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The Cunning Linguists....


manderlyh

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That is the stuff that I have to study because I don't remember any of it!

You have to study it really thoroughly when you're teaching it! :lol:

I'm not good at English. When will I ever need to know how to tell a PN from a PA?

I don't know.

I don't know what a PN is or a PA is...

:huh:

Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. They're kind of like direct objects and indirect objects.

wow

I've never seen that! I know (kind of) what a nominative is...but I just learned that modern English doesn't have nominatives...Old English does. At least that's why my linguistics teacher said.. :huh:

My English teacher is an old english teacher. One of our worksheets talked about the recent break up of the Beatles.

A PA describes some and a PN can replace the subject. They sound easy but they're hard to indentify.

I mean Old English as in OLD ENGLISH...Old English, Middle English, modern English.. :D

Then maybe he teaches middle english. He teaches a lot of stuff that no one uses anymore.
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Middle English ended in 1550. Your teacher teaches Modern English.

Middle English is what form of English Chaucer and Shakespeare wrote in.

Then I wonder why he teaches nominatives. See, this is why I don't like English, it's just too confusing.

We still have nominatives (subject of sentence), we just don't tend to analyze English grammar using that term (or dative, accusative, genitive, etc.)--you see it more with Latin, Greek and German instruction, but rarely even French or Spanish. Also, Shakespeare (first play ca. 1580s, last ones ca. 1611) wrote in modern English.

Well, I'm good at modern English, I normally speak with a blend of American English influence though. Which is missing some words in order to make the same meaning, for example:

Mod Eng - "Do you love her a lot?"

USA Eng - "You love her a lot?"

It's mainly due to the fact that I've had an American girlfriend to influence me for nearly 3 years. But I understand what you're saying Alison. I know some Olde English too. :D

Since we're on my least favorite subject that I am forced to teach. I'll add my $.02. English is a constantly evolving language. Now that is an aspect which I find interesting. Since I am relegated to teaching this with an English content teacher, I can focus on the trivial and meaningless details. Such as Bonham's example of blending his Mod Eng with the USA Eng. I prefer to analyze and abbreviate as much as I is allowable with these new mediums of texting, emailing and online chatting.

I would reduce:

Mod Eng - "Do you love her a lot?"

USA Eng - "You love her a lot?"

To

Luv her a lot? This is acceptable because the You and Do are implied. In addition the Love is shortened to a debased form of the verancular.

C dat English can be phun.

I don't short hand things unless I'm texting. I just hate learning all the English stuff, I mean I can speak it so why does it matter if I diagram a sentence. They need to make kids read more. I am a freshman and I go to school with kids who are really smart but they're illiterate.

I was heartbroken!

SPATS---

your = possessive pronoun

you're = you are the apostrophe shows that the "A" is missing.

help?

ALISON-

Thanks for the clarification on the whole nominative thing. Very technical grammar makes me go :wacko:

Yes it helps. Thank you.

I had no idea what most of it meant either until I took Latin and German in grad school. I learned Anglo-Saxon in undergrad, but mostly because I had a strangely innate feel for it and by much good guessing (my prof was rather puzzled, I think, when I got As on all the tests, but clearly had only the vaguest grasp of what 'preterite' meant ).

Anyway, what a wonderful conversation you have here! ^_^
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I was wondering when you'd pop your head in and see it. :P

Well, English is the most commonly used language used on this forum. Great conversation indeed. :D

:lol:

I think we should start a new thread. You know, I'm taking an exam in the middle of January, from nouns and verbs. Such a thread could be pretty useful, I could revise and post here at the same time....

Perhaps we should start a "Cunning Linguists" thread? :P

About language only, of course.

I think we should start an English thread. Mandy, you can be in charge and get some teaching practice.

Okay...I'm off to work. I started the thread.

Now it's everyone else's responsibility to give me something interesting to read when I get home.

:P

Hopefully some of our English professors will pop their heads in and contribute... :D

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Who are the English professors? I think Aqua is a teacher, I just don't know what kind.

Oh, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. An adjective describes a noun. Like blonde and curly describes Robert's hair. So in sentence form you could say Robert has blonde, curly hair.

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Was it Ian Gillan who first used the phrase 'cunning linguist'?

Knocking at Your back Door from Perfect Strangers 1985 !!! :)

"She eases form her Austin to her Bently " ^_^

Edited by leddy
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Hey! :angry:

This is supposed to be a REAL language thread!

Right! This ain't no place for childish pervs. :rolleyes: Do you know what time is it now? It's...POETRY TIME!

