Language Barrier

[Phantom 2,533]

I can't remember if this has been posted before or not.
I don't know if this girl is a good actor, or genuinely this stupid

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9iR6sLwDKY

[Magere Hein 1,400]

I can't remember if this has been posted before or not.

I don't know if this girl is a good actor, or genuinely this stupid

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9iR6sLwDKY

 

My guess'd be troll, but then again: never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity.

[Lard Bazaar 3,799]

 

I can't remember if this has been posted before or not.

I don't know if this girl is a good actor, or genuinely this stupid

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9iR6sLwDKY

 

My guess'd be troll, but then again: never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity.

 

Well you've described Dr Z there to a tee.

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Bringing this topic back on track a bit,

 

​1. As to inquire/enquire, I challenge and continue to challenge anyone to present a discernable difference between the totally interchangeable 'continuously' and 'continually'. Not a fuck of difference (though the dictionary I believe says one is an adverb and the other isn't or some bullocks).

​2. Not always the American bullies you want to presume, I went many a time to Canada to drink (age limit 19) and visit the Windsor Ballet (totally nude dancing gals). The first time I was there I said something like 'do you take American money' and was immediately corrected that 'we too are (North) American, you should say United States currency/money'. I was always polite and did so thereafter (as did my friends). If you believe this is catty, and it may well have been, take it up with the Canucks in the Great White North, not me. I believe 'when in Rome...'
​SC

[Phantom 2,533]

Bringing this topic back on track a bit,

 

​1. As to inquire/enquire, I challenge and continue to challenge anyone to present a discernable difference between the totally interchangeable 'continuously' and 'continually'. Not a fuck of difference (though the dictionary I believe says one is an adverb and the other isn't or some bullocks).

 

​2. Not always the American bullies you want to presume, I went many a time to Canada to drink (age limit 19) and visit the Windsor Ballet (totally nude dancing gals). The first time I was there I said something like 'do you take American money' and was immediately corrected that 'we too are (North) American, you should say United States currency/money'. I was always polite and did so thereafter (as did my friends). If you believe this is catty, and it may well have been, take it up with the Canucks in the Great White North, not me. I believe 'when in Rome...'

​SC

 

SC,

The reason why I mentioned the first point was because the notes on our system get audited, especially what are deemed as "customer facing notes". I would always use enquire. As in "customer enquired as to the documentation required to complete the process". Depending on who is auditing my notes, they would flag it stating it should be inquired.

 

With regards to the pedantic Canadian that you encountered, there are what I would deem as to being the ugly person in any nationality/culture. From the brash American who has complained that things in England aren't as big as they are in Texas, to the drunk woman from Essex who one proclaimed that the "fucking frogs don't speak English" (when they were in Normandy). In those circumstances, I personally just shake it off and then avoid that person. And if it's a bar or store that I was going to buy stuff from, I just wouldn't go back there.

I've had the same discussion with a friend of mine (she's from Mexico). I forget the conversation and I mentioned something about America, meaning U.S.A. she "corrected" me by saying "Mexico is in North America", so when I told her that yes I'm aware Mexico is part of North America, as is Canada, but when I say America, then I mean the U.S. and if I was referring the Mexico then I would say Mexico. It took a little while but we just chalked it down to just a bad day.

[Magere Hein 1,400]

My visit, in February and March 1998 to Sydney, NSW, was a linguistic joy. The first time I heard an Australian say: "No worries", I laughed out loud. I had quite some time to kill there, much of which I spent at the bar in the Lord Nelson. My pommy accent was made fun of of course, and occasionally I needed a translation, but I much relished the local lingo.

[time 8,599]

Bringing this topic back on track a bit,

 

​1. As to inquire/enquire, I challenge and continue to challenge anyone to present a discernable difference between the totally interchangeable 'continuously' and 'continually'. Not a fuck of difference (though the dictionary I believe says one is an adverb and the other isn't or some bullocks).

 

​2. Not always the American bullies you want to presume, I went many a time to Canada to drink (age limit 19) and visit the Windsor Ballet (totally nude dancing gals). The first time I was there I said something like 'do you take American money' and was immediately corrected that 'we too are (North) American, you should say United States currency/money'. I was always polite and did so thereafter (as did my friends). If you believe this is catty, and it may well have been, take it up with the Canucks in the Great White North, not me. I believe 'when in Rome...'

