The Innovative Usage Thread
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
It's not atypical either. Maybe it's American? Me and AnTeallach are the ones saying it's okay and we're both from the UK. I don't use 'head of lettuce' at all either, and it sounds silly and redundant.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Yeah, my impression has always been that "lettuce" as a count noun is BE.
Everyone has "cabbage" as both a count and mass noun, isn't it?
Everyone has "cabbage" as both a count and mass noun, isn't it?
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
It might just be a formatting error, but it also works for me as a matter of writing that doesn't transfer over to speech. It fits a scenario where someone says,Jetboy wrote:The thing is, though, I'd still give <isn't> initial stress– stronger initial stress, but still initial stress. Or maybe "it's not"; that's not terribly likely (or maybe it is), but definitely sounds less awkward than the wholly uncontracted one.Astraios wrote: I'd expect /ɪ.ˈzn̩t/ if it was in the context of: "Did you say 'it is red'?" "No, I said 'it isn't red'", but not normally elsewhere.
- You quoted me as saying "it is red", but actually I wrote "it isn't red." Note the three bolded characters that managed to dissapear from your version of my statement.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Right, to me cabbage can be both, so a cabbage is grammatical to me, even though *a lettuce is not.linguoboy wrote:Yeah, my impression has always been that "lettuce" as a count noun is BE.
Everyone has "cabbage" as both a count and mass noun, isn't it?
Dibotahamdn duthma jallni agaynni ra hgitn lakrhmi.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
I wouldn't say "a lettuce" either. However, I think I think "a lettuce" may be sort of acceptable, if, as I said, the portions are available and obvious.
For example, you are making sandwiches, and you have all the ingredients on plates on the table ready to be assembled, including lettuce leaves torn up into the right sizes to fit on the bread. If someone at that point asked "Can you pass me a lettuce?" I wouldn't find it so strange, though I probably wouldn't say it myself. But outside of some very specific situation like that, I don't think "a lettuce" makes much sense.
For example, you are making sandwiches, and you have all the ingredients on plates on the table ready to be assembled, including lettuce leaves torn up into the right sizes to fit on the bread. If someone at that point asked "Can you pass me a lettuce?" I wouldn't find it so strange, though I probably wouldn't say it myself. But outside of some very specific situation like that, I don't think "a lettuce" makes much sense.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Lettuce is always a mass noun to me.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
I have realized that in my normal speech "to swim" has become a fully regular weak verb; swim-swimmed.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
I recently ran across "have an inspiration" in a novel, meaning what I would phrase as "be struck by inspiration." Perhaps it's on analogy with "have an idea."
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
–Herm Albright
Even better than a proto-conlang, it's the *kondn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
–Herm Albright
Even better than a proto-conlang, it's the *kondn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Talking about someone's career path a couple days ago, my aunt said of a young woman "she student-teached there for four years".
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Was that by any chance a translated novel? The equivalent construction "eine Eingebung haben" is quite usual in German.Jetboy wrote:I recently ran across "have an inspiration" in a novel, meaning what I would phrase as "be struck by inspiration." Perhaps it's on analogy with "have an idea."
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- Avisaru
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Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
[ˈkriˌkreɪ] meaning "crazy"
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
I do not recall exactly where, but I am quite sure I have heard that form or related forms (such as student-teaching) being used before myself.linguoboy wrote:Talking about someone's career path a couple days ago, my aunt said of a young woman "she student-teached there for four years".
Dibotahamdn duthma jallni agaynni ra hgitn lakrhmi.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Isn't that something teenage girls do?Bob Johnson wrote:[ˈkriˌkreɪ] meaning "crazy"
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- Avisaru
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Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
a teenage girl might be a better source to askTheta wrote:Isn't that something teenage girls do?Bob Johnson wrote:[ˈkriˌkreɪ] meaning "crazy"
on repetition it turned out to be [ˈkreɪˌkreɪ] making it somewhat less interesting
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Someone I know commenting on a picture:
This is literally me. It's a metaphor.
This is literally me. It's a metaphor.
Yo jo moy garsmichte pa
- ol bofosh
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Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Meaning, I suppose, "I feel strongly identified with this".Solarius wrote:This is literally me. It's a metaphor.
It was about time I changed this.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
No, it means "it's not a youtaphor".treegod wrote:Meaning, I suppose, "I feel strongly identified with this".Solarius wrote:This is literally me. It's a metaphor.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
"He should have taken it and rollen it out." -my sister in response to a cooking show
(Is this the right thread for this? It was the first relevant one I saw when going down the list, so eh.)
