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  3. English Language Sucks

English Language Sucks

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  • J Johnny J

    At least they don't write "travveled" :)

    Beidh ceol, caint agus craic againn - Seán Bán Breathnach
    -----
    Don't tell my folks I'm a computer programmer - They think I'm a piano player in a cat house...
    -----
    Da mihi sis crustum Etruscum cum omnibus in eo!
    -----
    Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects - Will Rogers, 1924

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    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #55

    Oh yes they do! Pick up any newspaper, magazine, CV, or better still your five year old's latest school report and see how badly the "English" spell their own language.

    I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

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    • F fjdiewornncalwe

      Dalek Dave wrote:

      bastardised and almost incoherent variation of English

      You've been to the southern US, then... :)

      I wasn't, now I am, then I won't be anymore.

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      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #56

      No, probably just to Harlow.

      I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

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      • P Paul Watson

        Actually it is prescriptive. The input is labelled "Subject:". *ducks*

        cheers, Paul M. Watson.

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        Bassam Abdul Baki
        wrote on last edited by
        #57

        Okay, you win this title. I'll get you the next round.

        Web - BM - RSS - Math - LinkedIn

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        • D Dalek Dave

          Er...no. In English it is Travelled. Some foreigners, who speak a hybridised, bastardised and almost incoherent variation of English, do tend to mispell words, but the English, whose language it is, would never spell travelled with one L! Hope that helps.

          ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]

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          crocks256
          wrote on last edited by
          #58

          ahhh you speak of panglish? (Sorry watched a repeat of QI yesterday)

          -------------------------------------------------- John Crocker

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          • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

            Er..yes and no Banana, if it followed "regular" English rules would be pronounced Baenaenah instead of Bahnahnah

            If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
            You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun

            L Offline
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            Lost User
            wrote on last edited by
            #59

            What, like: canal, Panama, manatee, sanatorium, tanager ...

            I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

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            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

              If you think that's bad (and it is after all only an Americanism) try Welsh: the first letter of the word changes depending on the ending of the previous word in order to make it sound better. And be a lot harder to look up in any dictionary...

              Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."

              L Offline
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              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #60

              Repeat after me: "c, p, t changes to g, b, d; d, b, g changes to double-d, f, dim". I still remember that from more than 50 years ago. But I never knew why Ceri Ellis didn't start with t, p, c. Weird innit?

              I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

              OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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              • D Dalek Dave

                Rajesh R Subramanian wrote:

                British English

                Or, to give it it's correct name, English. The clue is in the name. English comes from England. Any other variation should be prefixed, US English, Australian English, etc. But English is English!

                ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]

                L Offline
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                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #61

                Like The FA.

                Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

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                • D Dalek Dave

                  Er...no. In English it is Travelled. Some foreigners, who speak a hybridised, bastardised and almost incoherent variation of English, do tend to mispell words, but the English, whose language it is, would never spell travelled with one L! Hope that helps.

                  ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]

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                  GenJerDan
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #62

                  " In American English, the rule is that a single final consonant preceded by a single vowel in a two-syllable word is doubled only if the stress falls on the second syllable - hence, "traveled," "marveled," and "canceled" but "forbidden," "deferred," and "referred." There is at least one exception: "kidnaped" can be spelled "kidnapped" because "kidnaped" looks as though the "a" should be pronounced long." BE: jewel, jeweller, jewelled, jewellery AE: jewel, jeweler, jeweled, jewelry (Stolen from websites yapping about spelling.) BE/AE differences can be fun. Saw some comments on a news article on an American website where the posters were chiding the author because of spelling errors. To me, it looked like the author was either British or the spellcheck was set to BE, not the author was illiterate. :laugh:

                  There is water at the bottom of the ocean. My Mu[sic] My Films My Windows Programs, etc.

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                  • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                    If you think that's bad (and it is after all only an Americanism) try Welsh: the first letter of the word changes depending on the ending of the previous word in order to make it sound better. And be a lot harder to look up in any dictionary...

                    Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #63

                    Hardly surprising though seeing as how the only point of Welsh as a language is to annoy and confuse the English. Something it is very good at.

                    Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

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                    • D Dalek Dave

                      An Hotel A European Hmmm...Not always the case is it.

                      ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]

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                      Brady Kelly
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #64

                      I had an unending argument with my English teacher, for three years, that it should be a hotel unless we pronounce it 'otel. She insisted it was the way is is because that's how it should be.

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                      • L Lost User

                        What, like: canal, Panama, manatee, sanatorium, tanager ...

                        I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

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                        T Offline
                        TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #65

                        yep

                        If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
                        You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • J Joe Simes

                          Tom Delany wrote:

                          Ellie Mae's playin' with her critters down by the cement pond.

                          Back in the day I wouldn't mind playin' with Ellie May's critters any ol' place! :-D

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                          Tom Delany
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #66

                          Joe Simes wrote:

                          Back in the day I wouldn't mind playin' with Ellie May's critters any ol' place!

                          Yeah. Too bad she did not age very well (unlike us of course :-\ )...

                          WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

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                          • L Lost User

                            Hardly surprising though seeing as how the only point of Welsh as a language is to annoy and confuse the English. Something it is very good at.

                            Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

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                            Joe Simes
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #67

                            I've heard tell that the Welsh curse in English so when you are in a pub you know they are talking about you! :-D

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                            • L Lost User

                              Repeat after me: "c, p, t changes to g, b, d; d, b, g changes to double-d, f, dim". I still remember that from more than 50 years ago. But I never knew why Ceri Ellis didn't start with t, p, c. Weird innit?

                              I must get a clever new signature for 2011.

                              OriginalGriffO Offline
                              OriginalGriffO Offline
                              OriginalGriff
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #68

                              Or why Tacsi (Taxi) isn't pronounced with a "j" on the end, like Siapan (Japan) (Don't tell anyone, but I think all the Welsh spelling was done by a six-year-old) :laugh:

                              Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."

                              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

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                              • R Rajesh R Subramanian

                                moon_stick wrote:

                                Isn't it one of those words where it can be spelt both ways like cancelled / canceled?

                                Yes, but again it's Cancelled in British English. The US variation has one less L.

                                "Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.

                                L Offline
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                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #69

                                Rajesh R Subramanian wrote:

                                The US variation has one less L.

                                We're more efficient. In every case I can think of where American English differs from British English we have dropped a redundant letter.

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                                • B Bassam Abdul Baki

                                  Occur/Occurred Travel/Traveled :sigh:

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                                  Joe Woodbury
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #70

                                  All languages have their quirks. Try conjugating many verbs in Spanish (there's a reason that have reference books for this. Then there is the whole 'b', 'v' thing.)

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                                  • D Dalek Dave

                                    Er...no. In English it is Travelled. Some foreigners, who speak a hybridised, bastardised and almost incoherent variation of English, do tend to mispell words, but the English, whose language it is, would never spell travelled with one L! Hope that helps.

                                    ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]

                                    R Offline
                                    R Offline
                                    Roger Wright
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #71

                                    The rule I was taught in school was that, if a word ends in a single consonant and is to be be modified by adding 'ed' or 'ing', the consonant is doubled. In recent years I've found this rule to be ignored by humans and machines alike. For shame... :sigh:

                                    Will Rogers never met me.

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                                    • B Bassam Abdul Baki

                                      Occur/Occurred Travel/Traveled :sigh:

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                                      peterchen
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #72

                                      Next, try German.

                                      FILETIME to time_t
                                      | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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