English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

1:04 AM

@GeorgePompidou No, we do not expect it. We know nobody learns Dutch in school. But people do learn French and German and English in school everywhere.

It does annoy me a little bit, though, when some foreigner who has lived here for years still doesn't speak Dutch and the whole company is forced to switch to English.

Cerberus

1:16 AM

@Mitch Boo.

Excavate that!

@Mitch Do Europeans think that Americans are racist? I didn't know that.

We are probably less racist because we are 99% Caucasian, so there are fewer people to race.

We are, however, just as discriminatory.

Don't try to send in a job application signed by Muhammad Allahakbar.

@Mitch It is true that restaurants around the Mediterranean are on average much better than those in the Northern-European sphaere.

George Pompidou

1:30 AM

@Cerberus that is ridiculous. also good to know, would you say my chances are about the same to communicate with someone in French or German as with English?

Cerberus

@GeorgePompidou No.

English is the way to go.

George Pompidou

oh :<

Cerberus

Most people's French really sucks.

Most people's German is somewhat better, but still sucks.

Everyone speaks enough English to serve your needs.

George Pompidou

ah, yes, my needs.

Cerberus

"Just fifty Euros to go all the way", that sort of thing.

George Pompidou

1:33 AM

I know. when I travel with my mom, she can only speak English and Romanian.

I always felt weird speaking English to people, because I feel like an entitled American. but for my mom, it's clear that English is also not her native language.

so it works fine for her ^.^

Cerberus

Heh.

The fact that you address people in English will not be frowned upon at all here, not even if you are American.

George Pompidou

^.^

Cerberus

And your accent will probably be better than that of most Englishmen who come here...

Dropping their t's and whatnot.

George Pompidou

it's like in Luxembourg. I've never been addressed not in English there. so many foreigners they just gave up on every other language.

ah yes, I have a pure midwestern accent. free of anything interesting.

Cerberus

Yes, people here will address you in English if they have the slightest suspicion that you might not be Dutch.

Well, it is an American accent.

George Pompidou

1:36 AM

which my big ass Canon might be a hint of.

Cerberus

Yeah.

George Pompidou

I gotta get a smaller lens for this thing. I have the 18-135 lens and it looks like a rocket launcher.

Cerberus

If I should run your over on my bike, I apologize half-heartedly in advance.

George Pompidou

no no, I apologize.

because it would mean I have not yet figured out how to stay out of bikers' ways

I'm so excited for the concert!

Cerberus

We'll see!

I may be in the Rijksmuseum on Friday.

George Pompidou

1:38 AM

business or pleasure?

Cerberus

Pleasure. Catch the Late Rembrandt exposition if you can, it is unique.

George Pompidou

I really should. I was such a small child last time I was there, it's almost meaningless.

that's a good idea.

Cerberus

Getting all those paintings together from all other the world, happens only once a decade, and only in very few musea.

George Pompidou

I still don't much know how to appreciate painting.

but I can understand the value of such an exhibit.

Cerberus

This is the last week, and maybe all days are already fully booked, I don't know whether we can still get tickets.

George Pompidou

1:40 AM

and of seeing it.

Cerberus

You could always do a guided tour. I think.

George Pompidou

I wish my dad could be around for that. he is the best at teaching me about culture and how to appreciate it.

how to check if there are still tickets?

Cerberus

I don't know, my mother was going to call them up today.

George Pompidou

> Tickets for all admission times are still available from the ticket counter every day (until 17 May).

Cerberus

That is probably the easiest way.

George Pompidou

1:44 AM

from their website

Cerberus

My boyfriend told me that he friend had said that there were almost no tickets available any more, that's all I know.

George Pompidou

perhaps they have them rationed by day.

but check out their website, maybe you can see something I cannot.

Cerberus

Ah, I see: you can't book them online any more, but you can still book them at the counter.

Annoying.

George Pompidou

I clicked on plan je bezoek

which is a hilarious set of words

and then I went to koop my tickets hier

which is another hilarious set of words.

Cerberus

Is it?

Be careful:

You will probably be buying tickets to the regular exposition.

Not to the Late Rembrandt.

George Pompidou

1:48 AM

I don't know why Dutch is so funny/adorable to me. listening to it is enough to make my day.

no I know

Mitch

@Cerberus That's the impression I get, an American who thinks that Europeans think Americans are more racist then them.

Cerberus

Which is fine, because it is a great museum even without the special exhibition.

George Pompidou

I clicked on the rembrandt link specifically.

and it doesn't have tickets. you are correct.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou It's enough to make me want to take some cough syrup.

