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Forum: Chat Room
Thread: Crazy English Language! |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 76
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SekeRob
Master Cruncher Joined: Jan 7, 2013 Post Count: 2741 Status: Offline |
'To lose or not too loose', that's the question for today. My ears don't hear it, so unless the context rule is known, it's a guess. Go http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/loose_lose.htm for an explanation.
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Sgt.Joe
Ace Cruncher USA Joined: Jul 4, 2006 Post Count: 7664 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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'To lose or not too loose', that's the question for today. My ears don't hear it, so unless the context rule is known, it's a guess. Go http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/loose_lose.htm for an explanation. Your ear probably does not hear it because of the lip lazy speakers of the language. The word "lose" should be pronounced phonetically like "luz" with a long "u" and the "z" sound for the end. (Sorry, I do not know how to put the diacritical marks in). "loose" should be pronounced "lus" with the long "u" sound and the "s" sound ( like a snake hissing). "Lose" is a verb meaning to not have something or be unable to find something you once had. It is also the opposite of "win" as in a game. Whereas "loose" is an adjective most of the time meaning untight or insecure or in clothing as baggy. However it can be used as a verb meaning to set free. My French is not too good, but you can think of the French artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as Henri "Too Loose" Lautrec for how loose may be pronounced. Hope this helps a little. Cheers
Sgt. Joe
*Minnesota Crunchers* |
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Mamajuanauk
Master Cruncher United Kingdom Joined: Dec 15, 2012 Post Count: 1900 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Crazy indeed! Here's a thought as to why...
----------------------------------------English is a Bastard Language! It's made up from Saxon, Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Greek, Norse amongst others, not forgetting the Normans with French! To say nothing of the modern influence from the good young (at around 400 years old, it can't be old!) US of A, text speak and the general laziness of many who drop connecting words... It's not surprising that people have difficulty understanding it, there is so much influence from other languages & cultures etc. I'm English born and bred, I still have to think of which word is the correct spelling. Pronunciation is part of the problem, as Sgt Joe pointed out with the example Lose and Loose, the two words have become almost interchangeable, but in reality have very different meanings. One thing I'd like to point out, having spent some time living in the USA, you don't speak English over there! You actually speak American, which is a version of English, while I accept is could be grouped into the English, if it was the same language, why are there so many differences in what things are called? To mention a few: English - Description - US equivalent Pavement - footpath - Sidewalk Boot - luggage compartment of car - Trunk Bonnet - Engine compartment - Hood Wing - Car front or rear quarter - Fender The list goes on, and one... Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in the US, I enjoyed everything about being there, I just can't reconcile American as 'English! Rather, a version of English is easier to accept.
Mamajuanauk is the Name! Crunching is the Game!
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Sgt.Joe
Ace Cruncher USA Joined: Jul 4, 2006 Post Count: 7664 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Well said Mamajuanauk. American English does have a number of different words for the same items. Some other examples are:
----------------------------------------America -wrench England-spanner America-elevator England-lift America-apartment England-flat However, I really have no problem watching a movie or TV program made in England for English audiences and understanding what is said. Sometimes I have to listen closely, but for the most part understanding is not a problem. However, some of the regional dialects of England are hard for us here, such as Cockney , Yorkshire or heavily Scottish. I am not sure if there is a British Standard English, but the broadcasters on the BBC are easily understood, at least by me. American broadcasters generally speak in a midwestern accent which seems to be easily understood by most Americans. In fact, a number of national broadcasters started their careers in the midwest before moving to larger markets on the either coast. Cheers
Sgt. Joe
*Minnesota Crunchers* |
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4WhQxmsSdepBpEBjB6rbNUMSgTfK
Veteran Cruncher The Great State of Texas Joined: Apr 27, 2007 Post Count: 1053 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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And then I can't understand those from the NE USA.
----------------------------------------Often: to remove from. Hold still let me shoot that apple often yo head.     |
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cjslman
Master Cruncher Mexico Joined: Nov 23, 2004 Post Count: 2082 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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How about the word "cleave" ? It has two meanings:
----------------------------------------1) to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow 2) to adhere closely; stick; cling Cleave, a verb, has two very different and opposite meanings !!!  CJSL Crunching like there's no tomorrow... |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sgrt Joe
You are right about BBC English, in days past the BEEB used to have a pronunciation unit and the advocated what was called 'Home Counties Received English'. The Home Counties are Esses, Middlesex, Surrey and Kent. Regional dialects are a charming way to confuse people from other parts of the country. The most spoken are Cockney (London), Geordie (Newcastle and environs), East Riding (Yorkshire North), West Riding (divided between Leeds and Sheffield and Derby, there are differences). East Anglian (Lincoln, Norfolk Suffolk parts of North Essex). There is the delightful burr of Hampshire & Dorset. Then the ZummerZet of Somerset and Devon. The Celtic influence of Cornwall. The Welsh have big differences between North & South but still the same language. The 'Black Country' of Birmingham, Dudley, Wolverhampton and the rest of the West Midlands is markedly different from that of the East Midlands. Just to say it is a lot of fun and I enjoy visiting each of these areas (used to have to do it for work, now it is for pleasure after retirement).  |
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alged
Master Cruncher FRANCE Joined: Jun 12, 2009 Post Count: 2358 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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As a french not very fluent in english i can add a piece of nostalgia
----------------------------------------when in grammar-school we were listening to the BBC in english course and as homework as well. Nowadays the world seems to talk "globish". Genuine language are regressing either english or french.  |
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gta198
Senior Cruncher USA Joined: Apr 8, 2020 Post Count: 309 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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The USA version of how the English say smoke a cigarette would be considered a "hate" slogan :o)
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SekeRob
Master Cruncher Joined: Jan 7, 2013 Post Count: 2741 Status: Offline |
If you're in the UK, England specifically, soon you wont be allowed to use i.e or e.g. as the brexiteer government only wants 'simple' English, so I read nothing that has a whiff of Latin to it, like the French are working hard on abolishing all English words... froggification. Problem is, half of English is Latin based ;P))))
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