English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

5:45 AM

@Mitch Yeah. Depending on size and number, bells and bongs etc could also ring or bang or clang or chime or clatter or jingle or tinkle or toll or ... it'd take a long time to go through the roll.

There's simply too much variety and nuance to sound words in English. Such a noisy language.

2 hours later…

Q: Name a function that identifies mismatching middle parts of two words

8:14 AM

One of the biggest problems a software developer faces when developing software is finding good names for functions and variables so that they communicate what they are for. I'm currently in that situation. I'm looking for a name for a function where the return value is the ranges of two words, ...

1 hour later…

Faheem Mitha

9:29 AM

How should this sentence read?

> This nuisance you have created is also forcing me and
others to spend our valuable time dealing with it.

> This nuisance you have created is also forcing myself and
others to spend our valuable time dealing with it.

Actually, the second sounds like of odd, really.

10:10 AM

If it was forcing others, AND myself, to spend with a pause and emphatic and, then maybe. But as is, I see no call for the use of a reflexive pronoun.

Also if I were shouting that at my reflection in the mirror, both versions might work.
(to make some allowance).

Q: Is there a word/phrase to describe expressions of moral righteousness accompanied by inaction?

10:53 AM

Almost like when one says one thing and does another (hypocrisy), but if one were expressing emotions, opinions or beliefs without following through in their day-to-day actions or way of living. Not necessarily that they're being actively deceptive about what they believe, but that expressing the...

single-word-requests meaning phrase-requests

NVZ

11:42 AM

I'm still the most starred user in this room since 2 months ago! Wow!

Faheem Mitha

12:18 PM

Is it better to say "decisions must be made jointly" or "decisions must be made collectively"?

12:29 PM

My guess would be say "jointly" for decisions made by two people; and "collectively" for more than two.

Faheem Mitha

12:44 PM

I found this - wikidiff.com/collectively/jointly

But it reads as gibberish.

@skullpatrol That sounds reasonable, but can't join involve more than two units?

sure, I'm just saying "usually" :-)

yeah, they have a lot of overlap in meaning

NATASCHA WRIGHT - Party Of One

1:10 PM

Back to 90s music, I found this lyrics of NATASCHA WRIGHT - PARTY OF ONE :
Everytime I know am I going sinking
And my pain is flushing
I go deeper and deeper
Everytime I'm sure that I can't back home
I feel I know I'll make it deeper
I believe

I'll make a party of one
Hey ee yeah
I'll make a party of one
I say the fun has begun
Hey ee yeah
I'll make a party of one

my question

why she said : "Everytime I know AM I going sinking " instead of " Everytime I know I AM going sinking "

she know she is sinking why she is wondering ?

eurokdj.com/lyric/…

►

1 hour later…

Q: Word meaning difficult but good

2:30 PM

I was reading Barchester Towers and several times he used a word that means something like “a difficult or painful task but one that is good for you” but for the life of me I can’t remember the word. I have searched google extensively but with no luck.

Mitch

3:29 PM

@Educ Yeah, that is just weird. First, without even listening, i would have expected that it was a typo, some transcription error, or a non-native speaker submitting their idea of lyrics.

But I've looked for the lyrics in multiple places, and I've listened over and over to the video and it's pretty consistently nd loudly saying "Every time I know am I going sinking".

It doesn't make sense at all, and although 'I am' would be grammatical, it just doesn't make semantic sense.

I am struggling to imagine anyone writing it that way. It doesn't make the rhythm any better or the sound of the flow.

But it's music lyrics where anything goes, just because.

If I were a singer, this line would be a big stumbling block.
Singer: "You meant 'I am', right?"
Author: "No, it says 'am I'"
Singer: "But that doesn't make sense."
Author: "It makes perfect sense. It says 'am I'"
Narrator (aside): The sentence makes no sense.
Singer: "OK, I'll try"... (singing) "... I know am I going sinking..."
Author: "Argh, no, it says __'am I'__"
Singer: "I'm sorry, it's just hard because it makes no sense at all"
Narrator: The singer is right. The dialog continues in this manner for 1/2 an hour. After many takes, the singer finally succumbs.