Cerberus

@Mitch Based on what? Personal experience?

George Pompidou

1:49 AM

do you know in family guy, the Schpoople champion Fjurg van der Ploeg

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou Museums are dumb, especially when you can see the paintings just fine in a book or online.

George Pompidou

and he also has a backerei

@Mitch dude, >.<

Mitch

@Cerberus not my personal experience with individual Europeans who say the, but my personal experience reading European news/opinions articles.

Cerberus

@Mitch You have a point...the same applies to plays and cinemas and operas and footbal matches and college classes...but still...

George Pompidou

I disagree, I see no point there.

Cerberus

1:50 AM

@Mitch Doesn't sound familiar, but OK.

George Pompidou

it's an entirely different experience.

Cerberus

What we do think is that Americans are obsessed with race.

George Pompidou

well, we sort of have to be with our history and whatnot.

Mitch

@Cerberus that is a given. except French restaurants I consider Northern European and good.

Cerberus

@GeorgePompidou Yes.

@Mitch Hah, no, they have nice weather.

We only have dreary rain.

And you, too, have inherited the dreariness that comes from it.

Even though your lands are hot.

George Pompidou

1:52 AM

I forgot to take my shirts to the Reinigung, and I only have two shirts for my trip.

drats.

I wonder if they can do next day service.

Cerberus

Buy a new one at H&M?

Probably cheaper than next-day service...

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou people who are not native speakers of English will more often than not use English to communicate to each other (rather than French or German)

Cerberus

Okay, not cheaper, but almost as cheap.

George Pompidou

or I can just wear t-shirts. like some kind of… non fancy guy.

Cerberus

Bleh.

George Pompidou

1:53 AM

someone finally took a picture of me!

my buddy snapped a photo of me when we were in Nürnberg and I made it my Linkedin profile picture because I wanted to look cool to my business contacts.

Cerberus

Who? Show us!

At least you admit it.

George Pompidou

I am going to look on linkedin.

is my profile visible to people who aren't my friends?

Cerberus

No idea.

George Pompidou

we can try.

otherwise I'll have to look for the picture, wherever it is.

Mitch

@Cerberus OMG. College classes. Even the most interesting mind blowing ones, I just can't sit through anymore. After 10 minutes I'm like 'get to the effing point, what's the punchline?' I feel like shooting myself in the face.

Cerberus

1:57 AM

@Mitch Mmm I understand what you mean, unless I'm specifically in the mood.

It's bed time here.

I don't know about your time zones.

Mitch

@Cerberus nicer than Holland? London Amsterdam Paris have identically crappy wether interspersed with one afternoon of tolerable sunshine. Then you die.

George Pompidou

linkedin.com/pub/george-capote/62/58a/331

is that visible?

linked in is totally jacked

Cerberus

@Mitch Nooo Paris has much better weather.

Amsterdam and London are equally hopeless.

George Pompidou

it's really difficult to use

I really prefer Amsterdam and London weather.

Mitch

@Cerberus I have inherited nothing. All my dreariness I built out my own two hands. I'm a self-made pessimist.

You're just going to say I'm entitled, and I really am just resting on my parents excess of dreariness.

George Pompidou

1:59 AM

a pessimist!?

that's absurd.

everything is so wonderful

except the French.

Mitch

@Cerberus C and A, cheapest.

George Pompidou

linkedin just opened 8 new tabs on my iPad

I don't think it likes apple devices.

Cerberus

@GeorgePompidou I can see the (medium-sized) picture, nice.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou no picture. but has the rest

George Pompidou

no picture?

jeez

Cerberus

2:02 AM

@Mitch Bah, you think you can accomplish anything, don't you?

George Pompidou

I was so proud of it. pictures are almost never taken of me. except by my girlfriend, but she never shares pictures.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou no it's just Paris. Everybody else is normal.

Cerberus

@Mitch Oh, do you have C&A? That's Dutch.

OK bed time!

Bai gais.

George Pompidou

there's one of those in the altstadt next to my houes!

house.

Mitch

@Cerberus I thought it was Canadian because of the letters. Really.

George Pompidou

2:03 AM

WHOA it's 4

what the hell am I doing with my life.

Mitch

@Cerberus later dude

Cerberus

@Mitch Hilarious.

George Pompidou

I got lectures tomaaaarah!

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou certainly not sleeping it away.

Cerberus

It was founded by C. Brenninkmijer and A Brenninkmijer.

Or maybe it is -meier.

