English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Robusto

02:00

Who you callin' puta?

tchrist

His madrasomething.

Cerberus

Is there a context?

Do you need this for something?

RegDwigнt

So turns out the Die Macht des Schicksals I just finished watching is called The Air I Breathe.

Whodathunk.

tchrist

3 mins ago, by RegDwigнt

Antonym for tele, quick.

RegDwigнt

And I cannot recommend it, even though it's at 7 on IMDb.

And even though Forrest Whitaker is in it.

tchrist

02:01

9 mins ago, by RegDwigнt

I was going to say how all porno must be untele, but couldn't think of the proper word.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt That's the power of destiny: to change into air at a moment's Nothung.

RegDwigнt

I always misspell him and I am too lazy to fix.

imdb.com/title/tt0485851/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_38

Robusto

Forest. Whitaker.

RegDwigнt

I gave it a 4.

tchrist

Is there non-tele-porno?

I guess phono-porno.

Robusto

02:02

@RegDwigнt I didn't know you were into 4-play.

I figured you for 4chan.

RegDwigнt

The Forest Whitaker bit is interesting, and the one after that even better, but then the movie completely disintegrates.

Been done better before and after, and not too few a time.

@Robusto /b or no / at all. Wimps and posers, leave the hall.

tchrist

I think my parser just dumped core.

Cerberus

@tchrist Ah OK, so none to speak of.

Robusto

At least it didn't dump in your pants. Or did it?

RegDwigнt

No, that's something Jasper would say.

And then he'd say lol.

tchrist

02:04

I said parser not possum.

RegDwigнt

Sorry, with your North Park accent no difference could be told.

Jez

Hey

tchrist

lol means Loves Only Ladies.

RegDwigнt

Or Lads.

tchrist

Same as naff.

RegDwigнt

02:04

Matter eater lads.

And helloes to all new arrivals.

Robusto

LOL is short for LOSER.

RegDwigнt

Though I should be saying goodbyes and goodnights.

tchrist

Loves Only Laddies, eh there Mr Scott?

RegDwigнt

@Robusto and not very short at that.

tchrist

Helios.

Jez

02:05

why did the term "HR" take over from "personnel"? I think the latter is clearer and frankly more elegant

RegDwigнt

Hell, yeios!

Robusto

Since when did bureaucracies ever lean toward elegance?

tchrist

You spell it your way, I’ll smell it mine.

Jez

i just don't see why they needed to change

it's not like "personnel" is even something the feminists could object to

it's not like "manpower"

RegDwigнt

Personnel is the people who work for under minimum wage to cram you into tube cars in Japan or something.

tchrist

02:06

They needed to feel embiggened.

RegDwigнt

HR sounds all shiny.

Googley.

Jez

@RegDwigнt no, actually, that sounds more like a "human resource" to me

RegDwigнt

You have a point.

But it is too late to have it.

tchrist

@Jez That was during the previous round of RIFs.

Jez

maybe that's it. big companies don't want to think of employees as real people

tchrist

02:07

Soylent green.

Jez

just another resource

RegDwigнt

Well yeah that's the obvious part.

Robusto

Don't get personnel.

Jez

still doesn't explain why smaller companies have HR departments and not personnel

RegDwigнt

Hello Marx. It's been a while.

tchrist

02:08

Sigh.

RegDwigнt

@Robusto you misspelled per say nel.

Robusto

Listen to Led Zappalin rock out.

tchrist

My goodness, even the dictionary missed HR.

It seems to have become entrenched.

RegDwigнt

+1 Just for the over-eager moderators. Would +10 if I could. — Soylent Green Jan 28 at 18:07

Those people keep calling 3k users moderators.

It is very confusing.

tchrist

The Hrothgard will never be the same again.

@RegDwigнt Is.

Cerberus

02:10

@Jez Yeah, business speak really sucks 99 % of the time.

RegDwigнt

@Robusto Led Zappalin is for hipsters. True Scotsmen listen to Lightbulb Zappalin.

Jez

@Cerberus it's so universal though, i mean no businesses still say "personnel"

why do all business have to adopt that shit?

Cerberus

They ought to.

I hate to say it, but there are ways in which most businesses suck.

