Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 07:16 GMT | Post #153698—in reply to #153695 +0-0 |
David Kallans
Expert       Mother tongue: EnglishPosts: 17522 Joined: Friday, April 13, 2007 Location: United States |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
Originally written by Jonathan Downie
What about "sheep"? Has anyone else heard "sheepsies" used as a diminuitive?
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I've heard the diminutive "lambie," but I think I've only heard it in a children's TV show where it may have been used to fit the ryhme and meter pattern (poetic license).
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 16:05 GMT | Post #153756—in reply to #55431 +0-0 |
Marisa Paván
Veteran     Mother tongue: SpanishPosts: 260Joined: Sunday, April 06, 2003 Location: Argentina |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
Interesting examples of plural forms! I came across the word "monies" (as the plural form of "money") in a contract and I found it hard to identify the word at first. Then I looked it up in the dictionary and this is what I got: drawing accountequity method<script type=text/JavaScript>if (document.cookie.indexOf('come_from_search=') >= 0){var dt = new Date();dt.setTime((new Date()).getTime() - 24*60*60*1000);document.cookie = 'come_from_search=nope;expires=' + dt.toGMTString() + ';path=/';document.write('Find what you were looking for? ');}Marisa
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 16:11 GMT | Post #153758—in reply to #153756 +0-0 |
J. K.
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Location: Poland (removed) |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
Hi Marisa,
I hope that these links can help:
http://www.englishforums.com/English/MoneyMoniesFoodFoods/ccvgj/post.htm
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=286505
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic6777.html
Jacek
[Edited by J. K. on Thursday, August 21, 2008 16:15]
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 16:33 GMT | Post #153763—in reply to #55431 +0-0 |
Marisa Paván
Veteran     Mother tongue: SpanishPosts: 260Joined: Sunday, April 06, 2003 Location: Argentina |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
Hi Jacek! Thanks a lot!!! Very useful information! Marisa 
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Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 23:21 GMT | Post #153784—in reply to #153763 +0-0 |
David Kallans
Expert       Mother tongue: EnglishPosts: 17522 Joined: Friday, April 13, 2007 Location: United States |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
"Monies" is a word that I believe I have only ever seen in very formal legal documents, where it is roughly synonymous with "funds."
I expect the vast majority of English-speakers are not even aware that there is such a word.
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Posted: Friday, August 22, 2008 07:59 GMT | Post #153828—in reply to #153695 +0-0 |
J. K.
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Location: Poland (removed) |
RE: English is Tough Stuff
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2005/02/fish_or_fishes.html Canadian usage permits "beer" as a plural; American usage, as far as I know, does not. Linguists call the line between two such usages an "isogloss" (literally, "same language"). Just as an isobar on a weather map describes a region of equal air pressure, an isogloss describes a region where most people follow a particular usage or pronunciation. In the "beer" example, the isogloss runs right along the US-Canadian boundary. Similarly, isoglosses separate British "lorry" and North American "truck," and Californian "fender bender" and Tennessee "car smash" .... I suspect isoglosses also exist between social classes and generations. My generation uses "said" for "said." My students use "like": "So Crawford is like, 'We have a quiz on Monday,' and I'm like, 'Omigod, I can't be there!"
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Posted: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 10:15 GMT | Post #205383—in reply to #55431 +0-0 |
Jacek K. TC Master
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: Monday, February 15, 2010 Location: Poland |
RE: pronunciation: English is Tough Stuff
In today's Wall Street Journal, the designer/editor team decided to represent "black swan" as a dictionary entry, pronunciation and all, apparently without consulting an actual dictionary. This is the pitiful result:
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Posted: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 10:51 GMT | Post #205395—in reply to #55431 +0-0 |
Janus Jacquet
Elite Veteran   Mother tongue: DanishPosts: 6175 Joined: Friday, May 07, 2004 Location: Denmark |
RE: pronunciation poem: English is Tough Stuff
Impressive. I count six distinct errors (if we assume they’re trying to use IPA). In one word. Very impressive.
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Posted: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 21:53 GMT | Post #210773—in reply to #55431 +0-0 |
Jacek K. TC Master
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: Monday, February 15, 2010 Location: Poland |
RE: English is Tough Stuff
Full text of "Literary frivolities, francies, follies, and frolics" mentions "an unfortunate genius who had discovered that there were 33,535 ways of spelling the word 'scissors'!"
No examples were provided so I kept digging and here is
Spelling Society : 480 ways to spell 'scissors'.
You may want to test your own inventiveness first before looking up that list!
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Posted: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 22:03 GMT | Post #210775—in reply to #210773 +0-0 |
Nanna Mercer
Mother tongues: English, Danish Joined: Saturday, February 12, 2005 Location: Denmark |
RE: English is Tough Stuff
WOW! I could think of maybe 50 ways to spell 'scissors', so the list is amazingly inventive.
Nightie night!
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