# Who's English is the best here?



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.

My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise.  Which is kinda fishy.

See what I did there?

Not only am I an experienced writer/editor but my spoken English is standard "broadcast" American English, which I had to learn for that profession.  Although I can and do mimic a few regional accents if code-switching is called for.

I should add that I'm a linguistic archconservative.  I'm probably the only person left still using the traditional spelling of _Hallowe'en_.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.



Sure, sure, but I'd like several guys (and maybe some ladies) to copy so that I wouldn't sound like you completely


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## Ringel05 (Apr 11, 2017)

Por favor, presione uno para inglés.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

ese empuje para el español?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English


Moi.

I taught technical writing at the university level to undergraduates while I was in grad school.

What is your next question ?!


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Pogo said:
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.
Add  some y'alls to your speech if you want real American and not that snooty yankee english stuff.


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## Darkwind (Apr 11, 2017)

Shiiiiit, maaaaan. That honky muf' be messin' mah old lady... got to be runnin' cold upside down his head, you know?

Hey home', I can dig it. Know ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap up on you, man!

I say hey, sky... subba say I wan' see...

Uh-huh.

...pray to J I did the same-ol', same-ol'!

Hey... knock a self a pro, Slick! That gray matter backlot perform us DOWN, I take TCB-in', man!

Hey, you know what they say: see a broad to get dat booty yak 'em...

...leg 'er down a smack 'em yak 'em!

 COL' got to be! Y'know? Shiiiiit.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.
> 
> My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise.  Which is kinda fishy.
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> ...


It was called "Hallowed Evening" originally.


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## Ringel05 (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> ese empuje para el español?


press one for.......


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


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I actually put this onto a test for college students as a bonus question.

Only one girl from Dallas got the right answer:

"What is the plural of y'all?"


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
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who is the number three here, of course 




percysunshine said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
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Add what?  And what is the difference between Americans and Yankees?


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## CrusaderFrank (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English



Who's?

LOL

Who's line is it anyway

LOL


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

Ringel05 said:


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done.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Pogo said:
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Dichotomy primer list in English:

Guys / Gals

Boys / Girls

Youths / Young ladies

Men / Women

Gentlemen / Ladies

Males / Females


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

CrusaderFrank said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
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Uncle Vlad (Putin) wants to know.

Comrade Johnson is a Russian journalist in Moscow.


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

Darkwind said:


> Shiiiiit, maaaaan. That honky muf' be messin' mah old lady... got to be runnin' cold upside down his head, you know?
> 
> Hey home', I can dig it. Know ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap up on you, man!
> 
> ...


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Dichotomy primer list in English:
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> Guys / Gals
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Idiots/ ?


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## Darkwind (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> Darkwind said:
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> > Shiiiiit, maaaaan. That honky muf' be messin' mah old lady... got to be runnin' cold upside down his head, you know?
> ...


Yep....lol


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English


Very few people realize there is actually quite a difference between British English and American English.

And then there is also Canuck English, Auzzie English, and Kiwi English too.

In Boston they don't pronounce the "R".

In the South they drawl their vowels.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


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Idiots is a Greek word.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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But in Russian it's idiot/idiotka  Very clear and understandable


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

I vote Xelor is. You may have a difficult time communicating with him, however.

Pogo would, too.

For you, it's the language barrier, as for Pogo: It's an intelligence barrier.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> But in Russian it's idiot/idiotka  Very clear and understandable


If you want to insult someone here is the dichotomy on that:

Male --------- Female

Son of a bitch / Bitch

Fucker / Whore

Dick / C-u-n-t (the editor edits this word)

Pimp / S-l-u-t (not taking any chances here either)

Cowboy / Schoolgirl

Gigolo / Gold digger

Meat head / Air head

Most other insults are gender neutral, including "idiot".


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

In Spanish:

Cabron / Puta

Ringel05 correct me here if I am wrong !?


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> For you, it's the language barrier



there is no barriers for Russians, we'll have our way anywhere.

OK, dear candidates, name yourselves and then we'll have a poll. I've heard you have democracy there? Or I mixed it up with Britain...


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

My English is wicked good.


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## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar, and punctuation.


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## CrusaderFrank (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> My English is wicked good.



 ^ biggly!


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Marion Morrison said:
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The British are an aristocratic plutocracy not a democracy.

They send their rich morons to Parliament and the Parliament elects a Prime Minister.

That's NOT democracy.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar, and punctuation.


boedicca is not bad.

I doubt she understands advanced grammar and syntax however.

But she definitely is college or grad school or professional level.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar, and punctuation.



You conveniently omitted excessively modest.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Marion Morrison said:
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You are confusing Greek with English again.

Democracy is a Greek word.  Same as idiot.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

I got mad English skillz, y0!


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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What's Malakkia?


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## CrusaderFrank (Apr 11, 2017)

Whose wound had a bandage wound around it?


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## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> My English is wicked good.




Oh my goodness, where have you been hiding?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Some more gender dichotomies for English nouns:

King / Queen

Prince / Princess

Actor / Actress

Executor / Executrix

Murderer / Murderess

Chairman / Chairwoman


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## Billy_Kinetta (Apr 11, 2017)




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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English


I may be the first to question if you're asking "Who's English..." or "Whose English...?

I don't know since I can't be bothered much with semi-literate posters and am far too lazy to go back and check.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Marion Morrison said:
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When you say "there is ..." in English you need to look to the predicate for your subject noun.

If that noun is plural (like in your sentence -- barriers) then you need to change it to "there are ...".

"There are no barriers for Russians."

The rule is the same in Greek, Latin, German, French, and presumably Russian too.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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It is indeed, but has a very different meaning. It connotes someone who has a great financial interest in something, as of the owner of a business.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

*snip


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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Actually Comrade Johnson is a very literate Russian journalist.

English is just not his forte.

But his English is certainly not bad.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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y'all lolll


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

Yall throw your hats in. I'll just edit for you.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


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koshergrl is from/in Oregon.

That is the West (USA) Coast equivalent of West Virginia.

West Virginia is a coal mining sh!t hole near the East (USA) Coast.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Yall throw your hats in. I'll just edit for you.


Correctly phrased this would look as follows:

"All of you throw-in your hats, and I will just edit for you."


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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No, but you may tell yourself that if it discourages you from visiting.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


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Obviously also Greek.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar*,* and punctuation.



Excellent use of the Oxford comma.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

"Y'all" should not be used in the singular. It would make no sense.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


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Oregon has GREAT salmon fishing though not as good as Alaska.

Oregon has GREAT deer hunting though not as good as Oklahoma.

Oregon has great lumber harvesting and paper mills though not as good as Wash State.

Oregon has GREAT liqueur wineries -- best in the USA.

Everything else about Oregon is pure white trash however -- same as West Virginia.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


> "Y'all" should not be used in the singular. It would make no sense.


Y'all IS singular !!!

Do you know what the plural for y'all is ???


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


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He's correct though. Other than_ y'all_ we do not have a word to express the second person plural that makes it clear it's a plural and not a singular.  _Youse _(pronounced "yuz") just sounds stoopit.  That's why I use it here --- it's more specifically plural than the ambiguous_ you_.

But the plural of y'all, i.e. "multiple instances of the word _y'all_" would have to be _y'alls_.  A more challenging question might have been the plural possessive, i.e. "that which belongs to you-plural".  If you go with y'all's then you have two apostrophes, one a contraction, the other a possessive.  And that's messy.

I learned a contraction here in Appalachia for the first person possessive demonstrative pronoun -- _your'n_ (your + one).  Standard English of course has _yours _to express this but as it turns out _your'n_ is older.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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Malakia (with 1 k, not  two) is a stupid thing, from the word "malaka", the Greek version of the British word "wanker", someone who masturbates non-stop.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> boedicca said:
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I also normally put a comma before the final conjunctive "and", "or", etc.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> boedicca said:
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Oh my look at you set yourself up as something special lol.

when ppl do that I know they fancy themselves as wordsmiths. They never are, tho.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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British English masculine .......... Feminine

Wanker ....................................... Bitch


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


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That's more like it -- Oregonian English.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


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In plain sight.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Meathead said:
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Y'all is a plural pronoun, by definition.  Were it not so it could not include the word _all_.  The singular second person would be _you  _--- which used to be the formal, against _thou _as the singular second person familiar.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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Why don't you go have yourself a nice little wank.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

FYI...the Title of this thread should be:

"WHOSE English is the best here?"


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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Your'n is Irish.

Y'all's is possessive NOT plural.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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Why don't you offer your services ?!


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> My English is wicked good.



For the OP ---- that ^^ adjective is only used in New England.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> FYI...the Title of this thread should be:
> 
> "WHOSE English is the best here?"


Correction -- "American English".

We covered that --

- Auzzie English

- British English

- Canuck English

- Kiwi English

Etc.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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It's an activity you can do very well alone, as you no doubt know only too well.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


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I would never visit Oregon again.

Been there done that.

The only excuse for visiting Oregon is if you are stuck in California and you want to hunt a real elk or buck deer.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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No doubt you Meathead are the expert with your extensive knowledge and promotion of wanking, Malaka.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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_Your'n_ is simply older English than _yours_ whether the Irish use(d) it or not.  You could look it up.

And again --- y'all is ALREADY plural.  By definition.  It cannot NOT be plural and carry the word_ all_.  Think about it.

Therefore y'all's is both possessive AND plural.

Look, I'm bilatitudinal.  I've been using both _y'all_ and _you _(plural) all my life.



As I always say --- anybody who thinks political discussions get spirited should sit in on a publication editorial board meeting --- you wanna see some battles.....


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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Your impressions of Oregon are in a word, bizarro.  No comparison whatsoever with WV.  Anyone who's been to both could tell you that.

I'd move to Oregon in a heartbeat if moving 3000 miles wasn't such a PITA.


/offtopic


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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Dammit Beavis !!

How many times do I need to beat this into you ??

"Y'all" is singular OR plural but there is a more PLURAL form.

Obviously you have never been to Dallas or Houston, you Yankee pogue.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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If you went you Oregon (commonly pronounced OH-REE-GONE) you would find it very similar to W.V.

Instead of coal mines as in WV they have paper mills all over Ore. churning out clouds of smoke everywhere.

The people are relatively uneducated and backward there as well.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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"Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small."   Henry Kissinger


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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I don't think you've ever been to the South at all.  Had you ever been here you couldn't post something this degree of ignorant.

What does the word "all" mean?  Hm?

To the OP --- YoHereAreSomeChipsAhoy has thus disqualified himself.  Apparently he knows as much about English as he does about Oregon.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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No, "you" is both singular and plural, but "all" can only be the latter.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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Bull sh!t.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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All means one or more, you Yankee pogue.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Bull sh!t.


Now see, that can only be singular since it's uncountable.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."

I'll give this a few days to see if any true Texan's knows.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

See what you started Comrade Johnson ?!

All these Yankee pogues think they know grammar/syntax.

All they truly know is their own Yankee English (New England-ish).


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


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Gotta have sum southern flair in that.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> 
> I'll give this a few days to see if any true Texan's knows.


Interesting but grammatically atrocious inflection there son of God.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> 
> I'll give this a few days to see if any true Texan's knows.



Once again --- as already posted --- if you mean "multiple instances of the word _y'all_" ... as in "how many _y'alls _are on this page".... then that's it: _y'alls_.  Already asked, already answered.

If you mean 'what is the plural of a plural' ---- there's no such thing.

"What is the plural of _clouds_?"


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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Very good !!

Your Greek is not bad !!

You are the first moron on this Forum who has noticed this correctly !!


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


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Zackly.  "to see if any true Texan is knows".  Makes no sense.  I'm starting to wonder if Chips speaks any language at all.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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You really need to visit Dallas or Houston, enjoy some Cajun food, like crawdads and gumbo, keep your ears peeled, and then come back to the East Coast wiser Pogo .


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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Now you're talkin' Bostonian English again, Yankee pogue.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> See what you started Comrade Johnson ?!
> 
> All these Yankee pogues think they know grammar/syntax.
> 
> All they truly know is their own Yankee English (New England-ish).



Once again, I'm bilatitudinal.  Part nurtured in the North, part in the deep South, from earliest childhood.  Have also lived in New England, Appalachia and California, and abroad.  Enough to know "the South" is not a single accent and New England is not the same as "North".  You're way outta your league here.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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Oh thanks that reminds me --- I lived in Sleaziana too.  Already been to Dullass, already been to Houston, and some 65 other cities just in the course of work alone.  And I might add, those travels having already gone down, no there's no reason to go back.  Or in your language ---- "Oregon".

