English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

9:00 PM

Well they speak Spanish and English and German, and she learns Russian. So yeah I can see how his Spanish isn't getting too much practice time.

Anyway. My Spanish and Polish are not good at all. You've read my Dutch. That's pretty much the level.

Cerberus

I'm sure he would be able to produce a working translation; but perhaps it was too difficult to him because it would never be up to his standards.

@RegDwigнt That is more than good enough.

RegDwigнt

Well he's kinda traveling right now as well, so it's not helping that he can't sit down for five minutes to think clearly.

Cerberus

Right.

RegDwigнt

@Cerberus is what I'm saying.

Cerberus

I'm more used to translating Greek and Latin.

RegDwigнt

9:01 PM

Also, he understands the Russian original. That is not helping at all.

Cerberus

It's difficult when you suddenly have to translate into a language you know but never translate into. Like French or German.

RegDwigнt

Just like myself he must be getting horribly confused by all those seemingly simple words used in seemingly impossible, totally unidiomatic, yet miraculously still perfectly natural ways.

Cerberus

@RegDwigнt Does not help with respect to frustration, but does help.

RegDwigнt

@Cerberus Also keep in mind this is writing. My spoken Polish is as non-existent as my Dutch. I can't so much as say "hello".

Like, even in spoken English I can barely tie two words together. And you'd not think that from reading my typing.

It's a totally different part of my brain.

Cerberus

When we were in Bordeaux this summer, I could understand almost everything our Air BNB host said to me during our tour of the apartment, but could I reply? Not a word.

RegDwigнt

9:04 PM

Well yes.

I can watch the news in Portuguese.

Cerberus

@RegDwigнt I know the feeling. And yet you exaggerate.

I can watch the news in German, and the grammar is somewhat natural; but the vocabulary, oh.

RegDwigнt

@Cerberus I exaggerate with English, for the sake of driving the point home about Dutch and Polish, with regards to which I do not exaggerate at all.

Cerberus

I may be able to, with effort and long pauses, speak with you in German in such a way that you might understand my general intention.

But not in a normal conversation.

RegDwigнt

I have no problems understanding Dutch vocabulary when it's written. When it's spoken every other word is completely unrecognizable.

It's a completely different set of morphemes I don't know from any other languages, so I can barely even make out the borders of words occasionally.

Cerberus

@RegDwigнt Right, I can read Portuguese if it's a subject I know stuff about and/or with a dictionary; but I cannot understand the simplest spoken Portuguese, let alone utter a single word.

@RegDwigнt Gosh, I had no idea word boundaries were particularly difficult in Dutch?

RegDwigнt

9:07 PM

They aren't. When written. :-D

Cerberus

I find them comparatively hard in French, Portuguese, but comparatively easy in German, Spanish, Italian.

RegDwigнt

But when spoken it's all just sesesesesesesese. With that typical Dutch S that isn't even an S but a SH to me. But not to you. We discussed.

Cerberus

I thought Dutch would be easy.

@RegDwigнt I...don't think I remember.

RegDwigнt

Kinda like Portuguese or Polish, which when spoken are all zhezhezhezhe.

@Cerberus I wouldn't think you did.

It was about a lady in the European parliament talking about net neutrality.

I said her Ss were giving her away. You were clueless wtf I was on about.

Cerberus

Portuguese to me sounds like someone's nose is stuffed.

@RegDwigнt Oh, was it our Neelie?

RegDwigнt

9:10 PM

Don't ever go to Denmark, then. They stuff their nose and then they stuff their mouth, too.

@Cerberus shrug. No idea. You posted a video is all I know.

Cerberus

Apr 23 '12 at 19:19, by Cerberus

►

Was it this?

How could I not remember, it was only in 2012.

RegDwigнt

Well let's see what discussion is underneath it.

Cerberus

I saw nothing about an s.

RegDwigнt

Neither am I seeing anything.