The Battle of Brunnanburh ^_^

Her Æþelstan cyning, eorla dryhten,

beorna beahgifa and his broþor eac,

Eadmund æþeling, ealdorlangne tir

geslogon æt sæcce sweorda ecgum

ymbe Brunnanburh. Bordweal clufan,

heowan heaþolinde hamora lafan

afaran Eadweardes, swa him geæþele wæs

from cneomægum, þæt hi æt campe oft

wiþ laþra gehwæne land ealgodon

hord and hamas. Hettend crungun,

Sceotta leoda and scipflotan

fæge feollan. Feld dænnede

secga swate siðþan sunne up

on morgentid, mære tungol

glad ofer grundas godes condel beorht,

eces drihtnes, oð sio æþele gesceaft

sah to setle. þær læg secg mænig

garum ageted, guma norþerna

ofer scild scoten, swilce Scittisc eac,

werig wiges sæd. Wesseaxe forð

ondlongne dæg eorodcistum

on last legdun laþum þeodum,

heowan herefleman hindan þearle

mecum mylenscearpan. Myrce ne wyrndon

heardes hondplegan hæleþa nanum

þæ mid Anlafe ofer æra gebland

on lides bosme land gesohtun

fæge to gefeohte. Fife lægun

on þam campstede ciningas giunge

sweordum aswefede, swilce seofene eac

eorlas Anlafes, unrim heriges

flotan and Sceotta. þær geflemed wearð

Norðmanna bregu, nede gebeded

to lides stefne litle weorode.

Cread cnear on flot; cyning ut gewat

on fealene flod, feorh generede.

Swilce þær eac se froda mid fleame com

on his cyþþe norð Costontinus;

har hildering hreman ne þorfte

mecea gemanan; he wæs his mæga sceard,

freonda gefylled on folcstede,

beslagen æt sæcce, and his sunu forlet

on wælstowe wundun forgrunden

giungne æt guðe. Gelpan ne þorfte

beorn blandenfeax bilgeslehtes

eald inwidda, ne Anlaf þy ma;

mid heora herelafum hlehhan ne þorftun

þæt heo beaduweorca beteran wurdun

on campstede, cumbolgehnastes,

garmittinge, gumena gemotes,

wæpengewrixles, þæs hi on wælfelda

wiþ Eadweardes afaran plegodan.

Gewitan him þa Norþmen nægledcnearrum,

dreorig daraða laf on Dinges mere,

ofer deop wæter Difelin secan,

and eft Iraland æwiscmode.

Swilce þa gebroþer begen ætsamne,

cyning and æþeling cyþþe sohton

Wesseaxena land wiges hremige.

Letan him behindan hræw bryttian

saluwigpadan, þone sweartan hræfn,

hyrnednebban, and þane hasewanpadan,

earn æftan hwit æses brucan,

grædigne guðhafoc and þæt græge deor,

wulf on wealde. Ne wearð wæl mare

on þis eiglande æfre gieta

folces gefylled beforan þissum

sweordes ecgum, þæs þe us secgað bec,

ealde uðwitan, siþþan eastan hider

Engle and Seaxe up becoman,

ofer brad brimu Brytene sohtan,

wlance wigsmiþas Wealas ofercoman,

eorlas arhwate eard begeatan

Edited by Katuschka
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Right! This ain't no place for childish pervs. :rolleyes: Do you know what time is it now? It's...POETRY TIME!

The Battle of Brunnanburh ^_^

Her Æþelstan cyning, eorla dryhten,

beorna beahgifa and his broþor eac,

Eadmund æþeling, ealdorlangne tir

geslogon æt sæcce sweorda ecgum

ymbe Brunnanburh. Bordweal clufan,

heowan heaþolinde hamora lafan

afaran Eadweardes, swa him geæþele wæs

from cneomægum, þæt hi æt campe oft

wiþ laþra gehwæne land ealgodon

hord and hamas. Hettend crungun,

Sceotta leoda and scipflotan

fæge feollan. Feld dænnede

secga swate siðþan sunne up

on morgentid, mære tungol

glad ofer grundas godes condel beorht,

eces drihtnes, oð sio æþele gesceaft

sah to setle. þær læg secg mænig

garum ageted, guma norþerna

ofer scild scoten, swilce Scittisc eac,

werig wiges sæd. Wesseaxe forð

ondlongne dæg eorodcistum

on last legdun laþum þeodum,

heowan herefleman hindan þearle

mecum mylenscearpan. Myrce ne wyrndon

heardes hondplegan hæleþa nanum

þæ mid Anlafe ofer æra gebland

on lides bosme land gesohtun

fæge to gefeohte. Fife lægun

on þam campstede ciningas giunge

sweordum aswefede, swilce seofene eac

eorlas Anlafes, unrim heriges

flotan and Sceotta. þær geflemed wearð

Norðmanna bregu, nede gebeded

to lides stefne litle weorode.

