Search found 61 matches

by richard1631978
Fri May 25, 2018 5:42 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Population numbers for languages
Replies: 16
Views: 11556

Re: Population numbers for languages

Greek speakers don't understand 'most' of Ancient Greek. There are certain things which are denoted with archaic words, por ejemplo, 'bakery' is αρτοποιείο from άρτον instead of ψωμί, wine labels use λευκός οίνος instead of άσπρο κρασί, similarly ζύθος for beer, shoe shops use υποδήματα instead of ...
by richard1631978
Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:52 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Why don't British singers sing with a British accent?
Replies: 15
Views: 5113

Re: Why don't British singers sing with a British accent?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SingingVoiceDissonance These are some good examples of singers who put on another accent when singing compared to their normal speaking voice. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InternationalPopSongEnglish This is about having an accent somewhere b...
by richard1631978
Fri Sep 15, 2017 2:20 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Words you've learned recently
Replies: 248
Views: 79984

Re: Words you've learned recently

And Johnson is such a common name that it's not terribly surprising we had two of them (who were unrelated, incidentally). It kind of is, actually - even the 2nd most common name (in the US*) is still pretty rare. 1:163 Americans, apparently, have 'Johnson' as a surname, making it kind of weird tha...
by richard1631978
Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:11 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Words you've learned recently
Replies: 248
Views: 79984

Re: Words you've learned recently

Yeah, the only chit I know of is the kind that comes from Hindi [t͡ʃɪˈʈʰːi] (and only in British English with RP). I've heard this used as a brief note on a small piece of paper. I think they were used as an acknowledgement for goods received or sold, like a receipt, which makes a ministry of chits...
by richard1631978
Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:30 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: How many words do you need?
Replies: 14
Views: 4629

Re: How many words do you need?

The amount of words in a language depends how specific words are, IIRC Bengali has 8 words for Aunt. According to someone I worked with has a different term for an aunt who is older or younger than your parent, & different terms for the mother & father's side of the family. Married in aunts also hav...
by richard1631978
Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:38 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlearn
Replies: 669
Views: 149568

Re: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlea

jal wrote:
Salmoneus wrote:I have no idea what the first half of that sentence is meant to mean
I think there's a "watching" missing there.


JAL
Sorry about that!
by richard1631978
Fri Jul 21, 2017 4:52 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlearn
Replies: 669
Views: 149568

Re: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlea

While RWBY Chibi recently I noticed some characters were saying flan like flarn, adding an r for some reason.
by richard1631978
Fri May 26, 2017 3:10 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Swearing in (Parisian) French
Replies: 12
Views: 4073

Re: Swearing in (Parisian) French

mèþru wrote:zut alors is barely swearing. Also, I thought rosbif is just plain Anglo-French mutual taunting rather than an offensive term.
Goddamn is another French term for the English.
by richard1631978
Fri May 19, 2017 5:01 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: English help needed
Replies: 44
Views: 13208

Re: English help needed

Huh, I thought tube meant the internet. But Urban Dictionary has TV as their first definition. It pre-dates the Internet, back when TVs were made with Cathode Ray Tubes . The use of "tubes" to refer to the Internet is an intentionally ironic thing (at least, originally) to mock a U.S. Senator whose...
by richard1631978
Fri May 19, 2017 4:57 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Loanwords with a more specific meaning
Replies: 63
Views: 14580

Re: Loanwords with a more specific meaning

My Kenyan girlfriend calls the sauce in a stew "soup", which sounds a little odd.
by richard1631978
Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:52 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Greek and Roman gods names
Replies: 18
Views: 6389

Re: Greek and Roman gods names

Recently I was re-watching I, Claudius which uses both Greek & Roman names, Mars Field in Rome never gets called Ares Field, but the actual gods seem to depend on context. This is possibly a translation convention as Greek was considered a more "classy" language to the Romans & most educated people ...
by richard1631978
Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:44 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Code-switching
Replies: 29
Views: 8805

Re: Code-switching

My girlfiend is Kenyan & often switches languages on the phone with friends & family. As well as English & Swahili she speaks some other African languages & sometimes speaks whole sentences in one before switching to another.
by richard1631978
Fri Apr 07, 2017 5:07 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Will non-English languages make it into space?
Replies: 30
Views: 6797

Re: Will non-English languages make it into space?

I used to have a book of space which mentioned why visiting let alone colonising Venus would be hard if not impossible.