​SC

1. Not interchangeable at all.

Continuously = uninterrupted

Continually = repeatedly

 

Numerous on-line resources explain this.

 

2. The Canadians were right.

[Handrejka 1,903]

 

One thing that took me a while to get used to was lemonade. Of course having lived for over 30 years in England, I was used to R. Whites and/or Schweppes. So I was taken aback when I was offered and accepted a lemonade here in the U.S. that I was handed a glass of non-carbonated watered down sweetened lemon juice. I've found out that if I want anything close to what I'm used to, I'd need to purchase a Soda Stream, or get a Sprite or 7UP.

 

Surely Sprite and 7Up are lemonade of the type you mean? Commercial fizzy lemonade as opposed to home-made still lemonade made with fresh lemons.

They taste much the same to me as the branded ones like R.Whites or the generic supermarket own-brand ones.

I suppose it shows the power of a brand name. Like you rarely hear people asking for cola.

 

 

I always ask for a cola if that's what I feel like drinking. I don't know it was rare.

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,218]

Whenever you see someone doing a crossword puzzle, say to them, '7 up is lemonade'.

Alternatively '7 up' is happiness at a gay orgy

[En Passant 3,741]

 

Whenever you see someone doing a crossword puzzle, say to them, '7 up is lemonade'.

Alternatively '7 up' is happiness at a gay orgy

 

Or a heck of a surprise for Snow White....

[Toast 16,137]

No one has raged here about Americans saying they "could care less" when they mean the opposite.

So I will.

[Phantom 2,533]

2 hours ago, Toast said:

No one has raged here about Americans saying they "could care less" when they mean the opposite.

So I will.

I try to pick my battles. At the moment I am waging war against "ATM machine", "hot water heater", and "today's soup du jour".

[TQR 14,387]

21 minutes ago, Phantom said:

"today's soup du jour"

 

As an unashamedly poncy, middle class, Southern-English grammar nazi, this one gets right on my tit ends.

[En Passant 3,741]

 

 

And it's 2 years since anyone (apparently me...) posted here. 

 

And i just realised I'm an idiot

[Mad Hatter2 85]

Near miss has always annoyed me. I know its a British thing but still, its another case of a phase meaning the opposite of its intention.

[Cat O'Falk 3,290]

8 minutes ago, Mad Hatter2 said:

Near miss has always annoyed me. I know its a British thing but still, its another case of a phase meaning the opposite of its intention.

It's the press who use the term 'near miss'. The aviation industry  used to call it 'air miss' and now call it 'airprox'.

[TQR 14,387]

28 minutes ago, Mad Hatter2 said:

Near miss has always annoyed me. I know its a British thing but still, its another case of a phase meaning the opposite of its intention.

 

I suppose you're right in that 'near hit' not only means exactly the same thing, but actually makes more sense.

[Cat O'Falk 3,290]

@Death ImpendsWill an administrator set the swear filter to substitute 'croaked' for 'passed on', or at the very least, 'died' ?

We're dealing in death here, not fluffy bunnyland.       

 

[Death Impends 7,964]

I agree that we shouldn't pussyfoot around saying "died" via usage of euphemisms, but I don't think it's necessarily worthy of a swear filter.

[Toast 16,137]

I regard "passed away" and "passed on" as gentle euphemisms that may be used when dealing with the bereaved, but otherwise there's no need for it.

I really loathe "passed", though.  Passed what?  An exam?  Driving test?  Wind?  It makes no sense.

[msc 18,439]

Adds "passed" and "croaked" to list of words to use more often.

 

Although, jokes aside, the former sounds aesthetically wrong without an adjoined "away" or other suitable adverb.

[TQR 14,387]

I also dislike "passed" or "croaked", but then probably quite a lot of people take issue to my use of "brown bread".

[Toast 16,137]

5 minutes ago, The Quim Reaper said:

I also dislike "passed" or "croaked", but then probably quite a lot of people take issue to my use of "brown bread".

 

That was going to be my forum name, but it was already taken   hence Toast, which is better anyway.

 

But regarding the euphemisms for 'die' or 'dead':

I think there's a difference between the many irreverent jocular expressions* and the blander kind that people use to sugar-coat the fact of death.

 

* Do we have a list anywhere?

[Clorox Bleachman 2,410]

9 minutes ago, Toast said:

* Do we have a list anywhere?

 

We do!

 

 

[Joey Russ 7,220]