And no, I do not need to "peel" my ears.  They came that way.  I make my entire living from sound, and I have auralgraphic memory.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

I'll wait to see if the Texans chime in before I give the answer.

Obviously anyone not knowing the plural of "y'all" is from the East Coast -- and practically a Communist.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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Damn Boy, then you don't listen too good, do ya' punk ?!


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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You're a damn Yankee and it is written all over your breath.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


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Doing so might save you millions of dollars.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html?_r=0


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


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You just don't include the fact that someone could use y'all to point just you and your demons in that or you and your com-padres.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Meathead said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


I am Half-Greek and no moron. I am easily one of the most literate, if not the most literate poster on this forum. I can run circles around you in at least three languages, obviously including English.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Note to Comrade Johnson --

"American English" as such suffers from various regional dialects.

There are the following (dialects) --

- Yankee New England-ish

- Bostonian

- Mid-Atlantic Philadelphian

- Southern Coastal

- Deep South

- Midwestern Chicagoan

- Intermountain

- Canadian - West Coast - Los Angelian

- Pidgin Asian-English (sub-Californian)

Formal journalistic/professional American English is probably not spoken anywhere, although if I had to give it a location I would say the Univ. of Md. only.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)




----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)




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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Who ordered the word salad?  

Damn, even ChipsAhoy puts better English sentences together than that.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Meathead said:
> ...


And in wanking -- that is probably your forte.

Don't leave that off your resume too.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Let's eat Grandma!


----------



## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


That is what secretaries are for. An I never hit that status just hired them.


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## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English


*I'd Rather Be a Grammar Nazi Than Not See Grammar*

For one thing, your title should be "Whose English Is the Best Here?"  For another, American education is a fraud (_obman_); it only proves that the graduate can go four or more years without a job.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


That sounds a bit like an Arkansian to me.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Meathead said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


I'm sure you can't pick up a pencil with one hand, but could crush a Volkswagen with the other. (sorry, an old Woody Allan line)


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Note to Comrade Johnson --
> 
> "American English" as such suffers from various regional dialects.
> 
> ...



"Formal professional American English" --- insofar as there even is such a thing --- is spoken generally in broadcasting.  With obvious exceptions that sound resultingly unprofessional, e.g. Chris Matthews.

And no Virginia, regional dialects are not something any language "suffers" from.  They give it _character_.   A trait that Standard Broadcast English consciously strives to eliminate.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

It's funny how British English is all fokked up just like their teeth.

The don't follow the Latin rules of subject/verb agreement very well if hardly ever.

Their spelling is more French than the rest of the English Speaking World.

And their pronunciation is more Irish than English.

Good to know.

Not relevant to the O/P's topic however.

Just good to know.


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## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> percysunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


'
*And Make the Yankees Pay for It!*

Double-u (W) all?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Note to Comrade Johnson --
> ...


I like Chris Matthews !!

I like Chuck Todd as well.

John Dickerson makes a lot of grammar/syntax mistakes and does not even know it.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Meathead said:
> ...


I'm sure you can probably suck a golf ball through a garden hose Meathead  -- but that like most of your comments is also off topic from the O/P.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Where in the fokk does a bright Yankee child like you Pogo pick-up a phrase like "Chips Ahoy" ??

You know that @Treefokker is from California and smokes weed morning, noon, and night (Oxford comma) don't you ?!


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> It's funny how British English is all fokked up just like their teeth.
> 
> The don't follow the Latin rules of subject/verb agreement very well if hardly ever.
> 
> ...



Why would a Germanic language be following Latin rules then, hm?

And why would a Germanic language that's been layered over with French from the Norman daze never show the effects thereof ----- such as pluralizing with _-s_ rather than the old _-en_ --- e.g. _y'alls_ rather than _y'allen_?

Hm?

I'm sure this is over your head at this point.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



"Like" doesn't even enter into it.  Matthews is my go-to example of a broadcaster who couldn't be bothered to learn Standard Broadcast English; the exception that proves the rule (exists).


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson some of the insults being batted around this/your thread are among the most erudite I have seen anywhere.

Let us know if you have any questions about insulting others at the post graduate English level.

If you wanted to talk about forms of government however, by starting with "democracy" you are confusing us with the ancient Greeks.

Ancient Athens was a democracy.

The USA is a "democratic republic":

Democratic republic - Wikipedia


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


When I listen to Mathews he is normally quite funny.

He is good at dissecting interviewees as well.

He gets to the point and does not mince words.

Great investigative journalist.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



It sounds a little more Papua New Guinean to me.

In Arkansas, it would be: "Let's eat sister!"


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > It's funny how British English is all fokked up just like their teeth.
> ...


German grammar follows Latin grammar which follows Greek grammar.

The Catholic Church probably had the most to do with formulating German grammar during the Holy Roman Empire period, which was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire.

What is your next impertinent question ?!


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## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> to see if any true Texan's knows.


*Edit, Idiot!*

An apostrophe catastrophe for the plural, followed by a singular verb.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Yup that is "deep South".


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## Uncensored2008 (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English



Мой английский совершенен. Я говорю по-английски, не так ли?
Moy angliyskiy sovershenen. YA govoryu po-angliyski, ne tak li?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> I vote Xelor is. You may have a difficult time communicating with him, however.
> 
> Pogo would, too.
> 
> For you, it's the language barrier, as for Pogo: It's an intelligence barrier.


Xelor ??


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar*,* and punctuation.
> ...


I'll nominate xotoxi then, since nobody is supposed to nominate themselves in a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.

And I will withdraw my own volunteering and move to strike Pogo the Yankee pogue and Meathead the [EDIT:] Yankee scumbag as well from the record.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Same as posted above, focus-challenged one.  Why would a Germanic language be following Latin structures?  No, German grammar does not "follow Latin grammar" at all.  I see your experience with German is right up there with that of Oregon.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > boedicca said:
> ...



Meathead is actually from the same place I am.  He just took the trouble to learn (an)other language(s), as I did.

And before either of us did that, we took the trouble to learn English.  Start there.


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson some of the insults being batted around this/your thread are among the most erudite I have seen anywhere.
> 
> Let us know if you have any questions about insulting others at the post graduate English level.
> 
> ...


*A Republic Is a Foster Government*

A democratic republic is a contradiction in terms. It is nothing but an oligarchy chosen by the hereditary ruling class.  By the way, media Diploma Dumbos have infected us with the incorrect use of _oxymoron _by trying to make it mean "contradiction in terms."  Its truly educated meaning is exactly the opposite, such as "boneless ribs, plastic glasses, and Kansas City, Missouri."


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...



In America, "you all" means "you" (plural or singular), and "all" (plural or singular). Both are correct.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > to see if any true Texan's knows.
> ...



That's prolly Pogo's primary pet peeve: apostrophe abuse.  Most rampant scourge in contemporary written English, at least in this country.

As far as Texas grammar though --- I can never forget the highway sign I read driving between Dallas and San Antonio that read, and I quote:

*SPEED*
*FINES 
DOBLES*​


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> 
> I'll give this a few days to see if any true Texan's knows.


"Functionally, the emergence of _y'all_ can be traced to the merging of singular and plural second-person pronouns in Early Modern English.[4] _Y'all_ thus fills in the gap created by the absence of a separate second-person plural pronoun in standard modern English. _Y'all_ is unique in that the stressed form that it contracts (_you-all_) is converted to an unstressed form.[9]

"The usage of _y'all_ can satisfy several grammatical functions, including an associative plural, a collective pronoun, an institutional pronoun, and an indefinite pronoun.[5][10]

_"Y'all_ serves as a "tone-setting device to express familiarity and solidarity."[11] When used in the singular, _y'all_ can be used to convey a feeling of warmth towards the addressee.[12] In this way, singular usage of _y'all_ differs from French, Russian or German, where plural forms can be used for formal singular instances.[12]"

Even wiki is better versed than y'all.

Y'all - Wikipedia


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



It doesn't appear to have done y'all much good.

Just sayin.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



_All _is never a singular.  It would be impossible to refer to a single person, and only intend the statement to apply to 43% of that person.  A person is a person, period.  The insertion of "all" means by definition "you and everyone associated", ergo plural.  Again --- period.

"You all" is just a clumsy deconstruction of _y'all.  _And a dead giveaway that the speaker is a poseur.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Ah yes. We had a shooting range with a conspicuously placed sign that said "Umatilla County Sherriff's Dept."


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Pogo your math and Philosophy really suck too, not just your Yankee grammar/syntax.

And you are not very observant if you spent all that time in Texas and you STILL DID NOT LEARN the plural of "y'all" !!!


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> ...


Dammit koshergrl the ANSWER is IN THERE and you are giving it away !!!

STFU.


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## Uncensored2008 (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



Only in the South.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


TWO Yankee scum bags then ... thank you for 'fessing up.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Uncensored2008 said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


It seems to be catching on everywhere though.

Pro'lly not in Boston though.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Your history really sucks too Pogo .

You are digging yourself into a deeper hole with every breath Pogo .

Note to Comrade Johnson -- you better not trust this Yankee azzhole.

A Yankee for us is what you Comrade Johnson would probably call a Lithuanian.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I don't know what his life experience is outside the mid-Atlantic but mine started, at the latest, at the age of seven months on the first of hundreds of ventures to Mississippi.  That particular one to pay last respects to my dying grandfather.  At the time the President of the United States was Harry Truman.  So ---- that long.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



So you can't answer.  Quelle surprise.

Interesting language, Lithuanian.  Supposedly it has preserved our parent Indo-European particularly well.  I had a Lithuanian girlfriend; she would proudly note that Lithuania was the last culture to fall to Christianist takeover.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

> Who's English is the best here?



That's a very difficult question to answer, for so much of the discussion on USMB depends upon (1) one's awareness of the topic one opts to discuss, (2) the clarity and coherence of one's thinking about the topic, (3) one's willingness to fully express one's thoughts, and (4) one's command of English in expressing one's ideas.  One's command of English can appear inept as a result of gaps and flaws related to the former three factors.  In light of all four factors, though it's possible to discern when a writer has specific lapses in their command of standard English grammar, syntax and usage, it's not nearly as easy to reliably gauge whose English is the best. 

More importantly, however, what is the point of determining/discussing whose English is best?  There is no competition for that "title."  The person who "owns" that  superlative won't care because they already know their English is excellent.  The people who have subpar English skills won't care because they likely aren't soliciting lessons, and were they, the conventions of "perfect" English composition and usage are there for the taking on myriad Internet sites. 

Thus, even if we were to arrive at a consensus on who among us does have the best English, then what?   What is there to do with that knowledge/agreement?  Indeed, I'm amazed this thread topic has garnered some 125+ posts that are presumably on-topic.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


I don't care about your dirty diapers Pogo .

You have already proved by yourself that you don't know jack apple sh!t about American English, grammar, syntax, history, Latin, Greek, French, math, or Philosophy.

I have therefore un-nominated your self nomination of yourself for Comrade Johnson 's purposes.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> I'll nominate xotoxi then, since nobody is supposed to nominate themselves in a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.



I'll second that nomination, since this is not a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> > Who's English is the best here?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The key word being "presumably" !!!


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I don't give a flying fuck what you purport to "un-nominate".  You can't even handle a simple apostrophe -- let alone navigate the word _y'all_.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> I'll second that nomination, since this is not a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.


Xelor is giving you a hard run for your money though.

He too follows the Oxford comma.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Potty mouth!  Potty mouth!


----------



## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> > Who's English is the best here?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Simplicity is not an easy task for the overly educated tribe.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> _Y'all_ thus fills in the gap created by the absence of a separate second-person plural pronoun in standard modern English.


What?  English has second-person plural personal pronouns:  you, your and yours.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


I am going to switch over to WV white trash English now so that you understand me better this time Pogo :

You don't read too good do ya' boy?

I already answered your question about how Latin influenced German.

It was due to the Catholic Popes.

Go back and read it again and this time wipe the dog sh!t out of your eyes first.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > > Who's English is the best here?
> ...





RodISHI said:


> overly educated



Now there's a fine example of an oxymoron.


----------



## Dalia (Apr 11, 2017)

Not me !


----------



## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Their should be an ouch button for that post.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Simplicity is not an easy task for the overly educated tribe.


This truth which you have spoken/typed is most often noticed with excessive comma's.

We call that kind of writer a comma-kazi.  Rhymes with the Japanese word for "Divine Wind".


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Dalia said:


> Not me !


You can be our French expert though !!


----------



## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


I could have said the excessively instead of overly but the later count took up less space to keep the diatribe down.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > I'll second that nomination, since this is not a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.
> ...



But he only has one X in his name, whilst I have two.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > > Who's English is the best here?
> ...


