Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[612DwarfAvenue]

I don't fail to not disagree. Sorta.

Really, as long as a post -or whatever- makes sense, and has decent grammar, i'm fine with it.


And don't forget, the English language is always changing. Words and phrases that don't make sense now, just may in 50 years or so. So 50 years from now, say "very much possible" to your friend, and see what he says then.





My $0.2.

[Muz]

I like how the word gay has changed in meaning so quickly.

[Tormy]

I just realized something...until today I always wrote "hillarious" instead of "hilarious".   

[Cheeetar]

I don't fail to not disagree. Sorta.

Really, as long as a post -or whatever- makes sense, and has decent grammar, i'm fine with it.


And don't forget, the English language is always changing. Words and phrases that don't make sense now, just may in 50 years or so. So 50 years from now, say "very much possible" to your friend, and see what he says then.





My $0.2.

Don't you mean your $0.02?

[Yanlin]

No. He has 20 cents. It's worth more than 2 cents.

[woose1]

CUUURSE YOU ALGEBRA!!!

[Cheeetar]

CUUURSE YOU ALGEBRA!!!

What.

[Duke 2.0]

CUUURSE YOU ALGEBRA!!!

Wut.

For the lulz.

 But yes, then you also get into local specializations of grammar. I know for sure the Brits have a few rules changed, and thus somebody will always have issue with your grammar unless it is specified to a specific style.

 But yes, as long as a message can be portrayed a language has fulfilled its purpose. You can butcher the rules however you want, as long as the intended audience can understand the meaning clearly you successfully used the language. Everything else is just icing.

[612DwarfAvenue]

No. He has 20 cents. It's worth more than 2 cents.

Exactly.



Now, imagine you're talking to someone who knows English, but is talking to you in a different language.

Do you say:

A: "Speak English!"
B: "Speak the English language!"


Honestly, A sounds better than B. B kinda drags on, or something.

[Puck]

so... is A grammatically wrong?

[Raz]

Language, like any cultural aspect, is subject to constant change. Even though that doesn't mean we should have total freedom in our grammar and spelling, I agree with naturalised sayings becoming official at some point.

[612DwarfAvenue]

so... is A grammatically wrong?

To the incredibly Anal, it might be.

Oh god that was bad...

[Awayfarer]

I had a professor once who described English as the "schizophrenic language."

English is, roughly
30% Latin
30% French
30% German
10% everything else

Because there were Germanic tribes romaing around Britain for hundreds of years. Then the Romans stopped by. Centuries later William of Normandy invades in 1066 and brings a lot of fancy French stuff into the language.

Then of course there's the influence that comes from hundreds of other cultures encountered during the exploration and colonization that happened during (and after) the Renaissance.

You might even call English the buffet language.