Cerberus

Apr 23 '12 at 19:06, by Cerberus

►

This is the one.

Let me listen.

RegDwigнt

9:15 PM

Yeah I was about to say, she was in a plenum, not in front of an ad wall.

Yeah lol "indicatesh the importanshe".

Of course you can't hear that, it's ever-so-faint, and also it's your mother tongue.

Cerberus

Well, I hear an unusual s sound now, but isn't that the poor sound quality?

RegDwigнt

The poor sound quality is poor throughout. So your brain accounts for that. It draws a baseline below which it disregards everything. So what I'm talking about is above the baseline.

For my brain.

Jasper Loy

I am very happy to see @RegDwigнt in this chat again. =)

RegDwigнt

I've been here for the last couple hours, Jasper. Never left. You did.

We're seeing you again, not the other way round.

Jasper Loy

I think someone should really change the subtitle of this room. It should be "Welcome to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange Chat!"

RegDwigнt

9:20 PM

But on that note, I didn't mean to stay for this long, this isn't Cerberus'aes'ss normal time so I didn't expect him to come and help in such a timely manner.

@JasperLoy oh but it is.

Jasper Loy

@RegDwigнt Currently the & is still in the wrong position, deliberately.

RegDwigнt

OHHHHHH

Lol didn't even notice.

room topic changed to English Language and Usage: Welcome to English Language & Usage chat! This is a public place to socialize. Be kind and avoid sarcasm. If a situation makes it hard to act kindly, disengage. Flag harmful behavior, whether it’s directed at you or others. More: meta.english.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/chat-faq [phrase-requests] [pronunciation] [single-word-requests] [synonyms]

Right anyways since Cerberus is occupied for the next 14 minutes watching his compatriot, I will sneakily sneak out of here for the time being.

Thanks again for everybody's help.

Lators.

Cerberus

@RegDwigнt Bai.

I was trying to find more examples of Dutchmen speaking English.

Jasper Loy

Well, Dutchmen all speak good English.

Cerberus

It all sounds so cringe-worthy to me that I'm too distracted to notice anything other than the wrong th's, the wrong stops, etc.

@JasperLoy Comparatively so.

Jasper Loy

9:25 PM

These days, I don't speak at all. I just keep quiet.

Cerberus

Why?

Jasper Loy

No, actually, I speak to myself every day.

Well, just because I don't really meet anyone.

Cerberus

Your mother?

And I seem to remember another relative moved in?

Jasper Loy

Oh yeah, but I didn't count those, lol.

Cerberus

Why not?

Jasper Loy

9:28 PM

No reason, lol. Actually, I do speak to strangers too when I go out. They often ask me for directions.

And they also often ask me to take pictures for them. Mostly tourists.

I am going to bed, good night.

Cerberus

Sleep well.

SmokeDetector

9:45 PM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Offensive answer detected, potentially bad keyword in answer, potentially bad keyword in username: To let some of my cats on the table by Pussy sexpert on english.SE

Robusto

@RegDwigнt Oh, so now you're shilling for TPTB instead of composing. Nice.

(BTW, that was sarcasm. I tried to avoid it, but failed. It happens.)

Cerberus

Oopsie.

I sure hope that room description is ironic.

Robusto

Whaddya gonna do?

Cerberus

Or even sarcastic.

Ugh.

Robusto

Sarcasm is a necessary tool for dealing with @RegDwigнt. Besides, he can take it. I mean, he dishes it out often enough, so he ought to be able to.

Cerberus

9:49 PM

How do I make typos like that? It doesn't even resemble hope.

@Robusto Sure he can. Like many people.

Robusto

Feb 3 '11 at 20:07, by Robusto

See, that's why we go over this stuff.

Cerberus

Gosh, that was a long time ago.

Robusto

@Cerberus Yes. I mean, come on. Sarcasm is just one tool used by The Compleat Raconteur.

