While Mann, Carson, Hansen, et al wander around with their heads up their buts, here is what is REALLY happening in Antarctica.

Dan Neely

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Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall

Oakman

What you do to get the wrinkles out of your knee.

Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

Rob Graham

Na, it's an Aussie greeting Reagan.

Lost User

So what. Its English. Its as mess and is governed by useage so any spelling is as correct as another provided the meaning is understood. Take this word for example, it was originally spelt aisement and still is in French. Thats because the French have a government body that controls the use and spelling of the language. This bastardised spelling in English has given it such forms today as Disease and Malaise.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

:suss: Quit bad-mouthing my language.

Lost User

Ravel H. Joyce wrote:

my language.

Oh dont be so attached to it, it isnt that special.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

Of course it's that special. It's the largest, most widespread language in the world; it's the language of science, and of technology. It's also the language of my favourite musicians and authors.

Lost User

Just because a language was foisted on the world through aggression does not make it more suitable for scientific discourse. A point well known by Newton who produced Principia in Latin!

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

fat_boy wrote:

Just because a language was foisted on the world through aggression does not make it more suitable for scientific discourse. A point well known by Newton who produced Principia in Latin!

Of course it does. Any language is suitable as long as it contains the right lexicon to express ideas unambiguously. And guess what, English does this better than any other.

Lost User

Ravel H. Joyce wrote:

Of course it does.

So if we had lost either war and were now speaking German you would say the same thing?

Ravel H. Joyce wrote:

And guess what, English does this better than any other.

And you are a world expert on all languages and the relative merit for unambiguous communication?

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

fat_boy wrote:

So if we had lost either war and were now speaking German you would say the same thing?

I frame no hypotheses.

fat_boy wrote:

And you are a world expert on all languages and the relative merit for unambiguous communication?

I know that English has the largest technical vocabulary of all languages.

Lost User

Ravel H. Joyce wrote:

I frame no hypotheses.

But you did state that 'of course' a language that has been forced on the world through aggression makes it suitable for science.

Ravel H. Joyce wrote:

I know that English has the largest technical vocabulary of all languages.

Because of the US, which is a direct result of agression. German had the lead technically for a long time, and as I understand it is more precise than English. Same for Dutch. (Its why puns and jokes dont work in those languages, because they are so plodding and precise). Would you therefore rather use German?

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

fat_boy wrote:

But you did state that 'of course' a language that has been forced on the world through aggression makes it suitable for science.

I can no more see an alternate world's future than I can see our own.

fat_boy wrote:

Because of the US, which is a direct result of agression. German had the lead technically for a long time, and as I understand it is more precise than English. Same for Dutch. (Its why puns and jokes dont work in those languages, because they are so plodding and precise). Would you therefore rather use German?

German is hardly more precise than English, seeing as English is a Germanic language.

Lost User

Sorry, I dont care anymore for this thread.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

soap brain

Neither do I. It's a crappy conversation.

Lost User

fat_boy wrote:

Its as mess and is governed by useage so any spelling is as correct as another provided the meaning is understood.

*gasp* HERESY!!!!!! BURN HIM!!!!!!!!!

- F

Lost User

I used to care more for English before I llived abroad and learnt French and Dutch. Now, I see it for what it is. A mess. Funny, flexible, emotive, and slangy, but a mess, and undeserving of rules. It was born in the gutter, and lives in the gutter.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription