English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

« first day (3085 days earlier) ← previous day next day → last day (2133 days later) »

Jasper

07:41

Cambria looks much better than Times New Roman.

Gigili

08:05

I must thank you for introducing Dan Carlin @Robusto.

How's your hand?

M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ

08:44

@Færd No it was just that I heard about Peterson but never gave a damn before and the Stanley Kubrick guy I just met yesterday. I did read part of the glorious transcript of the debate

Ooof, harsh. Maybe I'm in the mood because of this ACC Long. It has a terrible aftertaste.

Q: Did the North Korean government ever say that Kim Jong-il never defecated?

Recently, someone claimed while talking to me that North Korea said that Kim Jong-il never needed to poop. Is there any evidence that this claim is true, such as an Internet Archive page? I have found an unsourced Guardian article, and while I generally trust them, this seems very outlandish. CB...

SmokeDetector

09:17

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword with email in answer, email in answer (161): What is the meaning of the "will already have...." structure? by Lydia Mandy on english.SE

RegDwigнt

09:40

@Mitch well go sit on the raft with the chicken, then. Slacker.

chickenonaraft.com

3 hours later…

Færd

12:20

> Who's the man IN/WITH the black hat?

Which one? The man is wearing the hat.

Matt E. Эллен

12:32

both are correct

Færd

12:55

Thanks!

Jasper

13:22

@Færd For me, I would usually say 'the man wearing the black hat'. However, I do not wear any hats.

M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ

13:36

I wouldn't usually say anything. Men with black hats don't have anything to do with me

1 hour later…

Mitch

14:56

@M.A.R.ಠ_ಠ I'd knock it right off his head. That's a style choice that's just asking to be laughed at.

@Færd To add more, both sound perfectly fine to me (I couldn't tell the difference), but if I were to say it, it'd much more likely be 'with' or 'wearing'.

Robusto

15:56

@Gigili The hand (more specifically, the little finger) is getting better, thanks for asking. Still not 100%, and still not pain free, but I'm hopeful those will come in time.

@Færd The only difference is that in proclaims that the man is wearing the hat. Using with could apply to a man wearing the hat or a man carrying it.

@RegDwigнt whoooosh

M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ

@Mitch I can't tell if that's anti-noir or too noir

Keep these mind

16:23

What's wrong with the Chat name?

In any case: "He took a half-hour to greenlight a $200 million investment in a startup that grows vegetables indoors." Is this normal, wouldn't you say 'half an hour'?

Færd

@Jasper Thanks! That's a longer version!

@Mitch Interesting. I expected with to be more felicitous with hat, glasses, socks, and in with jacket, pants. Ie, I expected there to be a difference between garments or accessories that partially cover your body (if at all), and garments that cover more of you or surround you. Thanks.

@Robusto That's a fine distinction to make. Thanks.

Mitch

17:03

@Færd I think @Jasper's point is .. on point. 'wearing' would be what I would say for all. On a case by case basis, I think your pattern sounds right. I'm just saying if I had to say anything out loud, 'wearing' would be the most natural.

And to @Robusto's pt, yes, 'with the black hat' could be that he's holding the hat. But 'with the black socks/glasses' logically also, but that would be weird to be holding glasses/socks in your hands. That' much more of a common sense/pragmatic implicature thing though.

@M.A.R.ಠ_ಠ grisâtre

Robusto

17:20

@Mitch That's a useful comment if the only goal of communication is to reduce it to a statement of the obvious. But that approach planes off all nuance.

Mitch

@Robusto I don't think so. It is common enough to see someone holding their hat, but not as much holding their glasses or socks.

Robusto

@Mitch I think it's also common enough to see someone holding glasses or socks. If you live alone, perhaps not as much, but certainly there are those who choose to live with others, or are put in situations where they have to, e.g., the military, college dorm rooms, immigrant detention centers along the border, etc.

Færd

17:35

In order of prevalence, I would rank holding one's glasses first, then one's hat, then socks.

Mitch

1. The man with the black glasses
2. The man with the black hat
3. The man with the black socks
For 1 and 3, my first thoughts on hearing would be that the man is wearing them. For 2, the man could just as well be holding the hat as wearing it.

Færd

I agree, for what it's worth.

Mitch

in that I'd be slightly surprised if you showed me a picture of someone holding glasses or socks, but not holding a hat.

Færd

But that's strange, because I think holding glasses happens more often in the universe than holding hats.

Mitch

OK, but I'd still be a little slightly surprised being shown a picture with a guy holding them, moreso than if they were wearing them.

SmokeDetector

17:48

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Mostly dots in answer (36): What does "intellectual fit" mean? by user344922 on english.SE

2 hours later…