I love English

[Jorden]

ROFL, I never saw American as a language... It might be they make alot of mistakes
Aren't you 'young' guys just leftovers from us 'Old World' people??

(Nuthing said 'bout the Ozzies, at least they're a gangbang of 'Old World Criminals' )

Jord, prolly getting roasted by now...

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Got bugs?? Mail Maggi...

[motub]

(abuse of power, such as it is)

I hope you all notice and appreciate that, while I could <u>force</u> you to reveal wtf you're talking about... through the use of arcane and hideous tortures the likes of which you've never known, nor even imagined... I'm doing no such thing...

... in fact, I don't even <u>care</u>.

Hmmph! So, there!!

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Holly, TBoY^{<small><tt>TM</tt></small>}

[Jorden]

Arcane or just a cane??
Or maybe tickle us??


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Got bugs?? Mail Maggi...

[Genom]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news Jorden, but you misunderstood the American comment I'm afraid. He said American such as the American culture, not American as a language.

Oh well.


BTW Holly, I kinda like the arcane torture routine. If administered by someone wearing leather, spikes and handcuff's (female) it's even betetr!

[andrei]

Torture, spikes, forks, handcuffs, leather outfits !? almost makes me want to look for pictures , but fear not I have many Windows updates to do

[Jorden]

hmmmmmmmmmmm Dutch though

[andrei]

Since it has no pics in it (at least the front page... didn't go further), I take it that the "hmmmmmmmmmmm" is for Genom.

For the original thing.
"Should" and "could" are kind of a problem to me, in my language you read as you write, so I'm alway tempted to leave the "l" out.


[This message has been edited by andrei (edited 02 February 2000).]

[SCompRacer]

Hmmmm, never learned a word of that language but I seem to understand what it means.

[paulcs]

Andrei, think of it this way: "should" implies an obligation (you should mow the lawn); "could" implies an option (you could go to the movies).

In both cases, the person who "should" or "could" do something might not. He/she still has a choice. However, if you didn't do something you "should" have, there might be unpleasant consequences.

It is my understanding that this entire dynamic changes when one is married. Sometimes, when ones spouse sounds like they are suggesting something (you *could* give me a backrub), they are really demanding it (translation: you *better* give me a backrub or I will drop that end table on your head while you're asleep).

Got it?

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[andrei]

I know the meaning, the spelling disturbs me, the "l", I always tend to put shoud or coud. The same thing is with would and whatever simmilar spelled word you might think of

[KvHagedorn]

English is very much like that, Andrei. Probably because it was born of a chaos of different languages. It started as a Plattdeutsch dialect, was heavily flavored by Old Norse, then French, and then continually amended by the many languages encountered by English colonists (here in America, a lot of native American words for things unknown in Europe came into the language.)

So it's no wonder spelling and grammar rules are so chaotic in English. Your examples are just the tip of the iceberg there. What gets me is how people for whom this is a native language seem to have such trouble with it. Are they stupid and lazy, or do they just not care? If it really is your language and you don't care about learning it, you are stupid and lazy. Sorry, but that's the truth. It might be easier if the language played by the rules like German or Romainian, but not that much easier..

I have a lot of respect for those of you for whom English is not a native tongue. most of you do quite well here.

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Kind Regards,

KvH

[DentyCracker]

mj12 shut the fsck I mean **** up hehehehe

Each language has its idiosyncrasies (little special things specific to it). French has a lot of silent letters ect, blah blah.

I may not be hardcore but I am registered at /. hehe.

With any language you just have to use it much and eventually you'll get used to its crap

[paulcs]

Sorry Andrei.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[Gurm]

We also have to draw a distinction between proper English and the garbage most Americans speak and use.

Now before you jump down my throat I'm an American, and we've been bastardising our own language for two hundred years. It's quite embarrasing really.

I swear, the next time I see someone spell realise with a "z" I'm gonna snap.

Of course, it helps that I went to a private school with all British professors for English class.

But it is true that English has lots of words that come from mixed backgrounds, whereas something like French is descended in a fairly direct manner from Latin.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Agent31]

'sup ppl? nuttin' rong wit a bit of web slang...

It will be very interesting to see how web communication techniques affect the real world written language in the long run, perhaps not only written language! Who here has unconciously slipped in a "hehe" where the might normally have given a proper chuckle?

I tell ya, these are interesting times!