(Is this the right thread for this? It was the first relevant one I saw when going down the list, so eh.)
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
I use swam. But for some reason I find 'swum' awkward, so I always avoid it, instead saying "gone swimming" or finding some other way to rephrase it so I don't need to use "swum". Same with "drunk", I'll say "had a drink" or something like that. I also don't really like using "lay" as the past tense of "lie" when I'm speaking.TaylorS wrote:I have realized that in my normal speech "to swim" has become a fully regular weak verb; swim-swimmed.
- ol bofosh
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Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
swim-swam for me. Yes, just realised "swum" is a bit awkward for me too, and I use "gone simming".
I also don't really like using "lay" as the past tense of "lie" when I'm speaking.
I use "layed". Strange, "lay", for me is still present tense, as in "I lay on this sofa", Which could be narrative or describing a usual habit.
I drank? I have drunk? Both quite okay for me. I say "had a drink" too.Same with "drunk", I'll say "had a drink" or something like that.
I also don't really like using "lay" as the past tense of "lie" when I'm speaking.
I use "layed". Strange, "lay", for me is still present tense, as in "I lay on this sofa", Which could be narrative or describing a usual habit.
It was about time I changed this.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
In standard English, lie and lay are two different verbs, but lay is also the irregular past tense of lie. But in most dialects of English – especially in America, where it's the bugbear of prescriptivists – the distinction is eroding. I can't quite remember what it is offhand, something to do with volition or transitivity. That said, I think the distinction is still fairly intact in my dialect, and I can only readily interpret that sentence as a past tense.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
Wut? It's just a standard causative distinction with some typical semantic expansion of the two independently.finlay wrote:In standard English, lie and lay are two different verbs, but lay is also the irregular past tense of lie. But in most dialects of English – especially in America, where it's the bugbear of prescriptivists – the distinction is eroding. I can't quite remember what it is offhand, something to do with volition or transitivity.
كان يا ما كان / يا صمت العشية / قمري هاجر في الصبح بعيدا / في العيون العسلية
tà yi póbo tsùtsùr ciivà dè!
short texts in Cuhbi
Risha Cuhbi grammar
tà yi póbo tsùtsùr ciivà dè!
short texts in Cuhbi
Risha Cuhbi grammar
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
lay / laid / laid (put something in place - transitive):
- lay tile
- laid the foundations
- "One thing we might get out of Cyrus's little get together is meeting some strange wool. I wouldn't mind laying a little something down on the way back." -The Warriors
lie / lay / lain (recline - intransitive):
- lie down
- "In the distance three lions lay in wait for hours. The zebra made the mistake of scratching its wound against a bush" -random website
- "This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction." -Judges 21:11, ESV
lie / lied / lied (tell a falsehood):
- lie to someone
- "You lied to me, even though you know I'd die for you" -Mark Morrison, "Return of the Mack"
- lay tile
- laid the foundations
- "One thing we might get out of Cyrus's little get together is meeting some strange wool. I wouldn't mind laying a little something down on the way back." -The Warriors
lie / lay / lain (recline - intransitive):
- lie down
- "In the distance three lions lay in wait for hours. The zebra made the mistake of scratching its wound against a bush" -random website
- "This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction." -Judges 21:11, ESV
lie / lied / lied (tell a falsehood):
- lie to someone
- "You lied to me, even though you know I'd die for you" -Mark Morrison, "Return of the Mack"
I don't mind drank, but I don't like drunk as a past participle. "I've drunk this medicine every day and still no change!" don't like it. I probably associate "drunk" too strongly with the adjective.treegod wrote:I drank? I have drunk? Both quite okay for me. I say "had a drink" too.
Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
My linguistics teacher from America said that "drunk" as a pp was alien to him. There might be something there. I'm pretty sure I normally say "I've drank", but then I'm also prone to other non-standard collapsing of pp and past simple, such as "I seen" or "I've went".
I also keep noticing myself using "yous" recently.
I also keep noticing myself using "yous" recently.
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Re: The Innovative Usage Thread
To put it basically (i.e. without grammatical expl.) "lie" is what I do with my body and "lay" is what I do with other things. Thanks, you learn something new every day.
"I'm drunk", "I got drunk", "I have been drunk".clawgrip wrote: I don't mind drank, but I don't like drunk as a past participle. "I've drunk this medicine every day and still no change!" don't like it. I probably associate "drunk" too strongly with the adjective.
It was about time I changed this.