BrainKing - Discussion boards (Languages)

Subject: Re:

Pedro Martínez: yes, dutch had more cases in the past ... all cases are gone .. but we still find them in some words .. never nouns though

english has a few cases left as well, like 'they, them, their'

in dutch we have 'wiens, wier' and probably some more .. few people use those forms any more though

10. April 2006, 12:42:18

Subject: Re: Trip, Travel, Journey, Voyage, Excursion

Hrqls: the only real reason i can think of would be to study ancient texts in their original language
Or to better understand how a certain language evolved.

For instance, if you study latin, you may have an easier task finding similarities between french, spanish, italian and portuguese and understand them easier, since you'll know a strong common root between them.
(It doesn't mean you'll know how to speak them well. Linguists in so many languages are rare - but you'll understand them fair enough)

10. April 2006, 12:44:01

Subject: Re: Trip, Travel, Journey, Voyage, Excursion

pauloaguia: *nod* thats the main profit that i have from having learned ancient latin and ancient greek .. some languages look like latin, but more importantly i learned how certain language groups are built and can expand on that when i hear a new language .. it certainly helps me when i am in a forgeign country :)

10. April 2006, 12:44:23

Subject: Re:

Lamby: I'd agree with you in all but the second. My first intinct would be that Smoking is strictly forbidden on underground trains in London.
But then again, I'm not an expert in proper english grammar ;)

10. April 2006, 15:20:05

Subject: Re:

Modified by Pedro Martínez (10. April 2006, 15:20:36)

pauloaguia: I agree with Lamby. I think it should be 'prohibited' since it was forbidden by the authority of the city of London. Great post, Lamby, BTW...thanks for that.:)

10. April 2006, 15:45:24

Subject: Re:

Pedro Martínez: I won't rebate it, after all my English comes mostly from the movies ;). My answer just sounds better to me that's all.
Or maybe it's just another one of those british/american things and Smoking is prohibited in London and forbidden in New York?

10. April 2006, 15:48:48

Subject: Re:

pauloaguia: Compare this:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22prohibited+in+the+US%22&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22forbidden+in+the+US%22&btnG=Search

10. April 2006, 15:49:45

Subject: Re:

pauloaguia: Then again, googling on the subject I found both versions. Though the word prohibited shows up in 90% of the cases vs about 10% for forbidden

10. April 2006, 15:50:56

Subject: Re:

Pedro Martínez: we had the same idea at the same time...
You know what they say - Great minds think alike

10. April 2006, 22:29:09

Ewe

Subject: Re:

Pedro Martínez: Hi there! Thanks! Im really enjoying reading this board :o)

11. April 2006, 07:21:02

Bernice

how do I say "I'm in trouble now" in czech?
thanks :)

11. April 2006, 13:44:26

Subject: Re:

BerniceC: I'd say "Tak teď jsem v pěkné bryndě" :)

11. April 2006, 14:04:21

Lamby: Thanks. It's a great board because there are a bunch of great people posting on it.

Thnaks for the explanation you gave us. So let me see if I've got it correctly:

If the government bans something, it means we're disallowd or not permitted to use it anymore. So basically it's forbidden from then on to use that thing and if they see us by chance that we're gonna use it, they'll prevent us from doing that.

**************************************

Hrqls: Try this link Pedro is currently using an dyou may like it :

http://www.easypersian.com/

:-)

12. April 2006, 06:44:31

Papa Zoom

Does PRD mean "fart" ? ;)

12. April 2006, 07:40:43

I have a problem with syllable divisions.

Take the word extra for example. It's pronounced /ekstra/. How do I know that it's /e.kstra/ or /ek.stra/ or /eks.tra/ or /ekst.ra/ ?

12. April 2006, 09:48:31

Subject: square

last holiday i had troubles finding the english word for 'square' : an area surrounded by houses.
As very few squares are actually square (at least in the netherlands) it was very tough to think of the word, whenever my mind came close to the word 'square' it discarded it because it wasnt logical ;)

12. April 2006, 11:16:30

There's a very interesting article I have about these problems with English:

Crazy English

English is crazy language. There's no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

we take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are suare and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig!

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? One index, two indices? is cheese the plural of choose?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on.

When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essey, I end it?

Now I know why I fluncked my English. It's not my fault; the language doesn't quite know whether it's coming or going.

12. April 2006, 14:31:21

Eriisa

Subject: Chinese Translation ????

Can anyone translate this? I have an idea what is being asked but I doublt I'll be able to answer it.....

你好，不知道能不能跟你用中文沟通？我想要85B的，这款合适吗？有合适的内
裤配吗？谢谢

12. April 2006, 14:32:57

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Eriisa: Let me translate the Question marks for you. Oh, and the commas!

12. April 2006, 14:34:06

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Eriisa: "You do not know the Chinese language can be used to communicate with you? I want 85B, section suitable? A suitable allocation of pants? Thank you"

Translated by Google Translate.

12. April 2006, 14:36:58

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Fencer: Wow! So Fencer, can you translate this too?

اين گوگل چه کار ها که ازش نمی آيد

12. April 2006, 14:39:31

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

رضا: "I've just decided to purchase a Black Rook and I recommend everyone to do it as well."

12. April 2006, 14:43:06

Czuch

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Fencer: 200 bucks US? Lifetime membership?

12. April 2006, 14:44:19

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Modified by Fencer (12. April 2006, 14:44:32)

Czuch Chuckers: 300 bucks Euro.