Yes, I suspect it is....My awareness that few members are able to stay on topic is what spurred me to include that word in my final sentence.  LOL  I am not going to read all those friggin' posts to find out.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> > Who's English is the best here?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



They're not on topic though --- just a trove of Chips Ahoy trolling.

Point well taken though.  Posters don't come here to express writing skills but to make and counter argumentative points.  That's going to involve vernacular rather than formal English.  The OP poses the question because he's (admirably) seeking to perfect his own ESL.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Ultimately everyone here will need to chime-in with a vote.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > I'll second that nomination, since this is not a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.
> ...


I use the Oxford comma when it adds clarity.  When it doesn't, as it does not in simple sequences, I don't use it.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > > Who's English is the best here?
> ...


You're good at ad hom's Pogo but not very good at anything else.

I have already summarized your academic credentials for you.

List of fallacies - Wikipedia


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

One cannot master the English language until one has mastered the semicolon.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


I do sort of a variation of that.

I normally always use the Oxford comma however when I proofread it again then if it looks/works/communicates better without it then I will remove it.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > _Y'all_ thus fills in the gap created by the absence of a separate second-person plural pronoun in standard modern English.
> ...



Yes but those are not _specifically _plural.  They can be either.  That's why _y'all _is needed to specify as plural.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



I use it all the time, since commas are free.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> One cannot master the English language until one has mastered the semicolon.


The semicolon is primarily reserved for ultra technical writing such as statues of laws.

This is in the high country of legalese lawyer-speak.

In any other type of writing a semicolon detracts from communication not adds to it.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



And I already noted --- you have no answer.  "it was due to the Catholic Popes" (which is redundant) is not an answer.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


Go back and read what koshergrl wrote you about you/all you-all Fokker.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Speaking of punctuation, have you ever read Cormac McCarthy?


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


I love the way the editor on USMB capitalizes Fokker !!

That's because it is the name of a type of German airplane.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Speaking of punctuation, have you ever read Cormac McCarthy?


"You" here having the meaning of whom ??


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


It is however the fokking answer to your fokking question Fokker.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > RodISHI said:
> ...





RodISHI said:


> I could have said the excessively instead of overly



"Overly," "excessively" and "too" are, in the contest of your statement, synonymous; thus doing so would not have altered the oxymoronic nature of the remark.  

Perhaps, however, you'd care to share with us just how one can have too much education.  Frankly, I can't imagine that's possible.  I think it's possible to make a qualitative judgment about how much education one needs or should have in various situations and life circumstances, but the notion that there is such a thing as absolutely being over educated is preposterous.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > One cannot master the English language until one has mastered the semicolon.
> ...



"detracts from communication not adds to it" huh..

Do you speak any language coherently at all?

Semicolons are used where needed in any kind of writing at all.  What you're posting here is complete bullshit.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Clarity is the prime test of all writing.

Since reading the writing is offset in space and time and the reader cannot ask the writer for further clarification, clarity is therefore the most crucial test of any word, sentence, punctuation, or rule.

The fact that you know that as proven by your mentioning it makes you one of the best and most knowledgeable writers here.

We try to teach this to kids in college but they don't often get it.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Pogo your rants and ad hom's are a useless waste of time and bandwidth so I am putting you onto my iggy list Fokker.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



I already corrected that, Chipples.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Anyone who repeatedly violates the list of fallacies goes onto the iggy list.

Ad hom is a fallacy.

Verbosity is a fallacy too.

List of fallacies - Wikipedia


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


Repetition is actually a learning tool in Learning Theory.

And in some languages like Greek and French the double negative is grammatically correct and even required.

It is as if you are saying "No! No!" but with grammar.

"OXI THEN" in Greek is a classic example.

So is "nes ... pas" in French.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

How about this for legalese lawyer-speak:



yiostheoy said:


> *WHEREAS:* The semicolon is primarily reserved for ultra technical writing such as statues of laws, and
> 
> *WHEREAS:* This is in the high country of legalese lawyer-speak, now
> 
> *THEREFORE:* In any other type of writing a semicolon detracts from communication not adds to it.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Meathead said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Meathead said:
> ...


Meathead would you like to go onto the iggy list with your Yankee friend Pogo ?

I am giving you a break because you obviously know Greek and therefore there is a chance that you might even know some Philosophy as well.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> How about this for legalese lawyer-speak:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yup, that's standard contract language.  I'm used to it from reading international corporate agreements between related affiliated corporations.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Anyone who repeatedly violates the list of fallacies goes onto the iggy list.
> 
> Ad hom is a fallacy.
> 
> ...



Trump uses each of those fallacies daily in his tweets.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

This is all going to be way over Rooski Comrade Johnson 's head.

All he wanted to know about was the word "democracy" which by the way is Greek.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > How about this for legalese lawyer-speak:
> ...



I couldn't stand being a lawyer.  Reading contracts just scrambles my brain.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone who repeatedly violates the list of fallacies goes onto the iggy list.
> ...


Politicians are deceivers and liars and  must speak to the common denominator of their base.

DJT is no different.

His biggest problem is getting re-elected in 2020.

And if he manages to do that but the House and Senate both become DEM then he will live in the same living Hell that BHO lived in for the past 6 years.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


???  

"Y'all" is nothing more than a contraction of "you all," which, though my Southern roots endear me to writing and saying it in casual situations, is considered both redundant and informal.

It's redundant because "you/your" without "all" afterwards already means "you all."  If a speaker/writer doesn't indeed mean all the people hearing/reading his work -- you readers, you listeners, you in the audience, etc. -- s/he should use an impersonal pronoun. 
It's informal because it's a contraction.

Romance languages, for instance, has a distinct second-person plural language.  English, however, is an agglomerated evolution of Latinate, Germanic and Greek linguistics.  In other words, it is a language unto itself.  Yes, one can compare and contrast English with other languages, and in doing so, one observes the noted difference.  Variance notwithstanding, English doesn't have a distinct second-person plural personal pronoun because the conventions of the language don't require there to be one.  Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns, except perhaps among people who just can't "get with" the way English works.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Endless columns of numbers from downloads out of SAP or Oracle for mega-corporations are even worse than contract law.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > RodISHI said:
> ...



Actually it's _*ne*... pas_ (no S) but that's only used in formal/written French.  Nobody bothers with the *ne* in the spoken language, excepting of course the Knights Who Say Ne.

But it does remind me of an old joke.

"In Russian", the linguistics professor intoned, "a double negative is a stronger negative.  In English a double negative makes a positive.  But there is no language in which a double positive makes a negative".

A bored voice from the back said, "yeah right".


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Trust me, the training one receives to become a lawyer would result in your having no "scrambling" effect from reading contracts.  You may not like reading them, but reading them won't "scramble" your brain if you have the training for it.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
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What a frivolous lawsuit. SMH.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


I like "you all" or even "all of you".

koshergrl in her Wiki citation has given a hint (actually spilled the beans) of what Texans say when they want to mega-pluralize y'all however.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
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As very wise person once told me that if you really desire to get someone people's attention speak as though talking to a kindergartner. Formal education, knowledge base and wisdom are not all one in the same even though some may believe that they are. One can be totally educated to the highest degree and yet still have the common sense total idiot.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


SMH ??

Sh!t my hueovos ??


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



That makes sense.  But I wouldn't want the training.

I've got enough to keep track of.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> The fact that you know that as proven by your mentioning it makes you one of the best and most knowledgeable writers here.


Thank you.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > RodISHI said:
> ...


This also works for international communications with peoples (plural because it refers to many nations) speaking English as their second language.

K-I-S-S -- keep it simple.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
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Not frivolous for the truck drivers.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Marion Morrison said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


I also don't know what "SMH" means as he's used it.  I suspect my text-happy kids know what it means.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


When I read or proofread a legal contract I need to make charts and vin diagrams for it with arrows pointing different ways.

My mind thinks mathematically not rhetorically.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Dammit still no authentic real Texans here yet ??

Hossfly !!

Where the fokk are you man ??


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


You STFU.


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## edthecynic (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> "What is the plural of y'all?"


All y'all
Youse
You-uns


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Shuddup. Please, will you ever?


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Marion Morrison said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



They found a loophole and exploited it. They knew they weren't supposed to be getting overtime.

I'm not sure how a company can pull that off without violating Federal law, but who knows?


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I use punctuation to help convey to the reader EXACTLY the way I want them to read it.

I find posts that do not have punctuation, and do not have capital letters at the beginning of sentences, are very distracting and usually I cannot follow them.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > I'll nominate xotoxi then, since nobody is supposed to nominate themselves in a pure parliamentarian Robert's Rules Of Order process.
> ...


xotoxi is another who has an inflated opinion of his wit and ability.

You two are alike that way.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



I think the point zipped right past you.  That is, again, the pronoun _*you* _may mean EITHER "you, personally" (singular) or "you, the collective" (plural).  One must depend on context to find out which is intended and even then it may not be sufficient.

That is exactly why_* y'all*_ has value; (<semicolon) it _always _means "you, the collective (plural).  There's no additional contextual ciphering required.

Historically *you *meant "you, the collective" while the singular was *thou *(thee/thine/thy).  The latter, being a direct personal confrontation, was employed as the "informal familiar you" against the formal *You*, just as German has _du/Ihr_, French has _tu/Vous_ etc.  When *thou *fell into archaism around the 17th century it left *You* to perform both functions, singular and plural.  Hence the need for an additional distinctive term to specify which concept is meant.

None of which I'm afraid have anything to do with "conventions not requiring there to be one".  That was a cute story but it's made-up crapola.


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## Marion Morrison (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



Translation to Cpt. Kirk comma:


Shut, up, please, will, you ever?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


koshergrl you practically told them all (the mega-plural of them) what the answer to my riddle is.

Oddly nobody has caught it yet !!!


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

edthecynic said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > "What is the plural of y'all?"
> ...


STFU.

Can be correctly applied in any situation.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > Marion Morrison said:
> ...



And it wasn't the company's fault.  It was the state law that was missing a comma.

Company got screwed.  Now I pay 5¢ more per gallon of milk.  FUCK THEM!


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...





yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



It wasn't posed as a riddle. It was posed as a question.

Y'all should take classes on how to effectively communicate.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



And kosherglr is just a syphilitic whore.


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## Meathead (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> I am giving you a break because you obviously know Greek and therefore there is a chance that you might even know some Philosophy as well.


A lot of fags and trolls have me on their "iggy" list.

I don't have a list myself. It's a safe-space thing for pussies. So there you go. Go for it.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Marion Morrison said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...



Chips is a riddle unto itself.  His posing posts here are riddled with mendacity chips.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Except yiostheoy is slightly brighter and funnier.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Goes back to speaking y'all as you or you & your 'fellows'. Their you have it.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


Here are two interesting things about non-capitalization and run-on phrases and sentences without punctuation.

First, if you read the Torah in Hebrew you see that Moses did not bother to invent either capitals nor miniscule and but for a few paragraph (Greek word) breaks here and there his Torah is one long run-on sentence.

Moses writes like a little kid in preschool.

Also Hebrew and Greek (the two oldest languages not counting Chinese) do not have capitals or miniscule.

From this ancient historic and language perspective I have started minimizing all punctuation and instead add-in words such as conjunctions rather than commas or anything else.

I have found this communicates simpler and better.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



_"y'all_ can satisfy several grammatical functions, including an associative plural"

Is that like fuck can be a noun, verb, adverb, and adjective?

And what about "youz guyz"?


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


Is your English not quite what you thought it was?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


In Philadelphia you have to say "Yo!" before you start a sentence.

A lawyer from Philadelphia recently taught me that.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


"Youz guys" is Bronx or Philly, yes.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Actually both of the X-guys are quite good at American English Composition.

If they had been in my college class that I taught I would have had to give them both A+'s.

Comrade Johnson will need to choose between one of them.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Once again, more bullshit.  That comes from watching Stallone movies.  Stallone ain't from Philly and his character is entirely made up.  Philadelphia is Chris Matthews.

The only poster here who does that is that gay Stallone thing with grease all over his body.  Dank Furry's sock, whatzisname.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


I always avoided those types that start their sentences with the Yo'. A lot of Bostonians seemed to use that to start their come on too.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



_Youse_ is an Irishism.  Nothing specific to "Bronx or Philly" --- you'll find it where there was Irish working-class immigration. Sometimes.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> From this ancient historic and language perspective I have started minimizing all punctuation and instead add-in words such as conjunctions rather than commas or anything else.



That works sometimes, but it can occasionally start feeling like a run-on sentence.

I since I read, I still read out loud (I'm working on it), sometimes a comma is a chance to take a breath.