RegDwigнt

But now I am really out.

tchrist

Which shit?

RegDwigнt

02:11

Abierto y alto.

Cerberus

Good night.

tchrist

Baja.

Bajada.

Jez

@tchrist business speak like "human resources"

Robusto

►

tchrist

Rebajadas.

Tweenifucked.

Robusto

02:12

And just for @Reg.

tchrist

Which sounds naughtier than it is.

Cerberus

But you should be glad you're English. In Dutch, they often use...English terms for business words, which is 1000 % suckier.

They also use HR.

Robusto

Russia on Ice. A lot grimmer than Disney on Ice, I can assure you.

tchrist

@Cerberus What, for bizspique?

Jez

@Cerberus whereas in Quebec they find a French-sounding way of saying everything even if it doesn't make sense :-)

Cerberus

02:13

Yes, but I was mainly referring to job descriptions and such.

@Jez Yeah that's great. They should keep it up.

If there is no Dutch word, the à la.

Robusto

Yeah, what's up wid all dem Quebeckers speakin' Quebec-wha?

tchrist

@Jez Also en France, eh?

Cerberus

But if there is, it is like super duper stupid, trying to sound "cool".

Robusto

@Cerberus There is no Dutch word. We've been over this.

Jez

no, mainly Quebec

Cerberus

02:14

@Robusto Personeel. Personeelszaken.

tchrist

What, like whoobercool?

Robusto

Refrescaron y revivieron un estilo que se creía muerto.

Cerberus

At least Dutch is not bits and pieces of several other languages, like the "language" that is English.

Robusto

@Cerberus If you like Dutch so much, why don't you marry it?

Cerberus

That's random.

Robusto

02:15

I notice you speaking almost nothing but English in here.

And precious little of that.

Especially when we need you to speek Greak.

Cerberus

Where did I say I liked Dutch?

tchrist

@Jez On a dit que les Québécois sont plus français que les français mêmes, or words to that effect.

Jez

@Cerberus in that comment

eux mêmes

Cerberus

I did not say that...

tchrist

@Cerberus I think it was about chocolate.

Robusto

02:16

@Cerberus You were standing up for it. That's bad enough.

Cerberus

At least I'm not standing up for English...

Robusto

@tchrist On a dit Canardien.

Jez

no but the Quebecois are their own beast

tchrist

bête

Cerberus

It would be really nice if you could ask business English to stop pooping on Dutch, ktxbai.

tchrist

02:18

noire

Robusto

Bête Davis was a monstress.

Jez

@Cerberus dont blame me; i share your disdain for stupid business words that are unnecessary

tchrist

And into noire.

Robusto

@Cerberus Shit flows downhill.

tchrist

@Jez Your sentence is some three words too long.

Jez

02:19

they're emphasizing words

Robusto

Are you saying "that are unnecessary" is itself unnecessary?

What a conundrum.

RegDwigнt

6

Q: using noun as adjective; does position matter?

I'm doing some programming and I'm analyzing text written in English. I'm identifying parts of speech and I run into cases where I have something like vacuum cleaner. I, as a human, know that the word cleaner is dominant in this case and the word vacuum describes the cleaner. Both of these words ...

Okay, help me outta here.

Why the heck is that the number one on the MC now?

Miraculous.

Robusto

imdb.com/title/tt0053472/?ref_=nv_sr_1

RegDwigнt

Looks like "programming" is a keyword that adds OVER 9000 to your score.

Jez

didn't know there still was an MC after that shit redesign

Robusto

02:21

Jez

talking of shit redesigns, has anyone seem NameCheap's website now?

Robusto

Me foist souffle, tweened ^

Jez

it is bloody awful. i hope they don't turn into the next GoDaddy

tchrist

> distain [dɪˈsteɪn], v. arch. a. OFr. desteindre (stem desteign-), mod.Fr. déteindre = Pr. destengner, Sp. desteñir, Com. Rom. f. des-, dis- (def#1) + L. tingĕre to dye, colour, tinge. 1. trans. To imbue or stain (a thing) with a colour different from the natural one; to discolour, stain, dye, tinge. 2. transf. and fig. To defile; to bring a blot or stain upon; to sully, dishonour.