3:56 PM

Three gold badges? When the F did that happen!

@Færd If you to Recent Badges you can click on each badge and find when it was awarded.

NVZ

@Færd I don't see 3 gold badges in your profile.

@NVZ Neither do I, but he may not have been referring to himself. Or: his own profile is updated before anyone else gets it. Caching, you know.

@AndrewLeach Okay this is a rare moment when I like a practical answer to a rhetorical question.

@NVZ Who's counting, but EXCUSE ME?!

chat.stackexchange.com/users/173953

I think the chat total is the total of all your badges across every site you're a member of.

4:09 PM

Apparently I've got another one from another site.

Yeah.

If I'd been given, like, ten badges, I would be encouraged to go active on the main site again for a while.

@AndrewLeach You're a mod; could you arrange that please?

sigh

All these mods I'm friends with and they do me no good. Y'all must come to Iran to learn a lesson or to about how to play favorites.

Q: What's the adjective to describe fish having strong taste and/or smell?

4:32 PM

I know that for meat, it's "gamy"/"gamey". What about for fish? I'm looking for an adjective other than "fishy" as it causes repetition. One sounds silly saying "this fish is very fishy". Also, I am not talking about rotten fish, but about fish that's perfectly fit for consumption, but naturall...

5:19 PM

@Færd Unfortunately, mods can't do that.

Happily, if you get active on the site then you can win badges by yourself. Bit chicken-and-egg, though.

Q: Verb describing "opening" a new research field

I'm seaking a single verb which describes the incetpion\invention\introduction of a new research field. Example usage: Psychology and Complex-systems are two research fields that were established as indepednent research domains during the 20th century. However, apart from anacdotal examples,...

2 hours later…

Mitch

7:02 PM

@AndrewLeach Evolutionarily it was the egg

SCIENCE FOR THE WIN!

7:43 PM

What kind of a word is uniquify?

Adverb?

To make unique.

Well just a verb, I reckon, not an adverb of time or manner.

I would use "distinguish."

Dedupe.

7:53 PM

:-D

You need to send just one message to each of Bill and Ted and Lisa and Paul and Mary and Ted and Lisa.

Don't send two messages to to Ted or Lisa.

You need to "dedupe" the list sounds horrible.

Remove the redundancies.

> antique [adj.]
† ˈaprique [adj.]
biunique [adj.]
demi-pique [adj.]
† iˈnique [adj.]
magnifique [adj.]
non-unique [adj. (and n.)]
† novantique [adj.]
oblique [adj.]
perantique [adj.]
postique [adj.]
semi-antique [adj.] ← semi-
‖ sympathique [adj.]
unique [adj.]

I don't think obligate is about anything that's oblique.

Although antiquate could be said to make something antique. Well, no.

8:11 PM

@Mitch Mic. Drop.

8:40 PM

Hey, does anyone know a word for a repetitive statement usually used in advertising?
Example:"Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here!"

1 hour later…

9:46 PM

Friday we won't come in the morning but we will come in the afternoon

could you please rewording this sentence

I don't wanna use wont come and will come

if i say wont come how can I will come in other word

Friday, we won't be here in the morning, but we will arrive in the afternoon.

^ Does this work? your sentence seems to make sense.

Friday we won't come in the morning; but, we will be there in the afternoon.

could also say:
but, we will *show up* in the afternoon.

Does anyone know were I could find the answer to my question? Like a useful resource on the web?

 (If you don't then a 'no' would be okay.)

it's above the "1 hour later..." text.

10:07 PM

Thanks for both of you but will be there seems okay for me

@merlin it could be called an advertising slogan

could I say also but, we will attend the class

slogan.. thanks!!