_***I need to start using the words "Moreover" and "Forthwith" more frequently in my posts.***_


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


I like Fokker better because most website editors capitalize it for you since it is the name of a type of German airplane.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Like most college professionals, you reward mediocrity. Seriously.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> That works sometimes, but it can occasionally start feeling like a run-on sentence.
> 
> I since I read, I still read out loud (I'm working on it), sometimes a comma is a chance to take a breath.
> 
> ...



To wit:

That works sometimes but it can occasionally start feeling like a run-on sentence and I since I read I still read out loud (I'm working on it) and sometimes a comma is a chance to take a breath.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Like most college professionals, you reward mediocrity. Seriously.


koshergrl my dear friend, when I taught college I was a grad student and for my scholarship the college asked me to teach to take some of the teaching burden off the regular faculty of which there was not enough of.

So during my first week of class I tried to flunk out all the losers with pre-tests and pop quizzes and writing samples until about 1/4th to 1/3rd of the students quit.

That left me with only A and B students who were eager to learn.

Definitely not mediocrity.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > Like most college professionals, you reward mediocrity. Seriously.
> ...



It would appear Chips is desperately trying to set up the impression that he "taught" something somewhere.  

Now _that_'s funny.


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> ...



All Y'all are getin this wrong. The plural of y'all is all y'all, y'all.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> All Y'all are getin this wrong. The plural of y'all is all y'all, y'all.


That's right !!!

Only a Blue-belly would NOT know that.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


In reeling back through my memory bank I don't recall yiostheoy trying to be the grammar nazi. In that you could possibly learn some-things.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > Like most college professionals, you reward mediocrity. Seriously.
> ...


I won a full ride, renewable humanities scholarship based on a short essay. The head of the English dept came to me and begged me to tutor her students that she was going to flunk because they were so poorly prepared for basic English Comp. I currently write and edit a government newsletter, and I get hired every time I apply as a journalist because my writing samples are sublime. When I am working at the paper, I also work copyediting because it takes about two seconds for my coworkers to realize I can make anybody look like a star.

That's what I do. You and xo are fine but don't get carried away. There's more to writing than knowing where to put a comma or apostrophe. Those are good things to know and to use...on the other hand, there is such a thing as style and publishing companies can hire editors to fix that crap. That doesn't make the editors "writers".


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...



Pretty good for someone who is half Greek and half Japanese.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


Ok I'll nominate you for the Top 3 then koshergrl .

But most of the time you sure apostrophe here a lot.

I don't write much anymore; I mostly edit.

I don't write much anymore -- I mostly edit.

I don't write much anymore, because I mostly edit now.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

BTW, one of the worst writers I've ever seen was a high school English teacher before moving into journalism.

I had to literally RE WRITE his work, after deciphering it.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...




I don't even know what that means but I'm fairly certain it doesn't mean much.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

I don't want to be nominated. I'm afraid it might lead to being drafted into doing something that is a lot like unpaid work.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> Pretty good for someone who is half Greek and half Japanese.


Dumbazz -- not Japanese.

The only Japanese I know is MMA.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> percysunshine said:
> 
> 
> > All Y'all are getin this wrong. The plural of y'all is all y'all, y'all.
> ...



Once again --- *a plural can't get pluralized. It's ALREADY a plural.*

"All y'all" is simply a reinforcement OF that plurality.  Or as you yourself termed it, a 'mega-plural'.  "Not just you (the smaller group) but you the larger group".  Once again, the presence of *all* makes it plural from the start.  Adding an additional _all _doesn't somehow switch it on and off like a light.

You *can't *on one hand claim that the word _all_ making up the original term DOES NOT make it a plural, and then simultaneously argue that the inclusion of the SAME WORD then DOES make it INTO a plural.

Once again ---- "Having it both ways: Priceless".


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> I don't want to be nominated. I'm afraid it might lead to being drafted into doing something that is a lot like unpaid work.


Well Comrade Johnson wants to know something about "democracy" which as I tried to explain to him is Greek not American.

He may ask you koshergrl too.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Oh I've learnt all I need from this thread alone.

Don't know if you noticed but this thread is specifically about language.  That makes grammar part of the topic.


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> I don't want to be nominated. I'm afraid it might lead to being drafted into doing something that is a lot like unpaid work.



Without question on subjects of grammar. I already have 30 alerts just for saying  y'all.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


The X-guys know.

They covered it supra.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > RodISHI said:
> ...





RodISHI said:


> if you really desire to get someone people's attention speak as though talking to a kindergartner.



Yes, I've also heard that saying.  It's quite effective when one must convey instruction and one is well advised to use that approach in such instances.

I've observed, however, that when one speaks as though one were speaking to a kindergartener, one is quite likely to get kindergartener grade responses to one's adult remarks. Thus if one doesn't care to be responded to by children or adults who think and remark like children, it's best not to communicate as a child might.

Ultimately one should choose one's approach to communication based upon one's targeted audience, not based merely upon who might come by one's remarks.



RodISHI said:


> One can be totally educated to the highest degree and yet still have the common sense total idiot.



Be that as it may, quite often common sense is neither.  Additionally, for whatever value so-called common sense has, it's certainly not the entirety of sense one must have; moreover, it's usually not nearly enough sense.  To wit, think of how often people use common sense to choose/give an answer on an exam only to be wrong.  Take a college-level course in macroeconomics and you'll come by many principles that are indeed so and that common sense, for most people, never indicates.  Also, consider that common or any other kind of sense would tell one to do myriad things to be highly successful (at "whatever") and look at how many people do few or none of those things when in fact they should have done them religiously.

Let me offer a simple (highly summarized) example....
In the 1980s and '90s, the portents of the role of microprocessing were all over the place.  They were on TV and in movie theaters as news and as entertainment.  Countless authors wrote about the potential of computers and the impacts they would have on society.  Common sense, assuming one had it, instructed one to prepare for the coming transformation wrought by the silicon chip.

How many people paid attention and prepared themselves for the change?  Sure, millions did, but a lot of folks didn't, and now those who didn't are the vocal horde bemoaning that there are no physical labor jobs that pay well enough to sustain the "middle class" lifestyle they (or their parents) -- a lifestyle that because it was "middle class" provided them with the resources needed to purchase the requisite preparation -- once enjoyed.

Common sense tells one that while one may not like "what's inexorably coming," one must nonetheless be prepared to thrive once "it" arrives.  Common sense says that what one likes doesn't much matter, what one does is what matters, and what one does had better be well thought out and reasonably effective, enough such that one isn't "f*cked" when the inevitable occurs.

Common sense says that one must go with the flow.  Now, that doesn't mean just being a patsy; it means one finds a way to work with, not against, that which one cannot change.  For example, we don't stop rivers, we figure out how to harness their power.​


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > I don't want to be nominated. I'm afraid it might lead to being drafted into doing something that is a lot like unpaid work.
> ...


The conjugation of the American Southern "Y'all":

Singular:

Y'all having a good time?

Plural:

Y'all having a good time?

Mega-plural:

All y'all having a good time?

Singular possessive:

Is this y'all's car?

Plural possessive:

Is this one of y'all's cars?

Mega-plural possessive:

Is this the lot where all y'all's cars are all parked?


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


There are multiple ways to approach reading comprehension.  Whatever way works best for you is the way you should go about it.  Without a doubt, "fighting" your brain's way of making sense of complex written works is among worst ways to go about it.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > I don't want to be nominated. I'm afraid it might lead to being drafted into doing something that is a lot like unpaid work.
> ...



I will probably tell him "y'all stfu".


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


This is called "audience factor".

You must correctly gauge your audience and then speak to the lowest common denominator so as not to lose anybody.  Otherwise your communication will fail.

Here is an example with a joke in it too:

Professor:

"Would anyone here be offended if I told a Pole-lock joke?"

Zuzanna:

"Yez!  It vould offend me!"

Professor:

"So are you Polish?"

Zuzanna:

"Yez! I am Polish."

Professor:

"Ok would you be offended if I told it real slow?!"


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


Then you would sound exactly like a girl from Texas !!


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## percysunshine (Apr 11, 2017)

Kind of on topic...one of my all time favorites:


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


My full ride was NROTC.

Came with military science.

Afterwards grad school was essentially free on the G/I Bill plus a few ad hoc awards.

But that was 4 years later after a full tour of duty with 3rd Fleet FMF Pac.


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## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Dammit still no authentic real Texans here yet ??
> 
> Hossfly !!
> 
> Where the fokk are you man ??


I've spent a lot of time in Texas but I'm a native Appalachian Marylander and have lived in Charlotte and Ft. Worth for the past 39 years. I haven't read 1/10th of this thread but from what I've seen so far it ain't purty.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> Kind of on topic...one of my all time favorites:


Great visual for little kids -- elementary school.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Dammit still no authentic real Texans here yet ??
> ...


You're too late.

The cat (all y'all) is already out of the bag.


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## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



_Youse _is strictly Italian-American that originated in New Yawk. You'ns is Appalachian and Y'all is pure mush mouth Southron.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


I know a NYC Jew who uses/used it a lot.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Hossfly said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



There never was a "bag".  Unless you'd care to essplain to the class how the word _all _in _y'all_ (you + all) makes a singular while on the other hand the word _all_ in _all y'all_ makes it a plural.  Same word.

You can't do it.


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English
> ...



BS.

Everyone that has seen "My Fair Lady," knows this.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> Kind of on topic...one of my all time favorites:



I like that one too.  I think it's great for as much about conjunctions as it covers, which is certainly enough for the target audience.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



No, it's an Irishism, northern Irish specifically.  I didn't grow up in Noo Yawk and I heard it in the Irish Catholic neighborhood.  Although we, an Irish Catholic family, never used it as it was below our class.  Although there's a case to be made that it's more Protestant-Irish than Catholic-Irish if we want to split heirs.

Hee hee split heirs I kill me

I have no doubt it's equally pervasive in Boston or Chicago, which are also Irish pop centers.  Doesn't have anything to do with the city they landed or settled in.


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## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Hossfly said:
> ...


Y'all is used to speak to one person or a herd of persons.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


Well, I can generally manage well enough with folks "murdering" the English language so long as they do so in a way that leaves their meaning clear and unambiguous.  Besides, the vast majority of folks who would do so rarely have something to say that's critical for me to comprehend.  There are, of course, exceptions.  Donald Trump is one exception, but only because (1) he sought to be POTUS and (2) he won the election.  I find it highly problematic that a person in either of those two circumstances -- along with other leadership roles -- communicates with vague and/or ambiguous expressions. And, no, it doesn't matter what they lead; it could be Sunday choir, and I'd feel the same.  If one must lead others, one must communicate clearly and unambiguously.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


You are correct that you are not a true Texan.

Thank you.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


When you harnessed the power of the river did you allow for the fish and other critters that depend on the free-flowing streams of that river? If you didn't the whole Eco-system of that river and what it serves will ultimately die off and very possibly become diseased from the parasites that live in stagnant waters. Was that even a consideration when you thought you could, should or would harness the power of that river?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Too bad you were not around for Nixon or LBJ.

They were both lying scoundrels.

Nixon lied about Watergate and LBJ lied about Viet Nam.

Then the only thing that would bother you about Trump is ineptitude and being a simpleton.

Lies would not matter.

He got elected with lies.

Question is can he now deliver anything that he lied about and get re-elected?


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Very few people realize there is actually quite a difference between British English and American English.
> 
> ...
> 
> In Boston they don't pronounce the "R".



My grandfather, who was from Coastal Maine and had a fairly thick accent, was travelling in England once...and a British person asked him what part of England he was from.*

And while I was in college, I had many debates with my mid-western friends about how the words CAUGHT and COT are pronounced.  In New England, we pronounce them exactly the same.


* Or they probably said "from what part of England are you?"


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > RodISHI said:
> ...


How did we get onto fishing ??


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Very few people realize there is actually quite a difference between British English and American English.
> ...


My dad was from Illinois and I was raised in Florida.

It would annoy him when I would pronounce "creek" like "meek" instead of like "cricket".

And he would say "route" as in "out" while I said it like "root".


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Dammit still no authentic real Texans here yet ??
> ...


I thought that spellin' was purdy?


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


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## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Very few people realize there is actually quite a difference between British English and American English.
> ...


New Englanders ain't right in the head, as granny used to say.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Hossfly said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



You (or if multiple people are interested, y'all) can read about this in this blog, where a New Yawkuh who mentions he's of Italian extraction muses on his _youse_s.  He takes the approach, as somebody else did here, that Romance languages distinguish between "you-singular" and "you-plural" and assumes his Italian ancestry carried over a form of Italiano second-person plural.  What he's missing is that the use of _youse _wasn't picked up in Italy but in New Yawk, where it was specifically brought by the Irish and spread into the lingua franca of the common class, so it has nothing to do with Italian.