Cerberus

@Jez I know, you're on my side.

tchrist

02:22

@Jez So go ahead and distain what you will. :)

@Robusto wants

Cerberus

@Robusto Through the sea, up the dikes, and then down?

Robusto

And lemon too.

Cerberus

Have you just made that?

Robusto

First one was cheese.

tchrist

¡Más, más!

Robusto

02:23

@Cerberus Made them a couple weeks ago. First one was cheese.

Cerberus

Not bad.

Robusto

This is all building up to when my son comes over next week and we make a truffle souffle.

tchrist

@Robusto Hm, as in chocolate or fungoid?

Robusto

@tchrist Fungal. As in Fungal's Cave.

But chocolate souffle isn't a bad idea.

tchrist

I love Mendel.

Featherstitching in the strings.

Jez

02:26

not as good as:

►

Robusto

Yeah. And Mendelssohn was a Mensch.

►

tchrist

So nice.

Robusto

Although "He brides" sounds kinda gay-weddingish.

tchrist

Hi berno.

Robusto

I rish.

おととい、彼はその原野で奇妙な出来事を目撃した。

tchrist

02:32

Or knees.

Robusto

Orc knees is lands. How is that possible?

tchrist

I need something Scotch.

Robusto

Laguvulin's always a safe choice.

tchrist

> 1788 Burns Macpherson’s Farewell v, — May coward shame distain his name / The wretch that dare not die!

Robusto

But . . . bourbon makes a comeback! Had me first Pappy Van Winkel t'other day.

tchrist

02:34

But yes.

Laphroaig

Robusto

You like 'em peaty.

tchrist

Balvenie. Double Wood.

Robusto

Got my eldest a bottle of this Laphraoig for Christmas.

tchrist

Ancient of days.

Robusto

Funny, I was just thinking of that term yesterday.

After not thinking about it for, like, decades.

Synchronicity.

tchrist

02:38

Ok, whisky run time.

Robusto

The Nine Billion Names of God

"The Nine Billion Names of God" is a 1953 science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. It was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964. In 2004 it won the retrospective Hugo Award for Best Short Story for the year 1954. Plot summary This short story tells of a Tibetan lamasery whose monks seek to list all of the Names of God, since they believe the Universe was creat...

Leicht.

AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute

03:07

Which one is correct: ?

Which of the following team is most likely to make an appearance in the Finals? OR Which of the following teams is most likely to make an appearance in the Finals?

anyone?

Cerberus

@AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute Teams.

There are several teams, and only one of those teams will appear in the Finals.

AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute

@Cerberus Thank you. It shouldn't have been that hard, I just started thinking about the first option and soon I was wondering why it isn't that.

tchrist

03:28

@Cerberus Usually Finals involve at least two teams. Otherwise, there’s nobody to beat.

Jasper Loy

@AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute What a username!

EnglishMaster

Guys, do people still use the word "supper"?

I'm reading Hobbit and they use the word all the time to describe "meal"

AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute

03:47

@JasperLoy :D

tchrist

@EnglishMaster Who in the world told you that supper “wasn’t used anymore”?

It’s the most normal word for it, especially if the meal is not a formal one.

Cerberus

@AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute Now you know!

tchrist

Tolkien uses supper four times for every time he uses dinner.

And so do the rest of us.

Cerberus

@tchrist I meant "there are" in context, probably those teams that are in a certain pool.

Not all teams in the universe.

Out of some other pool, there will also be only one team that goes to the finals.

EnglishMaster

Ok thanks, I personally haven't seen it used that often so I assumed it was a ancient word.

how about "riddle"? Do people still use this word a lot nowadays?

tchrist

04:05

@EnglishMaster How do you think you would check this for yourself?

@Cerberus True enough.

EnglishMaster

Ok

Cerberus

nods

EnglishMaster

Let's play Game of Riddles." What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?"

Cerberus

A towel?

EnglishMaster

yeah

"what is in my pocketese?"

Cerberus

04:14

The One Ring?

EnglishMaster

Oh ho ho, no, I happen to have Twizzlers in my pocket

^_^.. nvm

sorry

Cerberus

I'm sorry, that is beyond my level of comprehension!