Cread cnear on flot; cyning ut gewat

on fealene flod, feorh generede.

Swilce þær eac se froda mid fleame com

on his cyþþe norð Costontinus;

har hildering hreman ne þorfte

mecea gemanan; he wæs his mæga sceard,

freonda gefylled on folcstede,

beslagen æt sæcce, and his sunu forlet

on wælstowe wundun forgrunden

giungne æt guðe. Gelpan ne þorfte

beorn blandenfeax bilgeslehtes

eald inwidda, ne Anlaf þy ma;

mid heora herelafum hlehhan ne þorftun

þæt heo beaduweorca beteran wurdun

on campstede, cumbolgehnastes,

garmittinge, gumena gemotes,

wæpengewrixles, þæs hi on wælfelda

wiþ Eadweardes afaran plegodan.

Gewitan him þa Norþmen nægledcnearrum,

dreorig daraða laf on Dinges mere,

ofer deop wæter Difelin secan,

and eft Iraland æwiscmode.

Swilce þa gebroþer begen ætsamne,

cyning and æþeling cyþþe sohton

Wesseaxena land wiges hremige.

Letan him behindan hræw bryttian

saluwigpadan, þone sweartan hræfn,

hyrnednebban, and þane hasewanpadan,

earn æftan hwit æses brucan,

grædigne guðhafoc and þæt græge deor,

wulf on wealde. Ne wearð wæl mare

on þis eiglande æfre gieta

folces gefylled beforan þissum

sweordes ecgum, þæs þe us secgað bec,

ealde uðwitan, siþþan eastan hider

Engle and Seaxe up becoman,

ofer brad brimu Brytene sohtan,

wlance wigsmiþas Wealas ofercoman,

eorlas arhwate eard begeatan

Not Childish just a perv thankyou :P

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I studied English Language and English Literature extensively for two years. I studied language acquisition as well as the evolution of the english language. I delved into the works of Chaucer and other old English texts. It was great fun. Also studied dialects and the effect the language has on people.

We should have a create a neologism competition. :lol:

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I studied English Language and English Literature extensively for two years. I studied language acquisition as well as the evolution of the english language. I delved into the works of Chaucer and other old English texts. It was great fun. Also studied dialects and the effect the language has on people.

We should have a create a neologism competition. :lol:

I always think how cool it is that in a small country like ours that I can travel 30 miles down the road and people sound totally different to me !! Do they not say that the Bristol accent is derived from the West Indies ?? as there is a connection with the tone/sound as alot of people came over from the Carribean to Bristol many moons ago !

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I always think how cool it is that in a small country like ours that I can travel 30 miles down the road and people sound totally different to me !! Do they not say that the Bristol accent is derived from the West Indies ?? as there is a connection with the tone/sound as alot of people came over from the Carribean to Bristol many moons ago !

Yeah, I seem to recall something like that. We also studied how we conclude things from certain accents....we looked at a report of employment. Employers are more reluctant to employ someone with a certain accent. It was a proper study as well.

And yeah I know what you mean, there is so much diversity in dialect in this country. Even in the area where you live, you can find so many different dialects.

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Right! This ain't no place for childish pervs. :rolleyes: Do you know what time is it now? It's...POETRY TIME!

Crap, Kat. You have IPA symbols that I don't know in there!

I only know the sounds that are in American English. :'(

ETA: POETRY TIME! :hysterical:

Edited by manderlyh
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Crap, Kat. You have IPA symbols that I don't know in there!

I only know the sounds that are in American English. :'(

ETA: POETRY TIME! :hysterical:

That's because those are not IPA symbols. The "poem" is in Old English. Some of the old germanic letters were later used for the IPA system, because they actually correspond (or should correspont, because the speech sounds are hardly the same now as they were before) with the pronounced speech sounds. Not all of them have been used though. That's probably why you don't know them. For example this one: þ It's phonemic equivalent is θ. There was even a tendency to use þ for this sound, and make it therefore one on the IPA symbols, but it was agreed that θ is a more convenient symbol, because it looks like a graphic scheme of the speech organs in the position of making this sound, which makes it easier to remember.

I used to have the whole IPA installed, but after I had finished my seminar work, I deleted it. I still have it on CD-rom somewhere....

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