The question of WHY English, unlike more sensible languages, no longer has a standard way to distinguish between "you-singular" and "you-plural" is what I already covered in post 212*.  That leaves a gap that needs to be filled (or as they say in some parts of North America, "that needs filled") with a specific plural.  _Youse _is one option.  _Y'all_ is another.  It's a matter of personal preference which one one goes with.

*still more on that in detail, here


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> RodISHI said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


It is work in progress for a portion of a vision quest.


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## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> Hossfly said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


That's the upper class pronunciation.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


The most important test of everyday speech and writing is successful communication.

The most important tool to accomplish this is proofreading.

Legalese lawyer-talk is different -- it must communicate literally and precisely to a judge.

A judge is a completely different scholarly animal.  That's where the semicolons come in.

The key to each one is audience level.  Who is your audience?


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Ding ding ding!  Chips gets one right.  Stopped clock viewed at the right time.

I blame NFL pundits for the degradation of that particular pronunciation.  I like to say, when Andy Reid plans what roads he'll take to drive to the stadium, he plans his route ("root").  When he gets there and his team goes down to defeat 48 to nothing ---_that_'s a  rout.


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > My English is wicked good.
> ...



Not true, we used it throughout the Midwest in the eighties and nineties.  Now it is mostly reserved to the upper Midwest and parts that have connections to New England.  That's what they refer to as the Yankeedom.

But as you can see, it is still used in parts of the Midwest, including Chicago.  During the eighties, I heard it as far away as KC though.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> percysunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Kind of on topic...one of my all time favorites:
> ...


Moses used conjunctions a lot.

His favorite was "and" or "and then".

He would go on and on with these.

He would even start sentences with them.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Oh you can _hear _it anywhere New Englanders travel.  But it's specific to that region and marks the speaker as such.

Not sure why you say "as you can see" --- what I see is your map makes no mention of it at all. Understandably so, since it's not a dialect map anyway.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



And now granny's dead.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Ha we grew up saying "crick" and I didn't know until I was a teenager that people actually used the term "creek".

I was also appalled that the mighty Rio Grande river in New Mexico looked like what we would have called a "crick" on the Oregon coast (before the out of state environmentalist infestation took place).


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > percysunshine said:
> ...


Style.

It's kind of a hit and miss venture.

Sometimes people try to pass off lack of editing and proof reading as *style*. But sometimes it's a real and glorious thing.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


My dad would have loved you.

All his kids learned to say "kreek".


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



However, it is a pretty map.


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## RodISHI (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...


I've known some judges (stupid ones and intelligent ones) in my days. There are many sitting on the bench that are very illiterate when it comes to both contract law and constitutional rights. Either that or many of them are simply lazy f'ks. There are damn few true contract lawyers out there that are knowledgeable in both areas.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


Well the fascinating thing about Moses is that in 1450 BCE he was actually the first narrative writer that we know of.

He did not have any rules.  So he made them up as he went along.

Thus I can imagine Moses telling stories with lots of "and's" and "and then's" in them.

There was no such thing as punctuation because nobody had invented it yet.


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



THIS is what I thought of when I thought "river":


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## koshergrl (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I'm not at all convinced that you know what you're talking about here, but it's an interesting theory.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Why does Yankeedom (I take offense to that word because Yankees Suck!) extend over to North Dakota?  If we are talking accents, I see no similarities between the Boston and the Fargo accents.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Moses used conjunctions a lot.
> 
> His favorite was "and" or "and then".
> 
> ...



Do does a 3rd grader when he is writing an essay of what he did during Summer Vacation.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

My father, raised by two Mainers in Eastern Mass, learned in college that the compartment where he stored his clothes was a "DRAWER" and not a "DRAW".


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Sargon Of Akkad around 2300 BCE did some writing but we have very little of it:

"My mother was a high priestess,
my father I knew not.
The brothers of my father loved the hills.
My city is Azupiranu, which is situated on the banks of the Euphrates.
My high priestess mother conceived me, in secret she bore me.
She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid.
She cast me into the river which rose over me.
The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the drawer of water.
Akki, the drawer of water, took me as his son and reared me.
Akki, the drawer of water, appointed me as his gardener.
While I was a gardener, Ishtar granted me her love, and for four and ... years I exercised kingship."

The punctuation is/are modern edits.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



Because that map he posted is not a linguistic one.  It's a politics-meets-cultural-values map.  It's from here.

It's a not-uninteresting study in its own right (I've got one of the books on it), but it's not about regional dialects.


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## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...





Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...



Interesting.  It's sort of odd that some of the regions are only a few counties wide.  I wonder how that happens.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Very few people realize there is actually quite a difference between British English and American English.
> ...



My grandfather (the one not from Mississippi) was a Maineac too.  .  His wife (who was not), got a permanent giggle out of how they pronounced the name "Bath".


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


NO, I'm telling you, the folks that were using it, were high school kids that lived in Kansas City.  Maybe they picked it up from TV broadcasts out of NY on major networks, but there it is.

You know, I'm still reading this thread, and for most part, I agree with you on the whole Y'all issue. 

Largely, I think both you and yiostheoy are both correct.  In 90 percent of the instances, I think you are correct, but in informal instances, I think there may be cases where the ignorant and uneducated may use it in the context where yiostheoy has presented his case.  Logically, I agree with you, it makes no sense.  That said, I'm not willing to say that in certain cultural communities, it is not used in this manner.  I've studied anthropology enough to know that 1+1 can equal 4 if a community agrees it does, even if the rest of the world doesn't believe it.

You DO agree that there are some folks that believe that world is flat, and others that believe that the world was only created 6000 years ago, right?  So what does it matter if this word or that word is plural or this word means possessive or that word mean this or that? 

What really matters is the iconography and meaning of what regional people give meaning to individual sounds and meaning to the words they use.  You and I cannot possibly meet every sub-grouping and subsection of people in the nation.  You may brag that you are the most international person of mystery, but, whatever, you are being arrogant.  You both are.

This is why you are both probably right, and you both are probably wrong.

Your biggest issue?  You can never be wrong.  Even when someone like me is telling you they have met regional folks that lived outside of N. England that have used a term, even when they tell you that they do not live in N. England and have used said term all the time. . . .

YOU STILL insist you are right.


Let it go.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...





yiostheoy said:


> Too bad you were not around for Nixon or LBJ.  They were both lying scoundrels.  Nixon lied about Watergate and LBJ lied about Viet Nam.  Then the only thing that would bother you about Trump is ineptitude and being a simpleton.



Ah, no....I am not the sort who'll cotton to presidential lying for any reason, really, but certainly not simply because I'd become "acclimated" to it by dint of others having done so before.  As goes that behavior, commonality/familiarity doesn't not equate to, yield or garner my insouciance or indifference toward subsequent instances of it by later POTUSes.

BTW, I was around for Nixon and LBJ, though I wasn't nearly as forthcoming with and founded in my economic, science or political understanding and views as I now am.


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...


I love maps.  Culture depends largely on language.  I think we would find that language variations draw up pretty close to these lines.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


Both Nixon and LBJ were arrogant to the point of ignoring outside advice.

Trump has this same problem apparently.

Nixon saw himself as above the law.

LBJ thought of himself as superhuman.

That kind of narcissism usually always leads to disaster.

I wonder if Putin is narcissistic too or just ruthless?


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Machiavellian political philosophy says that whatever you do to get power is justifiable.

Trump lied.  And Trump beat Hillary.

Hillary lied but not nearly as much as Trump.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...



You're putting words in my post now.  I never said that it _would never occur outside_ New England -- I said it's a term _specific to_ New England.

I write what I write specifically to mean what it specifically means.  When I write a post, it means exactly what I choose it to mean.  No more, no less.

And the fact does remain, you tried to pass this map off as proving something about "wicked".  It doesn't.  Whether you want to assign "wrong" and "right", I don't care.  It just doesn't.  I really don't care who's "wrong"or "right".  It's not about "who" --- it's about "what".


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Not so much accents, but culture and a world outlook.

"*Yankeedom:* Founded by Puritans, residents in Northeastern states and the industrial Midwest tend to be more comfortable with government regulation. They value education and the common good more than other regions."
Which of the 11 American nations do you live in?


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...





yiostheoy said:


> Well the fascinating thing about Moses is that in 1450 BCE he was actually the first narrative writer that we know of.



What?  Did you not have to read (or read about) _Gilgamesh_?  The Sumerians also wrote even earlier wrote works of non-fiction.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Comrade Johnson , is Putin narcissistic in your opinion or just ruthless ??


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


Be all that as it may, I find it problematic every time those traits manifest themselves in a POTUS.  Does that mean I'm not completely satisfied with any of the POTUSes over the past 50+ years?  Yes.


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


OMG, you must have hated Hillary then.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


But no one person sat down and wrote Gilgamesh.  It was more like pre-Hindu folklore -- more like the Iliad.

Not like Moses at all, or even like Sargon of Akkad.


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## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


I didn't and don't hate Hillary Clinton.  I also didn't vote for her.  I'd prefer her to Trump, but I didn't vote for either of them.


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## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Let's see if this works --- this is a great dialect map of North America with text link behind it.





​You have to click the link for full-size map and background.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> ... I find it problematic every time those traits manifest themselves in a POTUS.  Does that mean I'm not completely satisfied with any of the POTUSes over the past 50+ years?  Yes.


Maybe Machiavelli has just jaded me.

The thing to remember about these political animals of which DJ Trump is the latest genius is that they are playing a game to win the masses.

They won the masses.

That's all that matters.

Trump will now have astronomical powers for the next 2 years at least, 4 years more or less, and 6 to 8 years possibly.

Look what it took -- his daddy had to get super rich.  Then he had to get super richer.  Then he had to get on tv.  Then he had to attract a following.  Does not matter how stupid his following is -- they love him.

Trump used all the weaknesses and flaws inherent in popular democracy to become the most powerful person on the planet.

Think about this and it is astronomical.

He did not need to please you or me.  We and others like us did not count.


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## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Okay, fine.

I understand you.

I will admit you are right and I was wrong, if you can post some sort of evidence that this term is "specific" to New England.

The intent of my map was to show that New England is not a culturally significant entity of itself, it is not culturally unique, and nothing originates there by itself.  You can't even prove that the term didn't come out of say, Buffalo, or Port Huron, or Green Bay, or Minneapolis. 

If you can, I'll admit I am wrong.  For the culture of these cities is as close to that of any in New England as you like.  They use the same slang, have the same work ethic, enjoy the same hobbies, have the same world out look and POV, etc.  Does the culture have a upper Midwestern flavor? Sure.  But until you provide some proof of your unverified statement, we'll just have to agree to disagree. Just because you just think you come from a unique place doesn't give you license to go on a crusade, you don't.


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## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> ...
> 
> The intent of my map was to show that New England is not a culturally significant entity of itself, it is not culturally unique, and nothing originates there by itself.  You can't even prove that the term didn't come out of say, Buffalo, or Port Huron, or Green Bay, or Minneapolis.
> 
> If you can, I'll admit I am wrong.  For the culture of these cities is as close to that of any in New England as you like.  They use the same slang, have the same work ethic, enjoy the same hobbies, have the same world out look and POV, etc.  Does the culture have a upper Midwestern flavor? Sure.  But until you provide some proof of your unverified statement, we'll just have to agree to disagree. Just because you just think you come from a unique place doesn't give you license to go on a crusade, you don't.


When I think of New England I think of Connecticut but mostly due to Mark Twain's story about the Connecticut Yankee.

All New Englanders seem to have some semblance of the same accent as is Boston or NYC blended somehow.

On the complete other hand the campus of the Univ Of Md at College Park seems to be the most non-accented place in the USA to me.


----------



## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



See, the thing about Trump's lies, is they are SO obvious, my High School kid can detect them.

Isn't that refreshing?  It is so nice when we have a president that the ignorant masses can see the lies of our leaders.

As a professional political scientist, I can tell you, Hillary Clinton was a far more evil and professional liar.  Her lies fooled far more or a greater percentage of the population.  They easily suckered very intelligent folks.

The fact is, both the Clinton's and the Trump's are friends, they both are tools of the Deep State, and neither are to be trusted.  

That said, if you are a progressive/liberal, and you need a list of the Hillary lies, from a progressive/liberal source, I suggest you check out this link, or read Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh's article _The Red Line and The Rat Line_ and square that with what she said about Benghazi.

Nothing from the Wikileaks dump came as a surprise, I had seen it all before.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...



Whelp --- that's not true either though not surprising inasmuch as you seem to think "the South" is a single accent too.  Nor is it surprising your expertise comes from reading _Connecticut Yankee_ as opposed to IRL experience.