But it's bed time.

Good-bye!

EnglishMaster

g'bye

tchrist

Mithrandir is partial to cream cheese frosting.

Cerberus

Say mew to him from me.

Bai!

tchrist

04:17

Bye. Way past mine.

Johan Larsson

07:08

@Robusto I poured me a glass of Laphroaig during Christmas, did not drink it. Color was nice though, like apple juice.

Robusto

12:11

@JohanLarsson Why would you pour and not drink?

►

Johan Larsson

buzzfeed.com/robinedds/…

@Robusto plan was to drink but changed my plan after the first taste of it.

Robusto

@tchrist But, curiously, one doesn't ask a lady to supper unless it's to meet one's parents. One asks her to dinner.

Johan Larsson

@Robusto Not available in Sweden

Robusto

@JohanLarsson He says, "There's a special rung in hell reserved for people who waste good Scotch."

Johan Larsson

oh, I even remember that when you say it.

You have any nice duets in stock?

Robusto

12:15

I have a bottle of Laphraoig. I drink it when I'm in the mood for peat.

Johan Larsson

Gf switched over to peat for the horses.

Much better than saw dust ime.

Lot of translating now

Robusto

Yes. Well, it's an acquired taste.

0

Q: An LED or a LED. Which is correct?

We are usually using "an" before vowels but I saw in sentence that it has been used "an" before consonant: "A common type of opto-isolator consists of an LED and a phototransistor in the same package." Which is correct? You can see source of sentence here.

grammar vowels consonants

Oh, FFS.

possible duplicate of Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms? (and at least a dozen others). — Robusto 1 min ago

Robusto

13:24

@RegDwigнt Interesting. 屎 (くそ, or kuso) means, roughly, "bullshit" in Japanese. Coincidence?

tchrist

@Robusto That’s because of the implied formality of the matter.

kalina

14:31

Good ~~morning~~ afternoon

Mitch

15:00

@EnglishMaster When I was a kid, that was the word I (and my family) used for the evening meal (AmE). But even as a child I also noticed that it was a bit too often in the Hobbit and that maybe it was meant for most any non-morning meal. Nowadays I realize that I hardly ever hear 'supper' and instead 'dinner'.

Cerberus

15:13

@Janus Bahs: The term "Empirical" derives from the use of the imperial system as a phrase to denote repeatable, calculable, scientific results/reasoning. The imperial system has been abandoned in the scientific community in favour of the metric system. Why then use empirical, an anarchic term, to denote " Infallible" evidence. — Valtharsus 2 hours ago

Mitch

Exactly!

Cerberus

@Mitch !

Mitch

Empricism is the holdout of the Ancien Regime and all the decadent excrescent paternalistic/maternalistic (I should say aunt-like) monarchies;

Cerberus

Don't you mean emprickism?

Mitch

Whereas the rational Rationalism of the metric system it is Bayesianly getting less wrong.

@Cerberus Or Dickism. Short for Direchtism, the teutonic, hero derived romanticism of being more and more of a self-righteous dick.

Cerberus

15:23

Ah.

How very German.

Hey, what do you guys think the advantages and disadvantages are of elected mayors?

How well do mayors function in practice?

Mitch

Depends on the city culture?

and what is the alternative...a mayor appointed by the (elected) city council?

@Cerberus Also French.

Holy crap, also everywhere.

Cerberus

@Mitch Currently, mayors are appointed by cabinet, based on the advice of some commission and of the city council.

Or, more correctly, appointed by the King, but he's just a rubber stamp.

They want to change that. Some cities already have elected mayors.

The main disadvantage would seem to be populism?

Elected mayors abroad seem to be somewhat more scandalous than our (non-elected) ones, so far. On the other hand, being a mayor is more like a random step in one's career in a political party here.

Still, many mayors are fairly popular.

Perhaps it doesn't matter a great deal either way, because mayors don't have that much power anyway?

Mitch

15:40

@Cerberus Large cities in the US (hm...and mostly small ones) have elected mayors. Some do well, some don't.

@Cerberus that's the entire argument against democracy altogether.

Cerberus

Yes, and it is a strong argument.