Unless more recent probes & such have outdated it, the book suggests the high gravity, hurricane force winds, high tempratures & acidic clouds made Venus near inhospitable.
by richard1631978
Fri Mar 24, 2017 6:42 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Digital Voice Synthesizer
Replies: 6
Views: 2825

Re: Digital Voice Synthesizer

Xephyr wrote:An excellent addition to my torture chamber.
Yes it sounds like ET clearing his throat!
by richard1631978
Fri Aug 26, 2016 3:49 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Poetic words for "sky" and "sea"
Replies: 33
Views: 9869

Re: Poetic words for "sky" and "sea"

My mum says funny things like "Careful! I don't want you falling in the drink !" ... with "the drink" referring to whatever river or ocean I was playing perilously close to. I have a feeling this is not just a mummism but haven't googled it as I should actually be sleeping. In fact, I think she tol...
by richard1631978
Fri Aug 19, 2016 3:24 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Gender agreement in English
Replies: 28
Views: 7175

Re: Gender agreement in English

Google finds 11.6 million instances of "pretty woman", just 602,000 of "handsome man". It's about that imbalanced with most adjectives I could think of that describe appearance. Yeah but how many of those results are for the movie? Terms like "pretty girl" or "pretty lady" could well have fewer mat...
by richard1631978
Fri Jan 15, 2016 4:14 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: What foreign language have you dedicated the most effort to
Replies: 57
Views: 13143

Re: What foreign language have you dedicated the most effort

I had 3 years of French lessons at school & have brushed it up several times since. Having a French speaking girlfriend 3 years ago helped a lot. Also at school I did a year of German but can't remember much of it. I've picked up the odd bit of Japanese from my interest in the country, & have made s...
by richard1631978
Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:55 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Accents
Replies: 25
Views: 6784

Re: Accents

linguoboy wrote:
Sglod wrote:I think Tolkien based the Shire off The West Midlands; specifically the areas outside Birmingham.
I thought they used the Black Speech there.
Some of it it known as the Black Country.

The Cotswolds have a Shire like vibe to them.
by richard1631978
Fri Dec 18, 2015 5:15 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Accents
Replies: 25
Views: 6784

Re: Accents

If you're like some nerds, perhaps there are words only ever seen in a book and thus don't pronounce correctly. Also, there's a reason why they're only seen in a book. Little oddities like that can make one sound like a foreign language learner. Me, in a nutshell. To the point that my family still ...
by richard1631978
Fri Oct 02, 2015 3:46 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: How common are rhotic approximants?
Replies: 24
Views: 6695

Re: How common are rhotic approximants?

My Chinese friend from Dandong had trouble saying the r in words like pork.
by richard1631978
Fri May 15, 2015 6:37 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Personal names between languages
Replies: 206
Views: 32715

Re: Personal names between languages

For me, the main thing is my dislike of switching phonologies mid-sentence. It feels like my mouth is held in a different position, ready to make different sounds and it takes time to switch mouth-configurations. Germans always laugh at me when I pronounce English loan words with a uvular /r/, so I...
by richard1631978
Fri May 08, 2015 5:53 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Personal names between languages
Replies: 206
Views: 32715

Re: Personal names between languages

To get things back OT one problem I have with my surname Davies is often it's hard for even English speakers to spell it right (too often it ends up as Davis) or prenounced Dayvees, which someone insisted on.
by richard1631978
Fri Aug 15, 2014 2:57 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Unisex names
Replies: 35
Views: 8613

Re: Unisex names

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding fellow commander during the Battle of Britain were Trafford Leigh-Mallory & Sir Keith Park, both names after places, though Keith is far more popular.
by richard1631978
Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:50 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Unisex names
Replies: 35
Views: 8613

Re: Unisex names

It seems to be a Scottish thing to give boys surnames as a first name.

Certainly some Scottish surnames see common as first names, ie. Gordon, Cameron, Grant. I've heard of at least one Campbell as a first name.
by richard1631978
Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:05 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Icelandic (First) Names
Replies: 23
Views: 5517

Re: Icelandic (First) Names

I thought there might be an Icelandic version of "Duncan" given the proximity of Scotland and the incorporation of other Gaelic names into Icelandic tradition (e.g. Dufþakur , Kjaran , Kormákur ). And according to the list of Scottish kings in the Icelandic Wikipedia, it's Dungaður , which remains ...