreland poses the question: Is there a more refined word for "circlejerk"?

user19161

@anon What's that?

cornbread ninja

21:31

@JasperLoy a-hahahaha

anon

@JasperLoy A Dylan Moreland is a specific example of an algebraist.

user19161

@cornbreadninja I should comment, no but maybe there is some problem with yours!

cornbread ninja

@anon and here I assumed @JasperLoy was asking what a circle jerk is

user19161

@anon What are you even saying?

anon

@JasperLoy :whooooooooooosh: (sound of joke / head)

cornbread ninja

21:33

@JasperLoy I like it. RR should get a yellow card for what he said to tchrist, though

user19161

@anon Hey you learnt to say whoosh too?

anon

I don't remember where I got that from, but yes I use that sound effect occasionally. :)

user19161

@anon So WTH is a circlejerk?

cornbread ninja

@JasperLoy don't google it

Matt Эллен

Jasper, do a Google image search.

it will teach you all you need to know

cornbread ninja

21:35

@Matt!

anon

Metaphorically, it's a discussion or collaboration or whatever that, instead of having loftier purposes, is simply meant to be self-congratulatory or ego-stroking. Like "intellectual masturbation."

Matt Эллен

@cornbreadninja do you want to describe it? ;)

cornbread ninja

@Matt I'm not opposed to it

Cerberus

What is the point of it anyway?

user19161

@MattЭллен I just did, and I turned off safesearch and saw beautiful images.

cornbread ninja

21:36

@Cerberus I've always heard that there is an object placed in the middle for um, aiming purposes

anon

@Cerberus The point of an algebraist is to study things like groups, rings, fields, modules, lattices ...

cornbread ninja

and that the last one to hit said object must consume it (I've heard a cracker).

user19161

@anon I have begun to think that much abstraction is getting crappy. People are just playing with axioms.

Cerberus

@cornbreadninja And the point is that is...

@anon All right.

anon

@JasperLoy I used to feel that way. Once one gets an intuition for them, and the structures start appearing naturally, I don't feel that way anymore.

cornbread ninja

21:38

@Cerberus I suppose that last one to hit it is some sort of lesser being.

Cerberus

It sounds very weird.

cornbread ninja

@Cerberus this.

user19161

@anon I say this knowing that abstract structures arise in many situations, but not enough to justify so much abstraction.

cornbread ninja

@JasperLoy heh, 'arise'

sorry. ._.

user19161

@cornbreadninja What are you thinking of?

anon

21:40

clearly he's thinking of bread rising

she?

he/she.

user19161

All of you are very naughty today, but not as naughty as me!

cornbread ninja

@JasperLoy sundials.

user19161

@anon Maybe post your question on the main site, with greater clarity and formality.

cornbread ninja

@MattЭллен how did I do?

Matt Эллен

@cornbreadninja you seem to have described soggy biscuit

cornbread ninja

21:43

@MattЭллен aye.

Matt Эллен

not what a circlejerk is

but that's fine

cornbread ninja

@MattЭллен is there a difference aside from the presence of a target?

Matt Эллен

@cornbreadninja well, in soggy biscuit the participants masturbate themselves. I assumed a circle jerk required a ring of mutual masturbation. maybe I'm wrong

user19161

RR does not have a good idea of how this site works. It's like a jungle. With those comments, he has made some enemies.

cornbread ninja

@MattЭллен oh, neat.

user19161

21:46

He has disturbed the equilibrium in the jungle.

cornbread ninja

This is a piss-poor time to leave, but I must.

RR needs a red card.

cornbread out.

Matt Эллен

toodle pip!

I should be in bed too

MetaEd

Dammit! I missed the naughty.

simchona

@tchrist - Hello Christ, I have improved my question and you have voted to close. Well, I cannot close your questions, but I have a lot of downvotes for they and for your answers. – Régis Roux 59 mins ago

I flagged. There's no reason to say anything like that.

Mahnax

22:01

@cornbreadninja Oh, it goes well! Sorry, my Internet connection betrayed me earlier.

user19161

@simchona Oh I posted the comments a while ago. Both have disappeared after I flagged.

user19161

37 mins ago, by Jasper Loy

tchrist - Hello Christ, I have improved my question and you have voted to close. Well, I cannot close your questions, but I have a lot of downvotes for they and for your answers. – Régis Roux 27 mins ago
combread ninja - Hello Ninja, as I said to Christ, you have downvote my question after I have improved it. Why is difficult to tell what is being asked here for you? Do you have problems with your brain? – Régis Roux 22 mins ago

user19161

@Mahnax Boo!

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Ohai!

How's things, everyone?

user19161

@Mahnax How's your revision coming along?

Mahnax

22:07

@JasperLoy My revision?

Gigili

Fine. How's your Duolingo course going?

user19161

@Mahnax Your exams?

Mahnax

@JasperLoy What about them?

user19161

@Gigili He should be studying for exams now.

Mahnax

@Gigili Great! I think I'm at level 7.

Gigili

22:09

@Mahnax Oh, you're good.