Mitch

2:04 AM

@Cerberus I know! I don't tell people in real life stuff like this. Wait...what if they know already?

Cerberus

<disappears>

George Pompidou

all those places are great here

there's like H&M and Zara in the US but they suck there.

totally different stuff.

it's like they took all the clothes from the fuckboy section of the European stores and made entire stores in America out of them.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou Really? I bet it's all context. I think at this stage in the world (2015) the identical clothes are sold in St. Louis, London, Istanbul, Delhi and Beijing. All made in Vietnam. OK, not really, but totally really at C and A.

George Pompidou

really or not really WHICH IS IT MITCH

I'm all sticky cause there's no air conditioning here and I'm American.

I think my skin just becomes dependent on fresh, cool AC air.

and if it doesn't receive it, it turns into slime from Nickelodeon.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou If we're talking about C and A, it's really. But maybe a few other things are sold in Delhi and Istanbul.

George Pompidou

2:11 AM

the Delhi down the street from me?

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou Wow...how can it be so hot? It's not even close to August.

@GeorgePompidou ha ha.

no

George Pompidou

@Mitch it's not, I'm just a whiney spoiled motherfucker. as if that's a breakthrough statement.

@Mitch right? there's a lot more of that amazing humor comin for ya tomorrow.

Mitch

AC is nice. and they don't have screens so you can open the window at night or otherwise all the bugs come in.

George Pompidou

I shall sleep now. have a wonderful segment of time between now and the next time at which we will speak.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou nice. yeah, sleeping in class is the worst because you miss the classs -and- it's not a good kind of sleep.

George Pompidou

2:13 AM

and remember to not end your sentences with the horse dongs.

Mitch

@GeorgePompidou l*r

@GeorgePompidou ???

I missed something

commas?

George Pompidou

@Mitch das stimmt so fucking much. I have my window open now and there's a mosquito buzzing around my iPad screen.

Mitch

prepositions?

George Pompidou

no no, the horse dongs.

Mitch

What's a horse dong? about 10 pounds?

George Pompidou

2:15 AM

definite article.

about 23 pounds and from northern scotland.

Mitch

well, hell no, definite articles definitely don't go there. It's kind of a thing.

Anyway, go to sleep, and have a joke tomorrow afternoon. bonus points if it involves more than one language. and is a pun. in both. or all.

bye

George Pompidou

the worse part for me is that I for some reason can't sleep without a 3ft thick duvet wrapped around me

combine that with no AC and I'm fucked in pretty much any temperature march - november.

I ought to get some insect stopping curtains.

huh. it's actually 65 degrees outside. opens the window more

torrent of bees and deadly malaysian horseflies storms in

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

2:51 AM

@GeorgePompidou You can't do that on ELU.

SmokeDetector

5:12 AM

[ SmokeDetector ] Offensive body detected: A term for words used out of habit by Abhishek on english.stackexchange.com

SmokeDetector

12:21 PM

[ SmokeDetector ] Offensive answer detected: What do you call a person who chooses to ignore someone at specific periods of time by Matthew on english.stackexchange.com

Jez

OK, i'm a bit spooked now.

as i came out of my house, some random guy down the street asked something like "are you busy?", and i was like, "why are you asking?"

said he was just taking an interest

i don't recognize him, not even sure he lives in my street

seriously suspicious of him

Matt E. Эллен

1:02 PM

very strange

Jez

yeah :-S

half expect to find my house broken into when i get back

Matt E. Эллен

kinda makes you wish you'd got a photo of him

Jez

1:17 PM

yet another reason why i should be allowed to work from home

deters crime

Matt E. Эллен

1:30 PM

@Cerberus true. humans are so fallible.

Robusto

1:52 PM

We have a row of standing desks by the window at my office. Several of them are set to about three feet high. I wonder if those are reserved in case Peter Dinklage shows up with his entourage.

@MattE.Эллен I'm sick and tired of people bashing humans in this chat.

RegDwigнt

I would look up Peter Dinklage, but he doesn't sound like looking him up would be a good use of my time.

@Robusto easy to say for a Japanese nurse.

Japanese nurses are generally very, very racist against people discriminating against people.

Robusto

You don't know that to a certainty.

RegDwigнt

I do know that to a certain tee.

Robusto

Or a certain tee shirt.

RegDwigнt

Or that.

Jez

1:55 PM

RegDwigнt

What's with this propaganda? I thought the elections were over?

Wait another four years, please. Or was it five. Same difference.

Robusto

It's time for the recriminations now that the elections are over.

