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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Huh. I had no idea English had actual terms for these things. Russian does and they teach it in grade school, just because you need to know it to speak/write properly.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gezina
I'm not familiar with the Aorist, but Genitive and Dative are common in most indo-european languages (though a fair few have lost them, including English, Dutch, and French)
Basically, the Genitive is used to show possession, and is one of the cases West-Germanic languages seem the most reluctant to get rid of.
Examples of the Genitive in English:
My father is smart.
In His youth, the King's strength was legendary.
It's not uncommon for people to forget their heritage.
Curly's books hold terms she doesn't know.
I'm not too sure about examples for the Dative, but I could come up with some if given time.
Ah; just a different name then. 'k; I know what these are then.
@Flickerdart: not all of the terms used for English (e.g. all the tenses, the differences between determiners and such) are taught in primary or even secondary schools. We are taught everything, but not given all the proper names of the tenses etc..
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Dative: In Ancient Greek, it's to, or from.
i.e.
The present is from the general.
I give the present to the general.
EDIT: The aorist's a tense. A somewhat difficult one. You should be learning it fourth, after present, future, and imperfect.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
@Curly: So this is why you British sound so smart...You actually learn the English language!
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
No, the British are just superior in every way.[/joke]
Yer I noticed in a lot of lessons in my school that we get taught things but not what they're called.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
groundhog22
@Curly: So this is why you British sound so smart...You actually learn the English language!
Hey, we learn to speak American pretty damn well, I think.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
*stands in the corner with a 2x4*
let's not go into the whole language thing again...I'd really hate to have to use this...
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TwoBitWriter
Hey, we learn to speak American pretty damn well, I think.
Yes, you're hella good at speaking it.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oregano
Yes, you're hella good at speaking it.
You ain't lyin'!
(On that note, I remember my German teacher [from France] who asked the class to explain to him what "ain't" meant. That was a fun exchange... "It's not really a word, we just use it...")
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TwoBitWriter
my German teacher [from France]
I had an Irish French teacher and a Romanian English teacher, beat that!
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oregano
I had an Irish French teacher and a Romanian English teacher, beat that!
I think that a French German teacher is appropriately contradictory to trump your challenge. :smallamused:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TwoBitWriter
I think that a French German teacher is appropriately contradictory to trump your challenge. :smallamused:
o.O
I had a French German teacher once, too. :smalltongue:
Not to mention a French English teacher and a Mexican French teacher.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
groundhog22
@Curly: So this is why you British sound so smart...You actually learn the English language!
When you can pick the word 'she' out of a text and call it a non - standard use of the second person singular feminine pronoun used to describe a ship you know you've started to learn the English Language.
@All: English is English, it's all just variations on the same language. There's actually a linguistic term for it; I think it might be dialect, but I'm not sure at the moment.
@TwoBit:
In secondary school there was a French teacher, from Spain, with a German name; who'd actually spent most of her life in Italy. And is now teaching in England.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
I think a French German teacher would be more common than an irish french teacher, but probably more bizare.
EDIT: Curly wins.:smalleek:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
That sounds like when my Hebrew teacher asked us what "duh" meant.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
French Latin teacher. First language is Latin. It's weird.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CurlyKitGirl
@TwoBit:
In secondary school there was a French teacher, from Spain, with a German name; who'd actually spent most of her life in Italy. And is now teaching in England.
You British just can't quit, can you? I will just deny that you said anything and continue to claim that I win! :smallwink:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TwoBitWriter
You British just can't quit, can you? I will just deny that you said anything and continue to claim that I win! :smallwink:
Hey! that's the British tactic!
See now I'm arguing about that as well.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
I've got to agree about the British not knowing when to quit. If I recall correctly, there was a sentry posted by the cliffs of Dover at least until the 1920's, if not until WWII. This sentry's job was to watch and give a warning if he saw Napoleon coming.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
groundhog22
I've got to agree about the British not knowing when to quit. If I recall correctly, there was a sentry posted by the cliffs of Dover at least until the 1920's, if not until WWII. This sentry's job was to watch and give a warning if he saw Napoleon coming.