12. April 2006, 15:26:37

Eriisa

Subject: Re: Chinese Translation ????

Fencer: wow, I always said Fencer was great!

Thanks!

Reza. I got the question marks too, except for 85B. LOL

13. April 2006, 09:41:55

What does this say?

...aneb, jo jo, pořád se něco děje.

13. April 2006, 09:43:09

Subject: Re:

رضا: ...or, yeah yeah, there is still something going on.

13. April 2006, 09:49:22

Subject: Re:

Fencer: I wonder what Liquid means by that ....

14. April 2006, 15:35:29

Rose

Subject: Pet peeves.....

I am by no means a scholar or the best at grammar in the English language but I can't get over how many people make these common mistakes!

It is You're welcome, not your welcome!
It is congrats or congratulations, not congrads!
I can hear you, not here you!
It is their car, not there car!
they're going away, not there going away!

...this concludes my rant.

14. April 2006, 15:38:32

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Rose: The mistakes are mostly because the pronunciation of the two choices are the same.

Regarding just pronunciation:

You're = your
There = They're = Their

14. April 2006, 15:42:15

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Rose: And about Congratulations, my assumption is:

The word Congratulations, according to dictionaries is pronounced /kengratsuleisnz/, with a CH sound, but people read it with a J (as in jam) sound which can occure just if a D sound and a Y sound come together, like in soldier which has originally been soldYer. So people think there must hav ebeen a D in congratulations too!

14. April 2006, 15:43:43

Rose

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

رضا: Yes, I realize that part. I think a lot of it is lack of written use in every day life. Most folks don't normally write or type very much except at sites like this. Maybe showing them the difference will help them to learn the difference. Just a thought.

14. April 2006, 15:46:17

Rose

With congratulations... I saw a banner at a wedding one time that read "congradulations on your wedding". I was floored. I couldn't believe that mistake got by the printers. Does it mean that maybe folks are so lax in their English that many, many don't know the proper words/spelling etc?

14. April 2006, 15:50:53

Subject: Re:

Rose: According the way they read the word, in my opinion congradulations is a better spelling. Just as in during that is really pronounced with a J sound. But that's the way it is. Congratulations is written with a T, not a D.

14. April 2006, 15:51:25

"GERRY"

Subject: Re:

Rose: Good For Freedom Of Speech,But Some People Have Accents HE He LoL, So Excuse Us LOL

14. April 2006, 15:56:48

Rose

Subject: Re:

CRY ME A RIVER: Accents have nothing to do with proper spelling though!

14. April 2006, 16:55:28

Fencer, a while ago, I asked you to add Phonetic Symbols to the smileys or somewhere else on the site. Now that we have this board, I think it's quite benefitial to have them. Here's a link to them as the appear in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary:

http://www.oupchina.com.hk/dict/phonetic/home.html

14. April 2006, 22:56:20

Ewe

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

رضا: There, Their & They're are not all pronouced the same!

There & Their are the same BUT They're is different

14. April 2006, 22:57:12

Ewe

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Rose: I agree with you..all that you have listed irritiates me too!

14. April 2006, 23:30:18

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Lamby: Really? I have also always thought they're all pronounced the same way.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=they%27re
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=their
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=there

14. April 2006, 23:34:41

Ewe

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Pedro Martínez: Hmmm I pronounce their & there as the link you put suggests, but I pronouce they're as....theyrrr
Maybe it's my accent?

15. April 2006, 00:25:21

Walter Montego

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Lamby: They're all pronounced the same, so I'd go with the accent theory. :)

rain, rein, reign
to, too, two, 2
for, four, fore, 4
lead and lead are pronounced differently!
lead, led
feat, feet, fete
read and read are pronounced differently!
read, red
read, reed

I'm surprised you guys didn't have the peeve with "our" and "are" as I see them mixed up all the time.
And why is it in English some words have acceptable alternate spellings and others only have one accepted spelling?
Honour or honor are OK, but don't you dare spell congratulations with a "D"

15. April 2006, 07:28:10

Subject: Re:

رضا: I'll have a look.

15. April 2006, 11:44:05

Subject: your / you're

there is another reason to write

your welcome

the reason is : being lazy ;)
i hardly use ' on the internet .. i will always write 'dont' and 'your' etc because i am lazy :)
in official messages i will use better english though :)

15. April 2006, 14:09:29

Rose

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Walter Montego: Honour is UK/Canadian spelling - Honor is American

neighbor US / Neighbour UK/Canada (Common Wealth is likely the best way to say it)
flavor
harbor
color
etc

all the '-our' endings are Common Wealth

Same as some z words.. realize/realise etc US/Common Wealth

15. April 2006, 19:02:44

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Rose: as well as 'analyse' and 'analyze'

at the university we were allowed to write our work either in american english or in british english ... but not in a mixture of both .. so if we started with 'analyze' we had to continue with 'color' as well ... the professors were quite strict on that

15. April 2006, 19:07:31

Rose

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Hrqls: I guess that makes sense!

15. April 2006, 19:11:32

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Rose: true .. but it also makes it a lot tougher ;)

especially since we learn british english in high school but learn american english from television :)

i love consistence though (is that the term?) .. brings structure in everything you do .. especially important while programming :)

15. April 2006, 19:19:41

Rose

Subject: Re: Pet peeves.....

Hrqls: It made it a little difficult for me when I was learning basic html. I would make a page with the colour tag and it never worked. Once I realized it was all 'set' in American English then I had no problem

15. April 2006, 19:22:53