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
Pronunciation of indefinite article “a”
- Martha013
- January 19, 2020, 4:11pm
There is no mystery to the Pronunciation of ‘a‘ and ‘the‘ in front of words! The ‘aye ‘ goes in front of vowels, ( aye uterus) however changes to ‘an’ when it is cumbersome (an octopus) . The ‘uh’ sound is used in front of consonants. Many people whose first language is not English or those with discreet dialects adopt incorrect usage feeling that it elevates their diction Now we have become accustomed to the nuance and linguists would accept it as correct for a region or culture. Listen to Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady singing Why Can’t The English (pronounced THEE ) Teach Their Children How To Speak?
Might could
- mpr1104
- January 18, 2020, 1:09pm
One issue that may be relevant is that "could" also implies possibility or uncertainty in some cases. If you ask me if I will edit a spreadsheet for you and I respond that I will, then there is no uncertainty. If I respond that I could, there is an implication of uncertainty. If I were to include both "might" and "could", I am using two words that both suggest uncertainty.
With regard to a previous comment, it is inaccurate to suggest that individuals who use a term when speaking will not use that same term in their writing. While it may be less common to use some informal or regional terms in writing, I have seen many students and co-workers use informal terms in their writing.
Computer mouses or computer mice?
- TheSoldier1941
- January 16, 2020, 11:53am
I'm here because I've found such occurrence in my English book. The word "mouses" sounds horrible, even for a non native English speaker. I've been reading quite a lot of comments in here and I'm astonished there's no certain rule in English, as well as tech companies avoid the plural usage via "mouse devices".
In my point of view, I'd stand for "computer mice" in order to be grammatically correct, but hopefully it will be decided in the future so we can avoid seeing official English books using the word "mouses".
Pled versus pleaded
- Kimmie
- January 13, 2020, 11:48pm
I automatically hear pled, when ever I see pleaded.
Pled versus pleaded
- Kimmie
- January 13, 2020, 11:47pm
I agree with you 100 percent, this has been bothering me for a long time.
Pled versus pleaded
- user108550
- January 13, 2020, 9:53pm
It seems like a leftist conspiracy to simplify for people who speak English as a second language. It is just the first thing to go. Couldn’t even find pled in an online dictionary before I frustratedly googled “What happened to pled”.
How does this happen. Who gets the media to line up like this?
Glad to find this page and the comments here.
Thank you for being here.
Do not induce vomiting
- Latamayo
- January 13, 2020, 12:33am
I I'm only here by accident I'm not sure how, but more than likely due to all the different link clicking and redirecting tabs I hit... And then I decided to stay for a while and see what was being shared, because I found it to be almost informative but even more entertaining ! So even though I have nothing important to comment on or of any relevance to this thread. I just wanted to say I do appreciate you guys for giving me an almost pleasant 10 minute experience ! Peace out homie
V-cards
- user108546
- January 12, 2020, 11:16pm
I earned it.
“Bring” vs. “Take” differences in UK and American English
- Wordmeister
- January 11, 2020, 2:04pm
I live in the American south and I never heard the use of “bring” when one means “take” until the most recent decade and I believe it’s a New York construct. No one I know says “ I brought my child to the doctor” for example, but I hear this on television and radio shows.
Idea Vs. Ideal
I've heard so many people use Ideal for Idea, I began to doubt myself,and looked it up,