I wrote a short story once about a zombie Napoleon, so it makes perfect sense in that context!
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
groundhog22
I've got to agree about the British not knowing when to quit. If I recall correctly, there was a sentry posted by the cliffs of Dover at least until the 1920's, if not until WWII. This sentry's job was to watch and give a warning if he saw Napoleon coming.
Yer but Napoleon did attack we'd be prepared, would you?
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Cool. But yes, we're pretty stubborn. It's the 'stiff upper lip' thing.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CurlyKitGirl
Cool. But yes, we're pretty stubborn. It's the 'stiff upper lip' thing.
Batman's stubborn, is it really a fault?
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TwoBitWriter
I hit a girl in my high school parking lot once. I was only going like 5 mph and she darted out of nowhere.
We ended up dating for three months :smallbiggrin:
Best.
Way.
To.
Meet.
A.
Girl.
Ever.
…
EVER.
:smallbiggrin:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Actually, according to my English teacher, ain't is a real word - in one circumstance.
I am not
I ain't
It's a contraction for "am not", and because "am not" is used only after "I", it is incorrect unless it has an "I" in front of is. Thus, "he ain't, she ain't, we ain't" are all incorrect.
But I ain't is not.
That said...it doesn't exactly sound educated to use it, so I wouldn't recommend it. :smalltongue:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dragonrider
Actually, according to my English teacher, ain't is a real word - in one circumstance.
I am not
I ain't
It's a contraction for "am not", and because "am not" is used only after "I", it is incorrect unless it has an "I" in front of is. Thus, "he ain't, she ain't, we ain't" are all incorrect.
But I ain't is not.
That said...it doesn't exactly sound educated to use it, so I wouldn't recommend it. :smalltongue:
Ask your linguistics professor about it, I'm sure he'd give you a different take.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lemur
Ask your linguistics professor about it, I'm sure he'd give you a different take.
? :smallconfused:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
But then the question arises of why use "I ain't" when more people would be willing to accept "I'm not" as a contraction for "I am not."
However, my grammar textbook from my second year says that "ain't" was the original contracted form, but has become taboo.
But then this touches on an issue with grammar I've never been able to work out: the "more proper" contracted negative "to be." Should it be the subject and verb or verb and negative adverb? "It's not" or "it isn't"? (I tend to use the first in spoken and the second in written, for some curious reason) My aforementioned grammar textbook seems to be on the side of the second, contracting "not" to "n't" instead of contractiong "to be" to "'m/'re/'s."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul J. Hopper, A Short Course in Grammar
In less formal registers, "not" can be replaced by the contracted form "n't." There is some tendency for the shorter (contracted) form to move into the written registers also, especially if a chatty style is the goal, but in formal writing this trend should not be followed. A few combinations of modal plus "n't" must be specially learned, for example "won't," "can't." The verb "to be" is regular except for the first-person singular "I am," whose original contracted form "I ain't" has become taboo.
So, my textbook seems to side with your teacher, DR. "Ain't" is, technically, correct. Of course, contractions are informal in any case, so there aren't really any hard rules about them. I've always classified "ain't" as dialect. But, then, the only place I care about 100% correct grammar is in formal school papers, where you shouldn't be using contractions. Ever.
*sigh* I always sucked at grammar knowledge. Some of my friends took the so-called "grammar boot camp" class in first year, but I avoided it because it wasn't a requirement. I only manage to make cohesive sentences through habit and practise.
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
Thanks, ZRS. That's more or less what I thought. He prefaced his explanation with the disclaimer, "Don't you DARE do this on any paper you submit, especially not to me!" :smalltongue:
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Re: Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105
To go back a bit there, I have a German Spanish teacher who knows a little French. This is in New Zealand. So many languages!
In other news...I got big news! I got myself a job! ^_^
My brother and sister are SO annoyed. They've been trying to get jobs for months. I come into Auckland for ONE DAY and land a job. *is proud and excited*