RegDwigнt

Discriminations are better criminations than recriminations.

Robusto

No, they're the opposite of Batman.

RegDwigнt

No, you are.

Robusto

1:57 PM

NOU

RegDwigнt

The script is exceptionally clear on that.

It literally says, and I quote verbatim: "you".

Robusto

Meaning "you" . . .

RegDwigнt

That is the usual meaning of you, yes.

You are so meaningful to me, can't you see?

Robusto

How dare you youtzen me.

RegDwigнt

I dare you youtzen easily, that is how.

Robusto

1:58 PM

Harrumph.

RegDwigнt

I have a black belt in You Youtzu.

Robusto

Well, I just finished the fun part of my workload. I don't feel like doing the not fun part now.

RegDwigнt

I see you're trying to be a sane person today.

I applaud that.

Robusto

bows

RegDwigнt

I also feel compelled to point out that you'll fail.

Robusto

1:59 PM

But . . . magical thinking never fails!

RegDwigнt

Only if you've been written by JK Rowrowrowtheboat.

Which I hope you are not.

And the hope is of deepest sincerety.

Robusto

Hold that thought.

RegDwigнt

I will hold that thought for $3000.

$1 for each additional thought.

Robusto

You haven't changed your price point in weeks. I guess that means inflation is under control.

RegDwigнt

We've been having deflation for about two years now.

Not to be confused with defloration.

Robusto

2:28 PM

@RegDwigнt He plays Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. His name may be spelled Dinkelage, I can't quite remember.

Anonymous

My friend's been trying to get me to read that for years

Robusto

That's how long it will take.

Read my and @tchrist's comments about the series before beginning.

Anonymous

Good ol' PP attachment ambiguity

Matt E. Эллен

@Robusto you humans. always complaining about something

Robusto

We have a lot to complain about. So let's get started.

@snailboat Cómo?

RegDwigнt

2:37 PM

@snailboat do not read it. Also, he's not your friend.

Anonymous

@RegDwigнt I'm probably not going to. It sounds unpleasant to me

Anonymous

She likes it though

RegDwigнt

Every sentence is exactly the same. Every single sentence.

Anonymous

@Robusto Does the PP for years attach high, to trying, or low, to read?

RegDwigнt

Not to mention there's no arc or development.

I found it to be a boring waste of time. I found Harry Potter to be better. And that one I gave up after 30 pages.

Robusto

2:41 PM

@snailboat Not sure what you're asking.

Anonymous

Well, the question was an explanation

Robusto

Not enough of one, apparently.

RegDwigнt

Actually I thought you meant the "before beginning".

Which is ambiguous for the same reason.

Anonymous

I liked Harry Potter. I didn't like it nearly as much as a lot of people.

Anonymous

But after book seven came out, I bought the whole bunch and read them in a row, and they were good enough reads :-)

Robusto

2:43 PM

I could not finish even one.

RegDwigнt

I don't remember any of it. So I can't even comment on the language anymore, or any particular feature at all. Only the general impression: tiresome.

Robusto

And although I finished all the current Song of Ice and Fire novels, I would rather not have been bothered, in retrospect.

RegDwigнt

With Game of Thrones, I do remember all of it, and can comment on every particular feature of it: tiresome.

The problem with people these days is that nobody reads anymore, everyone writes instead.

Case in point: all the bestsellers of today. Case in point: the Internet. Case in point: every ELU question ever.

Anonymous

I like to read

RegDwigнt

JK Rowling's time would have been far better spent reading War and Peace, say.

Alas, where's the money in that.

Robusto

2:47 PM

@RegDwigнt But certainly not more profitably.

Jinx, I guess.

RegDwigнt

Yeah.

Anonymous

Well, Harry Potter wasn't one of my favorites, but I wouldn't go as far as saying she shouldn't have written it :-)

RegDwigнt

Not profitably in the monetary sense, anyway.

Robusto

Which is the only sense that counts these days.

RegDwigнt

Endlessly more profitably in nonmonetary senses.

Anonymous

2:47 PM

You're grumpy.

Anonymous

Sometimes I'm grumpy.

RegDwigнt

@Robusto I don't know about that. I very much care about other senses, for a mere $3000 a week.

Anonymous

Right now I'm barely awake.

Anonymous

So I haven't figured out if I'm supposed to be grumpy or explain PP attachment ambiguity

RegDwigнt

@snailboat oh noes, not at all. I'm actually smiling.

