Discussion Forum
This is a forum to discuss the gray areas of the English language for which you would not find answers easily in dictionaries or other reference books.
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Latest Posts : Misc
I thought you could put /s/ on a copy of a signed letter to indicate the original had been signed. Right or wrong?
Can anyone tell me why the second ‘a’ in Canada and Canadian is pronounced differently?
I’m English/British and I and from England/Britain.
Surely it should either be Can-a-da & Can-a-dian or Can-ay-da & Can-ay-dian...
My guess is it has something to do with the French influence, but I would love to know for sure.
Here in the UK our language has been heavily influenced over the years, including by the French and it has always interested where these things start or change.
I was in empty space in an elevator one day when it occurred to me that it’s actually “pains-taking”, the taking of pains to do something thoroughly. I’d never thought about it before.
But it’s too hard to pronounce “painz-taking”, because the “z” sound must be voiced; whereas the unvoiced “s” combines easily with the “t” to make “-staking”, so that’s what we say. That’s my theory, but BrE might be different. Is it?
Why does the Western media have so many different spellings for some Arabic terms?
eg:
1. hezbollah hesbollah hizbullah hizbollah hisbollah
2. ayatollah ayatullah
I’m having a custom item made to indicate when our home was established. The year will be the year my husband and I were married and started our family. My issue is I’m not sure how our name should appear. Here is the text.
The (LAST NAME)
Est. 2008
Our last name is Myers. Please help! I’m not sure if it should be possessive (ownership of the home/family) or plural (for the people).
At the clinic I was directed to the “subwait area” and left to ponder my fate. I did wonder whether this should be sub-wait and how fully portable “sub” has become as a preposition and/or prefix, when attached to a Germanic-rooted word. What other words are there where “sub” is used as an English word, apart from phrases like “sub judice” and “sub” as a short form of “substitute” eg in sport “he was subbed off”?
Can you please comment on a trend that I have noticed recently. More and more people seem to be pronouncing words that contain the letters “str” as if they were written “shtr”. Strong sounds like shtrong, strange sounds like shtrange, and so on. I have noticed even my favorite NPR journalists mispronouncing these words. I first noticed this pronunciation in one of Michelle Obama’s early speeches. I’d appreciate any insight that you might have.
I have always believed, probably in common with most Scots, that the pronunciation of “gill” varies depending on whether one is referring to the organ of respiration in fishes and other water-breathing animals ( /ɡɪl/ ), or a measure of liquid (/dʒɪl/ ), or even one of the many other variations of the word. I was therefore somewhat surprised recently when watching an episode of QI to hear the erstwhile Stephen Fry and his guests use /ɡɪl/ for both the fishy organ and the liquid measure..
Does anyone know if there are rules governing the pronunciation of “a”? It’s either “AYE” or “UH”, depending on the word following. My preference is dictated by how it sounds and how it flows off the tongue, but I have never been able to establish if actual rules exist.
Americans and Australians tend to use “AYE” all the time and sometime it just sounds ridiculous, like...”Aye man driving aye car stopped at aye traffic light”
What diacritic would I use over the word YANA to accent the first a as an “ah” (short o) sound. It is pronounced Yahna. Thanks!
Latest Comments
What is the word for intentionally incorrect spelling?
- Tolga
- September 4, 2024, 12:13pm
Sadly It looks like after many years, there is no clear answer to this question. I was trying to find how to correctly describe Google‘s new product “Imagen”, which is an intentional misspelling of the word imagine, And pronounced “Imagine”. I asked ChatGPT and not sure where it came up with it, But when used in conjunction as the name of a product it suggested “Brandonym”, even though it made it clear that that’s not a real word and that there is no dictionary term for it.
“Let his/him come in.”
- dasej21
- September 4, 2024, 11:41am
Si estás en Chile y quieres una forma más cómoda de apostar, te recomiendo https://melbet-chile.net/los-jugadores-deberian-descargar-melbet-para-apostar-mas-comodamente/ . La descarga de la app fue rápida y sencilla, y ahora puedo hacer mis apuestas en cualquier momento y lugar. Es una gran ventaja para aquellos que no quieren perder ninguna oportunidad de apostar. La comodidad y accesibilidad de la aplicación la hacen imprescindible para cualquier apostador en Chile.
Sells or sold?
- dasej21
- September 3, 2024, 9:10am
Hi there! I’ve been diving into the slots section on https://slotscity.ua/ru/slots , and I’m loving every minute of it. The selection is fantastic, with a mix of both classic and modern slots that keep things interesting. The graphics are sharp, and the gameplay is smooth, making it easy to get lost in the excitement. I’ve already found a few favorites, and I’m looking forward to discovering even more great games here.
Initialisms and Quotation Marks
- dasej21
- August 30, 2024, 10:05pm
Hi there! I’ve been diving into the slots section on https://slotscity.ua/ru/slots, and I’m loving every minute of it. The selection is fantastic, with a mix of both classic and modern slots that keep things interesting. The graphics are sharp, and the gameplay is smooth, making it easy to get lost in the excitement. I’ve already found a few favorites, and I’m looking forward to discovering even more great games here.
Initialisms and Quotation Marks
- dasej21
- August 30, 2024, 10:05pm
hello
Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- monikapaaro
- August 30, 2024, 11:42am
In your case, keep the superscript and abbreviation elements in full caps to maintain consistency with the rest of the text. For example, use "JANE MCDONALD" and "WILLIAM DOE, JR." This approach ensures that all elements of the text box match the all-caps style you are using for the names and titles. Consistency is key, so maintaining the same formatting throughout will provide a unified appearance.
Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- monikapaaro
- August 30, 2024, 11:41am
In your case, keep the superscript and abbreviation elements in full caps to maintain consistency with the rest of the text. For example, use "JANE MCDONALD" and "WILLIAM DOE, JR." This approach ensures that all elements of the text box match the all-caps style you are using for the names and titles. Consistency is key, so maintaining the same formatting throughout will provide a unified appearance.
Pronouncing “str” like “shtr” as in “shtrong” “shtrange”
- Zufo
- August 23, 2024, 3:16pm
I've been noticing this for years now especially among white males now in their early 30s (my son's age). Haven't heard it in any other cohort (age, sec, race). I've been on the lookout for the online influencer that I suspect started this but have not found.
Proper usage of “as such”
- NotAPedantBut
- August 12, 2024, 2:24pm
I don't understand the recent confusion; I've been noticing this right and left the last few years.
"I am a teacher; as such [a thing - namely, a 'teacher'], I mold young minds."
As opposed to, "The exams were administered later than planned; as such [As what, exactly?], the report cards will be delayed."
Initialisms and Quotation Marks
qweqwe