Linguistically Connecticut is far more New York than New England.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


I won't pretend to be an expert on Gilgamesh, but as far as I know, Shin-Leqi-Unninni wrote the thing.  The tablets expressly identify him as the author.  Was he a compiler of stories from an oral tradition more so than the original creator of prose?   Perhaps so.  I don't know.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...





MisterBeale said:


> See, the thing about Trump's lies, is they are SO obvious, my High School kid can detect them.  Isn't that refreshing?



Hell, no!


----------



## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Let's see if this works --- this is a great dialect map of North America with text link behind it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you.  I will tuck that away.  

Very useful for when the nation disintegrates.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Let's see if this works --- this is a great dialect map of North America with text link behind it.
> ...



I'd think your original map is far more applicable to that.  When the nation disintegrates it won't be from dialectal diversities.  And they will survive that disintegration anyway.


----------



## MisterBeale (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> MisterBeale said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


True, but language is the prime mover of culture, it is always nice to know where the major dividing lines and cleavages are.

If humanity survives that fall, of course folks will still be here.  

After Rome fell, something else took it's place.  After the Soviet Empire collapsed, something else came after.

After Pax Americana fails, something else will come next.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > MisterBeale said:
> ...



And my point is, after the USSR collapsed, Russians were still speaking Russian, in the same dialects they had the year before.  Nothing changed in it. 

I would disagree that "language is the prime mover of culture" and posit that on the contrary language is subservient to culture.  It is but a single ingredient of it and survives (or degrades) at the pleasure and whim of culture.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

MisterBeale said:


> ...
> 
> If humanity survives that fall, of course folks will still be here.
> 
> ...


Well we have been lucky so far for the past 100 years of Pax Americana.

It started during WW1.

It peaked during WW2.

It stumbled during Korea (where MacA let his forces become split by the Chinese) and Viet Nam (where we did not belong in the first place).

The Northern Hemisphere almost ceased to exist during the Cuban/Turkish missile crisis (most people don't add the Turkish part -- this is why Khrushchev was pissed off in the first place).

The USA needs to do something radical about its interest on its national debt.  A radical monetization of those debt instruments back to the rich is going to be unavoidable, followed by some kind of hyper inflation most likely.  This is the only danger I see on the horizon for the USA -- financial disaster.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Let's see if this works --- this is a great dialect map of North America with text link behind it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Holy Mary, Mother of Christ!  This will be a fun map to look at when I am not on my phone!


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> On the complete other hand the campus of the Univ Of Md at College Park seems to be the most non-accented place in the USA to me.



Even a non-accented place has an accent. 

The only place with no accent is a monistary where the monks have taken a vow of silence.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Let's see if this works --- this is a great dialect map of North America with text link behind it.
> ...


Greater Appalachia will probably amuse you.

I must have been thinking of the Mid Atlantic Tidewater with respect to the Univ of Md.


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > I will throw my proverbial hat into the ring.  In addition to my discerning perception, impeccable good taste, and extensive vocabulary, I am quite adept at spelling, grammar*,* and punctuation.
> ...




It pleases me beyond description that someone recognized the Oxford Comma!


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...




Eats, Shoots, and Leaves!


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > boedicca said:
> ...


Which means that we both are losers. 





Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

Marion Morrison said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...




Aren't most lawsuits frivolous?


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

Xelor said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Marion Morrison said:
> ...



"Shaking My Head"


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...




Indeed.  One of the most annoying abuses is the misuse of the noble, yet humble, apostrophe.


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...




Au contraire, we are the winningest of winning winners!


----------



## Hossfly (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


What,s that?


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > boedicca said:
> ...


----------



## Billo_Really (Apr 11, 2017)

Aint no budys anglish best than me!


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

Hossfly said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Gertrude Stein does not approve.


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Hossfly said:
> 
> 
> > boedicca said:
> ...




Gertrude Stein does not approve of much at all.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 11, 2017)

boedicca said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Hossfly said:
> ...



Other than Alice B.  But yeah since her demise I notice that approval level dropped precipitously.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 11, 2017)

Well Comrade Johnson can chime-in with his questions on American English and we can all reply and give reasons.

We're ready Comrade Johnson !!!


----------



## boedicca (Apr 11, 2017)

Pogo said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...




I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art.  The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.  

Faboo!


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 11, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Well Comrade Johnson can chime-in with his questions on American English and we can all reply and give reasons.
> 
> We're ready Comrade Johnson !!!


But we didn't determine Who's English is Best?


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Well Comrade Johnson can chime-in with his questions on American English and we can all reply and give reasons.
> ...


Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit.  I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

boedicca said:


> I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art.  The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.
> 
> Faboo!


How did we get sidetracked on art ???

(Three question marks in chess notation means a blunder.)


----------



## Pogo (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art.  The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.
> ...



A woman came in.  They have more left-right brain hemisphere bridges than we do.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 12, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 12, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Oh I do too, and I note that to those with no paragraph breaks.

But one line per paragraph?

That's a bit much in the other direction.

Kind of implies a scatterbrain.

Or a haiku.

Or some kind of ad copy.

Hard to take seriously.

Burma Shave


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 12, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone who repeatedly violates the list of fallacies goes onto the iggy list.
> ...


_*Ad Angelum *_*Is the Greater Fallacy*

A fallacy doesn't mean something is false and can't be used, it means that it is not conclusive proof.  _Ad Hominem _is perfectly valid as evidence to build up a case.  Otherwise, the accused is allowed to come on as a disembodied spirit with no character flaws or motivation.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...


My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter.  But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.


----------



## boedicca (Apr 12, 2017)

Pogo said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...




One line per paragraph = poetry


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



Content, fluidity, and the ability to advance a thought. 

That's what I look for. And it's a pretty good gauge. There are people like my ex who write  perfection from a technical viewpoint...but lord god his writing puts me to sleep. 

Because no matter how technically proficient you are, if you're shallow and soulless, it will read as vapidity.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 12, 2017)

See there were any number of errors in my previous post, but I bet every person who reads it knows EXACTLY what I meant.


----------



## boedicca (Apr 12, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...




Indeed. If I don't find it amusing, intellectually stimulating, or informative, then I'm not interested.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



This is not public speaking.  Nor does Moses post here.  But I must say this is prolly the most intense stretch I've seen here all day.  Feel like I just came from a yoga class.  Namaste, dood.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 12, 2017)

An old favourite chestnut for the OP --- note this list is entirely facetious:


Remember to never split an infinitive.
The passive voice should never be used.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
The adverb always follows the verb.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.
---- Bill Safire


----------



## AugmentedDog (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.
> ...



It was originally called Samhain


----------



## RodISHI (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> boedicca said:
> 
> 
> > I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art.  The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.
> ...


Most likely because Boedicca appreciates the true artist that actually have God given talents. My English and grammar may suck but I have other talents that cannot be learned in an educational setting. My husband is the writer of the family. He gained my trust through his poetry which is also an art form that comes through having raw God given talent.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 12, 2017)

AugmentedDog said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...



Oh for pete's sakes.


----------



## AugmentedDog (Apr 12, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> AugmentedDog said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



It was. Look it up


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 12, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Me.  .....




You?


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English
> ...




Oversimplification.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

RodISHI said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > boedicca said:
> ...


Ok so THAT's how it got sidetracked onto "art".

Just wondered.

Let's not also get sidetracked onto nuclear physics or astronomy or anything else like that.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


Technical writing is often dry, but if done right it also tells a story that keeps the reader interested.

Journalism of some kind is the most interesting factual writing, because it tells a story.

Good writing normally tells some kind of story.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

boedicca said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...


When you speak in public and you can make it sound like verse, then you capture your audience and carry them along mesmerized by your speech or talk.

Some verse is written like that too -- one sentence per paragraph.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 12, 2017)

OXFORD COMMA PLEASE!!!

I was just reading this article on CNN (Scientists to file motion to defend chemical plant rule, fearing Trump admin won't - CNNPolitics.com) and was bewildered by this paragraph:



> In March though, a group of fossil fuel groups including the American Chemistry Council, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufactures and American Petroleum institute sued the EPA to petition a review of the final rule, arguing in the suit it is "unlawful, arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not otherwise in accordance with law."



This paragraph is ripe with bullshit...at least two or three commas are missing as I see it. 

FAKE ASS NEWS!


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

I always start with NO commas, since this is modern construction -- where less is more.

Then I re-read it.

Then I put in commas as needed to clarify it until it has the "right" meaning.

Too many commas (comma-kazi) is just as bad as not enough.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 12, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



No my ex wasn't a "technical" writer per se. He writes articles and wrote a book as well. 
A book that I couldn't get through, because despite the fact it was perfectly written, it was trite, shallow, and boring as hell. Which is probably why it didn't fly off the shelves, despite being a very popular genre.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


... which is why he is probably now your "x".  Just saying.

You obviously want exciting guys in your life.

Not boring ones.


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 12, 2017)

This is how I would rewrite your post.

No changes in the first two sentences.



yiostheoy said:


> I always start with NO commas, since this is modern construction -- where less is more.
> 
> Then I re-read it.



Then I liberally apply some commas to the third sentence.



yiostheoy said:


> Then I put in commas*,* as needed*,* to clarify it*,* until it has the "right" meaning.



And then I go Shatner on the last sentence, for dramatic emphasis.



yiostheoy said:


> Too*,* many*,* commas*,* (comma-kazi)*,* is*,* just*,* as*,* bad*,* as*,* not*,* enough*,,,*



I added a commellipsis at the end to allow for continuation of thought.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> This is how I would rewrite your post.
> 
> No changes in the first two sentences.
> 
> ...


COMMA-KAZI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 12, 2017)

I know you're just joking though xotoxi .

Great joke.

Most people won't get it though.

koshergrl will get it though.  She is a super smartie.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> > Who's English is the best here?
> 
> 
> More importantly, however, what is the point of determining/discussing whose English is best?  There is no competition for that "title."
> Thus, even if we were to arrive at a consensus on who among us does have the best English, then what?   What is there to do with that knowledge/agreement?  Indeed, I'm amazed this thread topic has garnered some 125+ posts that are presumably on-topic.



Strange questions  The point is that I need 3 persons with perfect English to copy them for my personal education 
It will be honest voting and we don't need any consensus. It's not the Russian Duma


----------



## xotoxi (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> I know you're just joking though xotoxi .
> 
> Great joke.
> 
> ...



Koshergrl is as smart as a whip.

And nearly as smart as a chain.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

Fuсk me... the thread has 39 pages already  I'll need some time to read it carefully


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson , is Putin narcissistic in your opinion or just ruthless ??



Putin is our Czar. That's all.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Fuсk me... the thread has 39 pages already  I'll need some time to read it carefully


Comrade Johnson you are just a popular guy !!

And oh by the way, "fokk me!" is an Irish prostitutes' expression.

So is "fokk me running!"


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 13, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > I know you're just joking though xotoxi .
> ...


Yup xotoxi there are shades of S&M in koshergrl too.

Sometimes she loves to dish it out.

And other times she loves to be spanked back.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > > Who's English is the best here?
> ...


Well koshergrl and I use a lot of ellipsis and apostrophe in our common everyday speech.

Audience factor is why.

All of you all (the plural of y'all) are just mere dirt bags so there is no reason for us to polish up our grammar/syntax for you Comrade Johnson .

But it is the same way with the two X-guys (Xelor and xotoxi ).

So you are going to be hard pressed to learn formal journalistic American English on this forum or any other because audience factor is going to cloud everything.

I grew up in Florida so I like to mix "white trash" speech in-with my sentence structure.

"White trash" confuses adverbs and adjectives and violates double negatives and double prepositions.  That's just me.

In-with is a double preposition.

Other popular double prepositions:

In-with

Out-of

Up-on

all-around


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson you are just a popular guy !!
> And oh by the way, "fokk me!" is an Irish prostitutes' expression.
> So is "fokk me running!"



No, there are just so many guys who whant be nominated with their excellent English 
Well, what is good for Irish prostitutes may be usefulf for anybody


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 13, 2017)

xotoxi said:


> OXFORD COMMA PLEASE!!!
> 
> I was just reading this article on CNN (Scientists to file motion to defend chemical plant rule, fearing Trump admin won't - CNNPolitics.com) and was bewildered by this paragraph:
> 
> ...


*Those Who Yelp "Grammar Nazi" Prove Their Education Is Defective*

Once in awhile, I find sentences that are confusing without the serial comma (called "Oxford comma" to trick us into thinking it is snooty and  pedantic).  Unfortunately, I don't memorize fad-grammar sentences to use as examples of how our language is being corrupted by influential Diploma Dumbos. 