Mahnax

@Gigili Merci.

What level are you at in German?

Oh, today something silly happened in English class.

Gigili

I'm not sure. It should be two or three if not less.

I gave up last time when it was all "der Apfel" and nothing else.

Mahnax

We were given a list of "words": oppertunity, intrests, succesful, recieved, unfortunateley, tryed, aquire, alot, and enviorment.

About six people said "most of those are right".

I almost cried.

user19161

@Mahnax Geezis.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Quite. I was very upset with them.

user19161

22:13

@Mahnax They should come to this chat so that I can correct them.

Mahnax

I don't want to sound rude or anything, but they're in a year 10 English Honours course, and they cannot spell?

@JasperLoy I corrected them enough.

Cerberus

At least alot is right.

Mahnax

@Cerberus disapproves

Robusto

Holy Shit! This is teh awesum! And here's the smoking gun.

Cerberus

@Mahnax Why?

Mahnax

22:20

@Cerberus It's not right, unless you're referring to the town in India.

Cerberus

This is an alot.

Mahnax

ORLY ?

Cerberus

hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.nl/2010/04/…

If you haven't, read this.

AFK

Mahnax

@Cerberus sighs

doesn't want to read

Cerberus

It's fun.

Just read the first ten lines, then.

> As a grammatically conscientious person who frequents internet forums and YouTube, I have found it necessary to develop a few coping mechanisms. When someone types out "u" instead of "you," instead of getting mad, I imagine them having only one finger on each hand and then their actions seem reasonable. If I only had one finger on each hand, I'd leave out unnecessary letters too!

Mahnax

22:23

Haha, that is fun.

Read the whole thing.

Cerberus

See?

@Mahnax Already?

Mahnax

@Cerberus Yeah…?

Cerberus

That is...quick.

Have you properly enjoyed the pictures?

Mahnax

Yep.

Cerberus

Well, I have to be off for now. Later!

Mahnax

22:24

There, I just read the entire thing again.

Bye!

Cerberus

Lies!

Byes!

Jez

just re-watched the Star Trek TNG episode Darmok. it's totally illogical.

Mahnax

Not even.

I was being 100 % honest there.

Jez

They communicate through metaphor with proper nouns - but they have words like "his arms open"

if you communicated thru metaphor, you wouldn't have words like "his arms open"

MetaEd

@Jez Why not?

Jez

22:26

because then why would you use clumsy metaphors?

it's much more efficient/clear to say "i give you this" than "Jirock, his arms open"

MetaEd

I don't think they any verbs.

Jez

so? they have pronouns, nouns, and prepositions

in a metaphorical language they wouldn't be needed

MetaEd

Sorry. "They no verbs."

Jez

"arms"? there's a metaphor for that...

MetaEd

Still not following you.

Jez

22:28

have you seen the ep?

MetaEd

yes.

Jez

well then, a species that evolved a language to understand that Jirock was a metaphor for giving wouldnt waste time with a bunch of words like "his arms open"

MetaEd

Basically their language seems limited to painting word pictures, concrete language. The hearer is supposed to remember the past event.

Jez

why bother with a proper noun?

if you have "his arms open", the proper noun is a complete waste of time

and vice versa

MetaEd

I suppose it refers not just to giving but to giving like a particular past giving.

Jez

22:30

again, why bother with "his arms open"

why even develop those words?

MetaEd

Presumably because Jirock is known for doing more than one thing. You couldn't just say "Jirock".

Jez

you'd just talk about the name of the person/place

buuuuuut if you need words to more accurately describe what he's doing, then they can describe the action by themselves without his name :-)

MetaEd

If you wanted to allude to stupid things people do at work, you might say, "Jirock, his ass on the glass".

Jez

either you reserve one proper noun for one meaning, or you have other improper nouns (actually the former case would basically just mean names develop into improper nouns and verbs)

Justin, his name completely redundant with other words to describe its meaning

Tony, our laughing at his logic

MetaEd

I don't think one can conclude that the Tamarian language is limited. The problem is that the Tamarian language is so much couched in metaphor that the universal translator has a very hard time making any sense of it.

Jez

22:36

that's the point though; it can make sense of other words they use to describe proper nouns

what i would've done is just have them say proper nouns all the time

then picard would hjave to figure out what the names represent

as it is, it's ludicrous that he takes half the episode to figure out that they are talking metaphor

i figured it out in 5 seconds

and the Federation never figured it out in 7 meetings with them before this? pah

MetaEd

It's a plot device. You are violating the Prime Directive: never interfere with the plot.

Jez

heh

MetaEd

Now I want to go home and spend the rest of the evening speaking Tamarian.

That will totally annoy my family, especially as they will know exactly what I'm doing.

Jez

Shaka, when the walls fell.

MetaEd

And probably understand me perfectly.

Well, I mean I'd use local metaphor.

"Your mother, when the condom broke."

Jez

23:00

lol

Your mistress, her panties edible?

user19161

@MetaEd What?

Jez

hahah

MetaEd

23:46

How to coagulate a banana.

On that weird note, I'm going home.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…