Cerberus

And already you were using Q.E.D.

MetaEd

Nov 10 '12 at 18:22, by tchrist

Long long ago, in a galaxy far away.

Robusto

9:52 PM

@Cerberus You were just a young punk then, IIRC.

Cerberus

@Robusto Is that a reference to some early-modern style of advertising?

Robusto

@MetaEd You're mixing up your sci-fi franchises. I mean, the cognitive dissonance is practically blinding.

Cerberus

@Robusto Oh, what did I do?

I do remember, however, who it was that kickstarted this room.

Robusto

The Compleat Angler

The Compleat Angler (the spelling is sometimes modernised to The Complete Angler) is a book by Izaak Walton. It was first published in 1653 by Richard Marriot in London. Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century. It is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse. It was illustrated by Arthur Rackham in 1931. == Background == Walton was born in Stafford and moved to London when he was in his teens in order to learn a trade. The Compleat Angler reflects the author´s connections with these two locations. The book was dedicated to John Offley of Madeley,...

A riff on that.

Cerberus

Ah, I see.

I remember seeing other, modern books called the Compleat Blah Blah and wondering what they were imitating.

Robusto

9:54 PM

They were imitating Izaak Walton.

Cerberus

Like the Compleat Bolo.

Robusto

Ayup.

Cerberus

You know it?

I don't think I liked it. But anyway.

Robusto

The Bolo book? No, never heard of it.

Cerberus

Good.

Some Bolo stories are enjoyable, trashy battle science fiction.

Robusto

9:55 PM

Meh. I'm tired of armed conflict.

Cerberus

Others are just trash, like the ones in the Compleat Bolo, I think.

Robusto

I think the world could use a lot less sci-fi as well, for that matter.

MetaEd

@Robusto Live long and may the force be with you.

Cerberus

Basically a Bolo is a futuristic tank the size of a large building that's usually wiser than the humans that (attempt to) control it.

Robusto

@MetaEd Hey, that's sarcasm. You're supposed to avoid that. Do you need me to tap the sign?

Plus it's cognitive-dissonant trolling.

Cerberus

9:57 PM

@Robusto Hey, lots of fanfic is scifi! How dare you insult that noble genre.

MetaEd

@Robusto Definitely trolling. But not sarcasm.

@Cerberus How dare you call SF "scifi".

Cerberus

If I can say fanfic(sp?), I can say scifi!

Robusto

@Cerberus Fanfic is the work product of people who can't come up with their own ideas. I spit on them!

Cerberus

Naturally.

Robusto

@Cerberus You have to say soi-disant scifi then.

Cerberus

9:59 PM

You know, I was Google for the frequency of certain expressions just an hour ago, and the Google results were all corrupted by fanfic.

Robusto

I'm totally ready to tap the sign. Please take note.

@Cerberus That shit corrupts everything.

Cerberus

I had to dig deeper to find serious results.

Robusto

Want me to let you in on a secret? The Marvel Universe is nothing but warmed-over fanfic.

MetaEd

If you're going to scifi and fanfic all over the room, you might as well cosplay all over it also.

Robusto

@MetaEd I would like to see @Cerb doing Femshep cosplay. I think it would sell.

Cerberus

10:00 PM

I care not for puerile heroes like superman. The name alone speaks of an unspeakable lack of creativity.

Robusto

@Cerberus What about Hyperman?

Cerberus

@Robusto Luckily, I do not know what that is.

@Robusto Oh, much better.

MetaEd

Heck, you might as well fanon too.

And then I'll filk. And you'll regret it.

Robusto

Commander Shepard

Commander Shepard is the player character in BioWare's Mass Effect game trilogy: Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. A veteran soldier of the Systems Alliance Navy military and N7-graduate of the Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) program, and the first human Citadel Council Spectre, Shepard works to stop the Reapers, a sentient synthetic-machine race dedicated to wiping out all advanced organic life. Shepard's gender, class, first name and facial appearance are chosen and customised by the player. Mark Meer provides the voice for default male Shepards, while Jennifer Hale voices...

