Why Do Protesters Gather at the Spelling Bee?

[TubbaBlubba]

Kind of like Chinese? now, that's an easy language.

It's not really difficult, just different.

For a comparison, Chinese usually have an easy time learning the Kanji of Japanese, which is pretty similar to Chinese in that it's a character with a bunch of different meanings and readings. On the other hand, they frequently struggle with kana, which is two writing systems using syllables to make words, which is fairly similar to western languages. I've heard testimonies from native Chinese speakers about this.

Obviously, most speakers of non-Oriental languages have a hard time learning kanji but a fairly easy time learning kana.

 

[DanP]

I'd be more sympathetic if they were protesting against uncontrolled immigration. How many foreign words are we going to allow in the English language?

Sure, because that protest fits your political agenda :P

Why do we use the Italian word for zucchini when we already have an English word for it - courgette?

And why do we allow words in the English dictionary such as rodeo, coup, or putsch? That just leads to half breed words such as television.

Languages evolve naturally, as the vast majority of speakers will start to favor a certain word over another to convey meaning about something.

There is no need for a language purity nazi group to force stagnation in the evolution of a language.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

If we want to make English the official language in the US, shouldn't the English language be composed of American words?

I agree. Replace all loanwords with "liberty".

 

[BobG]

Languages evolve naturally, as the vast majority of speakers will start to favor a certain word over another to convey meaning about something.

There is no need for a language purity nazi group to force stagnation in the evolution of a language.

I'm not against the evolution of language. I'm just against uncontrolled dilution.

Take the new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary this year.

Abdominoplasty is a perfectly fine word. I can even see how admitting hoody to the dictionary improves our language. It refers to a particular type of garment that really needed its own word.

But agroterrorism? Another half-breed word.

And celebutante, obesogenic, crunk and therapise all sound like words Rich Hall would have invented (not that that's all bad - I do think that doork should be an official word describing people who try to go in the out door).

And riffage! Riffage?! Did Bill and Ted invent that word during their excellent adventure?!

And what's with adding new definitions to old words. Now when someone uses the word "rendition", how will we know what they mean?

Adding new definitions to old words makes life so complicated they had to invent a new word just to deal with the problem - retronym. So you can't just say a word like "guitar" anymore. You have to say "acoustic guitar" or "electric guitar" so the listener will know what kind of riffage you're talking about.

And I think it's time we reined in all of these fitness fanatics. They're corrupting our language with new words like aerobicized and yogalates.

http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/newwords/?view=uk

 

[DanP]

And I think it's time we reined in all of these fitness fanatics. They're corrupting our language with new words like aerobicized and yogalates.

http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/newwords/?view=uk

I see. Well yes I agree that such words should not enter a dictionary until they are not widely used by the majority of the speakers in the realm. That it, a word should become naturally adopted in the language first.

What bothers me is that we have in Romania a group of retarded ppl from academia (mostly old farts) who try to block any usage of foreign world who gained extremely wide natural usage. Take for example the word "mouse" as used to indicate the computer peripheral device. They insist never to use it and instead use the Romanian translation which is "soarece". You know what ? Some things sounds natural when translated. We use them. This is not one of them :P Noone but brain damaged humans will go in a computer store and ask for a "soarece" :P

 

[lisab]

I agree. Replace all loanwords with "liberty".

aaaahahahahaa...

 

[CompuChip]

Why do we use the Italian word for zucchini when we already have an English word for it - courgette?

Wow, yeah, that sounds really English :P

 

[BobG]

Why do we use the Italian word for zucchini when we already have an English word for it - courgette?

Wow, yeah, that sounds really English :P

Face it, it's hopeless. We'll have to give immigrant words already part of the language amnesty and just try to stem the invasion from here on out.

 

[DaveC426913]

If we want to make English the official language in the US,
shouldn't the English language be composed of American words?

Face it, it's hopeless. We'll have to give immigrant words already part of the language amnesty and just try to stem the invasion from here on out.

Sounds a lot like American White Supremacy.

 

[zomgwtf]

Sounds a lot like American White Supremacy.

Sounds like a person doesn't like other people meddling with their language. How's that connected to white supremacy?

There are already other 'forms' of English spoken, I don't think that people need to continually mess around with the original language.

I though 'American' was supposed to invoke thoughts of 'freedom' and 'mulitculture' etc.. However in your case apparently when someone says 'Amerian' it invokes thoughts of intolerance and hate?

 

[TubbaBlubba]

However in your case apparently when someone says 'Amerian' it invokes thoughts of intolerance and hate?

Not trying to provoke anything here, but that's really what it does to most people, at least around here in Sweden.

 

[magpies]

Well that's because your not american of course your going to protest that sweden is the best and if people act like america is better you will naturally not agree.

 

[BobG]

Sounds a lot like American White Supremacy.

Or it could be a tongue in cheek comment about how I feel about our illegal immigration "crisis".

 

[TubbaBlubba]

Well that's because your not american of course your going to protest that sweden is the best and if people act like america is better you will naturally not agree.

Sweden is great in many ways and terrible in many ways. I don't identify myself with my nation. I don't think I'd rather live in America, though.

 

[turbo]

Why do we use the Italian word for zucchini when we already have an English word for it - courgette?

Yes, the word that they stole from the French. That would be much nicer. That way when you have a whole bushel of zuccini to unload on neighbors, you can ambush them with a word that sounds like you might be giving them something they actually want.

Thanks to French nobility residing in England, many of the English words for food products are derived from the French and NOT from English. Nobility did not have to tend kine, swine or sheep, but they loved to eat beef, pork, and mutton - all derived from the French.