It is an invalid excuse that most of these sentences make sense when re-read.  Also, the permissivists' omission has no point to it, even if mostly harmless, just like the academented use dysfunctional "Owens' widow" instead of "Owens's widow."


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson , is Putin narcissistic in your opinion or just ruthless ??
> ...


*Cold War Empowers the Caliphate*

Putin is the greatest Russian since Czar Peter the Great, who was also a little rough along the edges. He won't break; he won't even bend. Too bad the globalists have brainwashed our formerly America First president.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I think that Putin doesn't torture his rivals by himself as Peter did 

But Putin is not the point, good English is the point


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



It's not that I love to be spanked. It's that I love it when people think they're dishing it out, when they aren't.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson , is Putin narcissistic in your opinion or just ruthless ??
> ...



He'd better hope he fares better than the last one.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Putin is a little dweeb. Trump has always been centrist, this isn't news. But that's okay if he restores us back to a constitutional republic, and if he reduces regulations that kill the economy and culture.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > OXFORD COMMA PLEASE!!!
> ...








You really need to get help with your inferiority complex.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > OXFORD COMMA PLEASE!!!
> ...



This last line reminds me of my office motto when I was a publication editor:

"Strunk and White must die".


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



There is no such a thing as 'the last Russian Czar'


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...





yiostheoy said:


> All of you all (the plural of y'all) are just mere dirt bags so there is no reason for us to polish up our grammar/syntax for you Comrade Johnson .
> 
> But it is the same way with the two X-guys (Xelor and xotoxi ).



Without a doubt, the majority of the writing one'll encounter on this forum is colloquial, or at least mine is.  I suppose that's fine for the OP's purposes as he indicated in his OP that he wants to "speak pure American English."

One thing, Comrade Johnson, that you should note is that all native speakers of English speak pure English.  That is not the same thing as speaking English perfectly and in accordance with the grammar rules and idiomatic constructions for the language.


----------



## mudwhistle (Apr 13, 2017)

percysunshine said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


Remember to "Mash" the pedal....never "step on the gas".

And it's called a veeHickle....not an automobile.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 13, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...


We write in the vernacular.
Sometimes. 
Sometimes I'm lazy and using a cell phone, or I make mistakes because I am interrupted in mid sentence, have to leave and come back, and don't have time to read over what I'm writing. I'll switch tenses sometimes, or totally garble a sentence. 

That's what an editor is for. If you don't have an editor working for you, meh, no biggie.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > > Who's English is the best here?
> ...





Comrade Johnson said:


> The point is that I need 3 persons with perfect English to copy them for my personal education



Excuse me?  Copy what?



Comrade Johnson said:


> It will be honest voting



Voting how or where?  There's no poll associated with this thread.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...




Nicky and family might disagree.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson you are just a popular guy !!
> ...





Comrade Johnson said:


> there are just so many guys who whant be nominated with their excellent English



Well, let me be clear.  I suggest you not aim to emulate my English as you see it here.  I suggest that not because my English is poor, for it's not.  It's that my writing style and colloquial English generally is at a writing level that requires readers to have a very strong command of English.  I pretty nearly always here, as when I speak to people in person, write to a 10th-12th grade reading level, which is to say I use all the modes of verb conjugation, and I frequently compose compound and complex sentences.  It'd be a Herculean task for a beginning learner to take on mastering all that at once and without formal guidance.  The structure of my prose pretty well adheres to standard grammar rules, save for my typos, but the style is colloquial; thus it's not what one should emulate when learning the language.

The point of my remarks above is that one should learn the correct way to write and speak before one takes liberties with the language.  That's especially so for non-native speakers of the language.  Trust me, it's easier to learn bad habits than it is to unlearn them.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



There's another reason you shouldn't emulate me and my writing style here:  time.  As a non-native speaker and as someone who's not had 12 years of English instruction as have all Americans and other native speakers, you'll find yourself living with a dictionary and a grammar rules website or book.  

When I communicate with native speakers, I know they've been taught the same things I have. Native English speakers are my audience, which shouldn't be surprising as this forum is about American politics.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



Agreed.  This isn't a site for literature; the currency here is colloquial.  It's a bit of a moot point to establish who has the "best English" except for the purpose of personal instruction on the side.

That said, I once found a useful tool in learning practical German and French in some Donald Duck comic books in those languages.  You can see all the action going on and the speech balloons are rendered in everyday vernacular.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...





Pogo said:


> everyday vernacular.



Yes, that's another reason I'd be a bad person to emulate.  My "everyday" vocabulary is not suited to individuals who are just becoming familiar with English.  My words and phrasing are carefully chosen to convey precisely the denotation, connotation and tone I intend, but a new learner needs to learn the basics before they begin to worry about those things, much less aim to naturally incorporate them into their writing.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



And hell, my paradigm is Pogo, not the least reason for which is his creative alt-English 

To his credit the OP noted early in this thread that he didn't want to sound like me.  That's a healthy approach.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...







Don't overdo it.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...






Oh brother, take it easy.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 13, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> That's what an editor is for. If you don't have an editor working for you, meh, no biggie.


That's what I need - somebody to correct my posts  I think that it will be a job for the winner in this thread


----------



## Pogo (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > That's what an editor is for. If you don't have an editor working for you, meh, no biggie.
> ...



There's nothing egregious to correct in this instance, other than a couple of periods.  There's a wide latitude for what is "correct" in a message board.

A good editor knows where to draw the line between style and inept syntax.  I wouldn't make any changes on this.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

It looks like the real purpose of this thread was to flush the pretentious douchebags from the underbrush, and it's working beautifully.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...





Pogo said:


> To his credit the OP noted early in this thread that he didn't want to sound like me. That's a healthy approach.


Yes.  The burden of knowing that someone is expressly observing one's public and decidedly casual communication style to use as their model is not something I'd be comfortable with beyond my own kids having done so.  I was fine with it for them because, as my children, they were going to do so -- and as befits them, retain and discard various aspects of my style to develop their own -- whether I wanted them to or not.

Briefly, I taught English composition, and when I spoke with or wrote to my students, I was cognizant that I was one of many potential models for them.  Accordingly, I spoke and wrote in accordance with the expectations of the class.  Be that as it may, that context and its exigencies differ from those here.  I don't write here the way I would were I to accede to being "watched" for the purpose of serving as an English grammar and usage template of sorts.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...





Unkotare said:


> Oh brother, take it easy.


I don't know what's driving your remarks.  I'm going out of my way to implore anyone who might want to not to use me as a model.  That is the last thing I'd like to see happen here.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > That's what an editor is for. If you don't have an editor working for you, meh, no biggie.
> ...


How much will you pay ?!


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



Omg, wtf is that.

This is the problem with our teachers. That is utter garbage, and I know very well he thinks it's awesome.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


What?


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> That's what I need - somebody to correct my posts  I think that it will be a job for the winner in this thread


May I suggest that you try one of the tools here:  The Best Language-Learning Software of 2017.  

I may be mistaken, but I doubt that anyone wants to review your posts and provide high quality feedback and corrections of it.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...




"Please, please don't try to emulate my English. It's far too glorious for the likes of you. Like staring into the sun, it might burn out your linguistic eyes! Be careful!"


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > Xelor said:
> ...



What?

I said I would rather have Mal teach English than the person who wrote your post.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


Okay....


----------



## Pogo (Apr 13, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > That's what I need - somebody to correct my posts  I think that it will be a job for the winner in this thread
> ...



Oh I already volunteered that.  

I do it for anybody for the cause of ESL.  And in trade I take tips in their language.


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 13, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


That's quite generous of you.  Kudos for your magnanimity.


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 13, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


*A Diploma Is a Participation Trophy*

The posters are avoiding that issue because even our college graduates have a 11-year-old's knowledge of English grammar.  They are all afraid to reveal that their education is a fraud.  If students aren't paid for their grades, they aren't worth anything and shouldn't be given white-collar jobs.  Our English teachers are too lazy to teach it.  For decades, they've used the excuse, "You don't have to study this.  You can pick it up easily by listening to the way educated speakers speak."


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > The Sage of Main Street said:
> ...






Sir Spammalot is at it again.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 13, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> ... Our English teachers are too lazy to teach it.  For decades, they've used the excuse, "You don't have to study this.  You can pick it up easily by listening to the way educated speakers speak."




No one says that. You are full of shit - again. On top of that, you don't even understand the BS you are trying to spew.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> How much will you pay ?!



Do you take rubles? 

OK, is the list of candidates ready? Dis anybody else forget to register him/herself?


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 17, 2017)

[drum roll ..............................................................]


----------



## longknife (Apr 17, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.
> 
> My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise.  Which is kinda fishy.
> 
> ...



You do understand the meaning of EGOTISTICAL don't you?


----------



## longknife (Apr 17, 2017)

I did not fully understand the English language until I underwent an intensive six month course in German at the Defense Language Institute. I do not consider myself an expert as English is a living language that grows and changes every day. 

Experts cite all sorts of rules. In my 77 (nearly 78) years, I've learned the most important rule - What was yesterday may not be is today.


----------



## norwegen (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> It looks like nobody knows the plural of "y'all."
> 
> I'll give this a few days to see if any true Texan's knows.


All y'all


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

longknife said:


> I did not fully understand the English language until I underwent an intensive six month course in German at the Defense Language Institute. I do not consider myself an expert as English is a living language that grows and changes every day.
> 
> Experts cite all sorts of rules. In my 77 (nearly 78) years, I've learned the most important rule - What was yesterday may not be is today.


Oh brother. 
Words do mean something, however. And it does matter how you  use them. If you can't agree on the language and the definitions of things, then you have chaos and a total breakdown of communication and understanding.

Which is pretty much what we have today. There is English. 

Then there is progressive gobbledygook, which presents an alternate reality using the same words.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 17, 2017)

longknife said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.
> ...



Oh yes. That's when you down a 55-gallon drum of coffee and decide "I'm going to start a dozen threads all at once and take over USMB with stories about World Toilet Day".

Never got into that shit myself.  I prefer quality over quantity.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 17, 2017)

longknife said:


> I did not fully understand the English language until I underwent an intensive six month course in German at the Defense Language Institute. I do not consider myself an expert as English is a living language that grows and changes every day.
> 
> Experts cite all sorts of rules. In my 77 (nearly 78) years, I've learned the most important rule - What was yesterday may not be is today.


Languages evolve.  Always have.  Always will.

What is ironic is that they progress from complex and beautiful to more simplistic and ugly.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> longknife said:
> 
> 
> > I did not fully understand the English language until I underwent an intensive six month course in German at the Defense Language Institute. I do not consider myself an expert as English is a living language that grows and changes every day.
> ...


Because there is always a group of people who don't like definitions, and create new ones, which make the old ones insufficient. You end up with grunts and curses and symbols. 

Like suddenly "life" doesn't mean "life" anymore. When you take a word that has a fundamental, important and accepted meaning, and then suddenly determine it doesn't mean what the majority of people understand it to mean, you have a problem. Communism, primarily. Totalitarianism, certainly.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

"Human" is another. If you want to change the meaning of "human" to be less inclusive, there's something wrong with you...and you are tearing at the fabric of your society. Not in a good way.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2017)

longknife said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > Me.  You've already asked this and I've already told you.
> ...




It may be the only bit of English he understands well!


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 17, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> "Human" is another. If you want to change the meaning of "human" to be less inclusive, there's something wrong with you...and you are tearing at the fabric of your society. Not in a good way.


I say "humankind" when I am talking about people/peoples.

And I use "humans" when I am talking about biological species.


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 17, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > longknife said:
> ...


koshergrl what would be a logical hypothesis to explain how language started out complex to begin with through?

This is one of the things linguists ponder and debate.

It is practically another Proof Of God like Aquinas' other 5 of them.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

When you lose the meanings of words like "life" "human" "man" "woman" "child" "murder" then your society is devolving into a non-communicative animal group where survival is the only thing that matters, and language is not able to be employed to any positive purpose.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > "Human" is another. If you want to change the meaning of "human" to be less inclusive, there's something wrong with you...and you are tearing at the fabric of your society. Not in a good way.
> ...


No matter which form, if the definition of "human" is in dispute, it's meaningless.


----------



## koshergrl (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...



I agree.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > "Human" is another. If you want to change the meaning of "human" to be less inclusive, there's something wrong with you...and you are tearing at the fabric of your society. Not in a good way.
> ...




When the rest of my invasion force arrives from Omicron Persei 8, I will use humans as part of my slave army.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...




Languages originally grew more complex as human social and personal interactions became more complex. On-going and comparative language complexity is a source of vigorous debate among linguists.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...