Anonymous

2:49 PM

I liked Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Robusto

@snailboat I'm sure I know what you mean, it's just that I don't speak in linguistics. I speak in a language.

RegDwigнt

I speak in pinguini.

Anonymous

@RegDwigнt I don't mean serious grumpy.

RegDwigнt

@snailboat not grumpy in any shade of it. Lighthearted actually.

Only an hour or so till commute.

Which reminds me! I got work to do.

Damn...

Okay now I'm grumpy alright.

Lators.

Anonymous

Grump, grump, grump.

Robusto

2:50 PM

@RegDwigнt My son had a penguin plush toy when he was a toddler, which he referred to as Mr. Penguini.

Anonymous

I kind of wished Robert Charles Wilson had not written Axis, the sequel to Spin

RegDwigнt

The Spin of Evil.

Anonymous

Because I really liked Spin, and Axis was really boring.

Robusto

Why can't people do what we want instead of what they want?

RegDwigнt

I want you to do what you want. Now what?

Robusto

2:52 PM

So do it.

Or else you fail.

RegDwigнt

Now you can't do what you want without doing what I want.

Anonymous

I have a hard time not reading sequels to stuff I liked.

RegDwigнt

I have a hard time liking stuff with sequels.

Robusto

I used to be like that. Then I ran out of time to read and it was easier.

Anonymous

@RegDwigнt But what if the sequels don't exist yet? :-)

Anonymous

2:53 PM

Wait, does that mean you don't like Ringworld?

RegDwigнt

@snailboat you have heard of the concept of changing one's mind? Liking's not forever.

For starters, there's a whole industry of divorce lawyers.

Anonymous

Do any of them have sequels?

RegDwigнt

Divorce lawyers always have sequels. Which always cost billions.

Mitch

3:05 PM

@Robusto You're so humanist. a fascist humanist

@RegDwigнt But sequels make everything shimmer and sparkle.

@snailboat Ender's Game started off so well, then went straight downhill

Matt E. Эллен

@Mitch no no, not sequels, you're thinking of those round plastic things

Anonymous

@Mitch Ergh

Anonymous

There are some sequels we don't acknowledge the existence of

user116848

Hi folks!

user116848

3:22 PM

I like GOT too. It rocks.

user116848

Yeah a bit violent and all. That's for sure.

Mitch

3:42 PM

@MattE.Эллен No no, not rhinestones, you're thinking of that German thrashmetal group

@Arrowfar I'd like it more if everyone just washed up a bit.

user116848

@Mitch Haha.

user116848

true

user116848

Hi Mitch!

user116848

So chat gets many breaks I see.

user116848

Sometimes I leave the room and enter after a couple of hours and there is a whole page of talk which I have missed. I have bad timings sometimes.

user116848

3:51 PM

@snailboat Hi!

user116848

So I am logging in from a friend's PC, I had to find the site and log in and all.

user116848

Too much work when the bookmarks are not there.

Parsa

4:20 PM

Does anyone here know a word to describe "superstitious people" in a single word?

Anonymous

Are you running low on spaces?

4

Parsa

:) No, it was a challenge.

Matt E. Эллен

4:53 PM

I can think of a few choice words

but I won't repeat them here.

Mitch

5:15 PM

@snailboat ha ha. now my go-to response to a SWR

crl

@GeorgePompidou Ah that explains why we don't get along too much ;)

Mitch

@MattE.Эллен can you just say them once?

user116848

I know where we are going with this :-)

user116848

> Where?
I don't know

crl

"superstitious people"that's a bit different in meaning, but there are gullible, naive, credulous, dupe,...

there are certainly smart people who are superstituous, but that's a form of credibility

user116848

5:29 PM

Hi crl!

crl

@Arrowfar hi

user116848

Hey! :)

user116848

I thought about the word "Irrationals" but it relates to Maths only.

user116848

Most of the time I mean.

Mitch

@Arrowfar good one

user116848

5:39 PM

Yeah? Thanks. Yay!

user116848

I never get "good one" here. That's why I am happy.

user116848

:)

crl

6:09 PM

In French there's an expression "esprit Cartésien" for someone who thinks rationally, is there something in English like that?

Mitch

@crl Grâce à vous, nous avons passé un vrai quart d'heure cartésien, but sadly, no, I don't think there's anything that people actually use like that.

One might actually say 'that dude really has the Cartesian spirit'. And it would be understood in the spirit intended, but it's not an English idiom.

crl

ok ;)

Cerberus

6:46 PM

What is the Cartesian hour?

Johan Larsson

Hi

Cerberus

Hej!

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…