Femshep is the female version of the character.

Cerberus

I have not played it.

Not really into shooting games.

Robusto

10:02 PM

FemShep Cosplay #1 - Intro and Breast Plate Template

►

You'll need to be able to sew, so ...

Cerberus

Amazing how quickly she makes a super duper outfit.

Robusto

She's a pro.

Cerberus

I do think it's kind of cute when people fanatically engage in hobbies that they are usually not associated with.

It's less pathetic.

Not that there is anything morally wrong with that anyway.

Robusto

@Cerberus Morally wrong? I didn't know the Dutch were familiar with that concept.

Cerberus

Oh, the Dutch are stereotypically Calvinist preachermen.

Robusto

10:06 PM

Just not in the red-light district?

Cerberus

Indeed not.

There always need to be exceptions.

A twisted morality.

Although I think most larger European cities have always had legal or semi-legal brothels.

Robusto

There will always be brothels. Count on it.

Cerberus

Yes.

Are they legal where you live?

Is it weird that I somehow find battles easy entertainment, especially in fantasy and science fiction?

I remember playing some self-invented game based on the battles of Lord of the Rings with a friend in primary school.

Robusto

@Cerberus I don't think so. I've never checked, though, since I don't frequent such places.

Cerberus

Hmm.

The woman who works in the building behind my house is Czech, I found out.

I always hear her talk to clients when we both have our windows open (my little kitchen window at the back).

But she probably rents a window.

Robusto

10:14 PM

I did once pick up a prostitute by accident, though. I thought she was hitchhiking late at night in Chicago, and I worried for her safety. She looked 17.

Cerberus

Nice.

Did she look healthy?

You probably never found out what came of her?

Robusto

She runs up and opens the door and I ask, "How far are you going?" "All the way!" she says. I tell her I'm only going to Ashland.

Cerberus

Perhaps she is now a happy housewife.

Haha, seriously.

That pun sounds too good to be true.

Robusto

@Cerberus On my honor that is verbatim.

Cerberus

OK.

Robusto

10:17 PM

I didn't even get it until she was in the car and talking in the crudest terms about her vagina. Then I realized my mistake.

She was pretty pissed off when I let her off at Ashland Ave.

That was about a mile from where I picked her up.

Hey, I've never employed a prostitute. How would I know?

Cerberus

Hah.

Neither have I.

Why would you if you don't have to.

Robusto

Genau.

Cerberus

If you can get it elsewise.

Robusto

My impression of prostitution (which, again, I've never tried) is that it reduces sex to a single dimension. It's like a symphony played on a rubber band.

MetaEd

@Robusto I had a nice conversation with a prostitute once, and like you she had to tell me. We were both in line for face paint in New Orleans, I was maybe 19 and she was about my age.

In my case, fortunately there was not even a question of me becoming a client, which would have been awkward.

Robusto

10:26 PM

@MetaEd Face paint? I sure hope it was Mardi Gras.

Feeds

0

Q: A brute man speaks very “insert word here”

I’m looking for a word to describe the way a brute man speaks, one example would be officiously, but I think there is a better word to describe this it’s on the top of my tongue Thanks for your help in advance !

single-word-requests

MetaEd

@Robusto I was attending a convention. According to Google, it was Spring 1985, week of May 27. Easter was April 7 so it couldn't possibly have been Mardi Gras in May.

Feeds

11:05 PM

2

Q: Is there a word, phrase or expression similar in meaning to sophistry, but with a much greater implication of utter lack of morality?

This question is prompted by the movie Operation Finale, about the capture of Adolph Eichmann by Israeli agents in Argentina. Important scenes in the movie show Eichmann arguing that his acts in WWII were those of someone defending his country against its enemies, and were no different than thos...