Sometimes though, you gotta wonder...


----------



## yiostheoy (Apr 17, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


You have it the opposite.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > yiostheoy said:
> ...







Say wha ~?


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> ...Pogo promised to do it for free





You'd still be getting ripped off at that rate.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

rip off... Good expression.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free



And as a bonus I'll tell you what "unkotare" means.  Aside from "attention-whore troll".


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> rip off... Good expression.



That's one of our many importations of African slang.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free
> ...




You would have to know, and you don't. Like everything else you ever post here, you pretend to know things that you don't. A chronic dilettante.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

> Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns



Four *is* in one sentence is ungrammatical


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

So the list is:


Comrade Johnson
AugmentedDog
Billo_Really
boedicca
CrusaderFrank
Darkwind
Hossfly
koshergrl
longknife
Marion Morrison
Meathead
MisterBeale
mudwhistle
norwegen
percysunshine
Pogo
RodISHI
The Sage of Main Street
Uncensored2008
Unkotare
Xelor
xotoxi
yiostheoy

(Only the first name is given in order of importance, all others just in alphabetical order)


Did I forget anybody?


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> 
> 
> 
> Four *is* in one sentence is ungrammatical



That depends on what the use of _is_ is.    Whoever originally wrote that apparently committed a typo.  A fine catch.  You have an eye for detail.  

In my childhood we used to chant

"that that is, is; that that is not, is not" 

---- which led to the improvisation,

"that that is _is_ is that that that that_ is not_ is not".

Follow that?  The italics are critical.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

Speaking of _is_, here ... is... a fun tune composed entirely of two-letter words:

​


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

Pogo said:


> The italics are critical.



Ah, I see. I thought it was English, not Italian.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Whoever may have originally wrote that apparently committed a typo.



No typos are allowed in the thread for the Best English!


----------



## Meathead (Apr 21, 2017)

What's the point? There is no on one this board who is more articulate than I.


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 21, 2017)

Xelor said:


> Well, let me be clear.  I suggest you not aim to emulate my English as you see it here.  I suggest that not because my English is poor, for it's not.  It's that my writing style and colloquial English generally is at a writing level that requires readers to have a very strong command of English.  I pretty nearly always here, as when I speak to people in person, write to a 10th-12th grade reading level, which is to say I use all the modes of verb conjugation, and I frequently compose compound and complex sentences.  It'd be a Herculean task for a beginning learner to take on mastering all that at once and without formal guidance.  The structure of my prose pretty well adheres to standard grammar rules, save for my typos, but the style is colloquial; thus it's not what one should emulate when learning the language.



Yes, but I am not the one.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2017)

Pogo said:


> ...  Whoever may have originally wrote [sic] that apparently committed a typo. ....




Yeah...*ahem* ...


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> ...



The logic is similar to the case where Country A threatens Country B with a "missile" .......... Coutry B responds with an "anti-missile missile", and Country A counters with an "anti-anti-missile-missile missile".


----------



## The Sage of Main Street (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> 
> 
> 
> Four *is* in one sentence is ungrammatical


*Ambitious Imbeciles*

That reminds of the unstructured mess Low-IQ college graduates make, which is repeated all over television and radio: "What the problem is, is (globalism)."  It should be simply "The problem is globalism."  Stupid English is contagious, especially when spoken by frauds we are told to look up to as role models for correct English.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 21, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> ...



I know what you mean -- speakers using the word _is_ as a comma.  Drives me batty.  But your example there is actually grammatical.  I think you mean more like, "the nature of racism is...[pause]. is that...".  It's amazing to hear a person speak apparently without hearing his own voice.  

I for one depend on it --- if I measure a space as "30 by 25" and need to remember it, rather than write it down I just say it out loud.  The sound of my own voice then imprints.  No need for pad and pen.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> ...





Reminds who?


----------



## usmbguest5318 (Apr 21, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Xelor said:
> 
> 
> > Well, let me be clear.  I suggest you not aim to emulate my English as you see it here.  I suggest that not because my English is poor, for it's not.  It's that my writing style and colloquial English generally is at a writing level that requires readers to have a very strong command of English.  I pretty nearly always here, as when I speak to people in person, write to a 10th-12th grade reading level, which is to say I use all the modes of verb conjugation, and I frequently compose compound and complex sentences.  It'd be a Herculean task for a beginning learner to take on mastering all that at once and without formal guidance.  The structure of my prose pretty well adheres to standard grammar rules, save for my typos, but the style is colloquial; thus it's not what one should emulate when learning the language.
> ...


I guess well have to take your word for that.  LOL


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 22, 2017)

OK, as an experiment I chose five people (no trouble for others – you'll be the next ones):

*koshergrl
Pogo
RodISHI
Xelor
yiostheoy*

I will study their posts and then use their words and expressions in mine.


----------



## Pogo (Apr 22, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> OK, as an experiment I chose five people (no trouble for others – you'll be the next ones):
> 
> *koshergrl
> Pogo
> ...



We kinda touched on this before but my language is very idiosyncratic.  (e.g. "kinda").  Creative approach to language is in fact one reason I chose the name "Pogo".  So as I pointed out in my intro thread when I first got here, misspellings, disgrammatification and just plain made-up words will be intentional, whether the reader gets the joke or not.

On the other hand one must have a comfortable fluidity in the language in the first place in order to take such liberties with it, so ---- there it is, innit.


----------



## Toro (Apr 22, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English



Anybody speaking eubonics


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 23, 2017)

Pogo said:


> We kinda touched on this before but my language is very idiosyncratic.



So my English will be extremely idiosyncratic too  And five times better than anybody's from the list taken separately.


----------



## Unkotare (Apr 23, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > We kinda touched on this before but my language is very idiosyncratic.
> ...




Be careful~


----------



## Comrade Johnson (Apr 27, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> Be careful~



Do you think that it may be risky? There is the ocean between us and Putin will always defend me


----------



## danielpalos (Apr 27, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> longknife said:
> 
> 
> > I did not fully understand the English language until I underwent an intensive six month course in German at the Defense Language Institute. I do not consider myself an expert as English is a living language that grows and changes every day.
> ...


Oh sister.

In modern times, we can resort to dictionaries.  Only the right wing, has a problem with dictionaries, unless it is about socialism.


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## koshergrl (Apr 27, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > The Sage of Main Street said:
> ...


they aren't afraid to teach it, they aren't allowed to. Language arts is a commie propaganda class...kids read filth and garbage and are taught all about feelings...but not sentence structure or how to craft a point of view.


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## koshergrl (Apr 27, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free


nit ENTIRELY free, I suspect. There will be a price to pay...


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## Nosmo King (Apr 27, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


What's it like to live in a world where each and every aspect of life can be filed under one of two categories: Communism or Virtuous?

It must be very simple, appealing to simplicity and the appropriate mindset.

I might put forth my friend Foxdyre as one of the best posters usijg English here.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 27, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free
> ...



OK, it will be 1000 rubles too then  I am not a comminist and not a supporter of  work for a kiss.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 27, 2017)

Nosmo King said:


> What's it like to live in a world where each and every aspect of life can be filed under one of two categories: Communism or Virtuous?



You better ask what it is to live in a world where each and every aspect of life is under CAPITALISM as in modern Russia


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## Unkotare (Apr 27, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > Be careful~
> ...





That's not what I meant.


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## Unkotare (Apr 27, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...









Nonsense.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 27, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> That's not what I meant.



Sure, since it was what _*I*_ meant


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 27, 2017)

Unkotare said:


> Nonsense.



It seems that posts in  English are not that difficult to copy as I thought


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## Unkotare (Apr 27, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > Nonsense.
> ...




Exactly.


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## danielpalos (Apr 27, 2017)

koshergrl said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > OK, I think we have had enough time for the registration. On the weekend I will read it carefully and we'll have the poll. The winner will get 1000 rubles a month for lessons with me. And of, course Pogo promised to do it for free
> ...



I suspect koshergirl loves to "pay the price".


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## longknife (Apr 27, 2017)

With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?


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## Pogo (Apr 27, 2017)

longknife said:


> With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?



That was done eons ago.  Repeatedly. Which, incredibly, shows up if you actually read the thread.


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## danielpalos (Apr 27, 2017)

Meathead said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Marion Morrison said:
> ...


If Only, we could find nice girls who like to practice the, "reach around" technique, so we can shave and masturbate at the same time.


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## danielpalos (Apr 27, 2017)

Pogo said:


> yiostheoy said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...


I use y'all to be, explicitly inclusive.  You may be more ambiguous.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 29, 2017)

longknife said:


> With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?



Because everything is OK with it. We need the best English, not 'ideal' one. Some little mistakes don't count.


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 29, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > > Because English grammar is what is is, there is no call for inventing distinct second-person plural personal pronouns
> ...



Actually it was a typo, I was just kidding 
And maybe it would be advisable for me to copy American television?


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## Pogo (Apr 29, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...



You would certainly get a good view of vernacular and pronunciation.  I recall one fellow traveller whose English was so accurate I was amazed he was not USian (he was Belgian).  I asked him how he perfected it so, and he said "from watching American television".

I found Donald Duck comic books in French or German very useful that way too.  You get common vernacular and you can see the action, so you get a good look at real-world speech rather than textbook speech.


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## Unkotare (Apr 29, 2017)

Often a novice who doesn't really understand fluency himself will hear a non-native speaker and declare "your English is perfect!" if it exceeds that person's subjective expectations at all.


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## Unkotare (Apr 29, 2017)

Adults using children's material to learn a language will learn how to communicate like a child and end up sounding like an imbecile. Without significant context and support, it is a bad idea.


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## jon_berzerk (Apr 29, 2017)

yiostheoy said:


> percysunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...




one would think 

"all y'all"

would suffice


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 29, 2017)

Pogo said:


> You would certainly get a good view of vernacular and pronunciation.



What's the use of good pronunciation on the forum? 



Unkotare said:


> Adults using children's material to learn a language will learn how to communicate like a child and end up sounding like an imbecile. Without significant context and support, it is a bad idea.



No problem, I can sound like an imbecile as it is, without any children's material


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## Comrade Johnson (Apr 29, 2017)

Pogo said:


> I found Donald Duck



Donald Duck, Donald Trump - it looks like every other person in the US is Donald...


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## Pogo (Apr 29, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > You would certainly get a good view of vernacular and pronunciation.
> ...



Because presumably you'd want proficiency in spoken as well as written language.

The actual _content _is irrelevant; the point is you get directly exposed to everyday colloquial use of a verb, a past participle, etc.  It's written the way everyday people actually speak.


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## Pogo (Apr 29, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> Pogo said:
> 
> 
> > I found Donald Duck
> ...



I suspect "two" is an insufficient sample size to reach such a conclusion.  It's not a rare name but it's not all that common.  Both Rump and Duck are Scottish, where Donald is a common first name.

They may have something else in common as well ---- Rump speaks at a fourth-grade reading level (i.e. the school level of a ten-year-old), the lowest such level of anyone who ran for President, as I noted way back in this old thread.  So the Disney cartoon, in these terms, may have already eclipsed him.


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## Unkotare (Apr 30, 2017)

Pogo said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > Pogo said:
> ...





Content is highly relevant, as anyone with real knowledge of language acquisition would tell you.


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## Dogmaphobe (Apr 30, 2017)

longknife said:


> With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?




Yeah, but you still haven't decided whose English is most bestest.


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## Comrade Johnson (May 1, 2017)

Dogmaphobe said:


> longknife said:
> 
> 
> > With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?
> ...



Only a special commission of experts can tell it, I think.


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## The Sage of Main Street (May 1, 2017)

Comrade Johnson said:


> The Sage of Main Street said:
> 
> 
> > Comrade Johnson said:
> ...


*On-Air Airheads*

I wasn't referring to your use of it there, which is obviously a typo. And I wasn't referring to President Clinton's, "It depends on what the meaning of the word _is _is."   Both are completely different from the backward constructions that collapse on themselves, which are used by almost all the incompetent talkers who stole jobs in broadcasting, whether Leftist or Rightist.  We have a united ruling class of spoiled idiots.


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## The Sage of Main Street (May 1, 2017)

Dogmaphobe said:


> longknife said:
> 
> 
> > With all the self-proclaimed English "experts" on here, why hasn't anyone pointed out what is wrong with the thread title?
> ...


*Drooling Banjos*

Mine is the most goodest.  In fact, it's more gooder than yours can ever be nohow.


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## Pogo (May 1, 2017)

The Sage of Main Street said:


> Comrade Johnson said:
> 
> 
> > The Sage of Main Street said:
> ...



"stole jobs in broadcasting"?

Huh?


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## Unkotare (Sep 9, 2017)

.


----------