Mitch

It is the Hamilton vs Jefferson debate.

Cerberus

No idea.

Mitch

(I think)

strong federalism vs devolved power.

local government vs central

Cerberus

The main thing I would be afraid of is that mayors would be very rich tycoons influencing policy in favour of (their own) business.

Mitch

15:42

elitism vs populism.

Cerberus

Real elites are good, just like real democracy; but the problem is that they are always to some degree afflicted by (soft) corruption and populism, respectively.

Mitch

@Cerberus Bloomberg (former mayor of NYC) I think was taken to be a counter example to that... is a a bajillionaire, but was a reasonably good mayor and without corruption.

Cerberus

Yeah?

I thought he was the one with the stop-and-frisk?

Mitch

I'm just repeating what I've heard. I have no idea really.

Cerberus

Heh.

Mitch

15:47

@Cerberus I think Giuliani started that. Bloomberg didn't stop it. De Blasio, the new mayor, I think has said he'll stop it. Also, it is controversial in that a lot of people thought the stop-and-frisk was a good thing. (reduced crime overall). Of course it was not welcomed by those stopped and frisked like those walking while black.

Cerberus

I also read about how the police of New York have agents in foreign countries who mess things up and come up with bad reports.

Apparrently, Bloomberg did not stop this either. Or he started it.

But anyway, of course good mayors can be elected.

Johan Larsson

16:03

Did you read about this?

Mitch

No but I saw a youtube mashup about it though.

so two things have happened, a group of people beat up one guy with batons (terrible), but then some one person took trouble to edit it with lightsaber effects? to make it funny? or a drama? also distinctly terrible.

@Cerberus and good kings can put themselves into place.

Cerberus

@Mitch Yes...although it is harder to restrict the power of their offspring, if the good Kings had a lot of power.

Mitch

The kids should arm wrestle for the title. (and cousins)

I've heard armwrestling is not good for your elbow. So maybe not.

Johan Larsson

@Mitch oh, didn't know that

cyril

what is the opposite of sub, sub-domain != ...-domain?

Mitch

16:15

No I know...a 'standing' competition. How long you can stand up with no food or water or nothing. makes it more fair to women.

@JohanLarsson so you mistrust one of two things 1) either there are actual lightsabers or 2) people don't gang up and beat individuals on the ground.

cyril

15

Q: What is the opposite of the "sub" prefix?

The term subcategories refers to lower level categories. Which term should I use to refer to higher level categories? Does supercategories sound right?

word-choice prefixes

Mitch

So none of those answers there worked for you?

'standing up for as long as possible' is a better metaphor for governing. If you can do it while sleeping, then more power to you.

cyril

no, super is ok, thanks

Cerberus

Sub v. super; hypo v. hyper.

Latin; Greek.

Johan Larsson

@Mitch don't know how to respond. Just missed the fact that it was edited.

Mitch

16:31

I think that's why it must be controversial because it looks like a movie until you realize that the light sabers were edited in and somebody was actually being beaten.

Johan Larsson

I regret linking it now

Matt Эллен

18:07

►

Gaiman read Seuss

tchrist

18:22

@MattЭллен I like his Wisconsin accent.

Matt Эллен

Is that what that is? cool

tchrist

He’s lived in Wisconsin for more than 20 years now.

I sometimes hear some Canadian Rising in his vowels, which is something that happens up thereabouts. I don’t know. It seems more um, “brazen” than stuffy RP.

He seems a baeth guy, not a bahth guy.

I don’t know whether he started out that way though.

Matt Эллен

I've not a clue

tchrist

Nay, tarry: nary?

Damn that Seuss!

Matt Эллен

:D

tchrist

18:30

►

Beware the Tweedle Beetle battles, my son.

Matt Эллен

ha! That's a good one :D

tchrist

Moar:

►

I don’t see how a child, let alone a grup, could get through it without throwing profanity bombs left and right.

Joyful flashmob in picturesque Sabadell, a word whose native [səβəˈðeʎ] pronunciation comes not trippingly off the English tongue.

No stops, three approximants. Would you like to buy a consonant?

I wonder who Saint Roc was?

I don’t know why, but that video makes me happy.

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…