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Jun-30-2005 20:23

I'm trying to learn Italian. But since I'm from Potato Land, where we speak with as many grunts as we do nouns. So this semester while everyone has been learning Italian, I have been learning English. (Did anyone else not know that the Perfected Present is really in the past?)
So with all these non-native English speakers around I thought ya'll (3rd person plural-Italian Loro :) might enjoy some of these.

Jul-1-2005 09:29

Dogberta - the word inflammable only means liable to burn. It's a perfect synonym of flammable, which often causes confusion that could be quite dangerous!

I remember a boy in my science class at secondary school painting his hand with a liquid blotter while an experiment was being conducted with a bunsen burner. When the teacher saw him, she went nuts and said how dangerous it was to do this with a naked flame nearby. Rather perplexed, the boy showed her the bottle of blotter and said "It's ok, Miss, it says 'inflammable' on the bottle."

And English was his first language : o )

Jul-1-2005 09:47

When was the English Language created?

The English Language didn't involve at any one time, but over thousands of years. Around 1500 years ago we would barely reconize it, let alone understandable by a few language experts. From the time when the Romans invaded Britain in the first century, until the late middle ages, many influenced the development of English in quite fundamental ways. After the Latin of the Romans, there was the Mermanic lanuages of the Anglos-Saxons, Jutes, then the Scandinavians of the Vikings, and then the French of the Normans. England had territory in what's now modern France, for much of the mediaevil period and many of the Kings and Queens and airstocracy following the Norman Conquest, (AD 1066), could only speak French. These languages were considerdably differeent of those we know today and have also involved.

Today people in England, and throughout the world, don't speak English the same way. They pronounce words differently and use differing sets of vocabulary. In some cases have different meanings for the same words spelled the same way,
as P.Rockwell shared above. Over time the differences has been substaintially affected by communication such as travelers, letters, telegrapphs, telephone, radio, internet. Major influences such as moving pictures, books, printing presses, theater, poets, etc., have influenced people who couldn't read. From the 18th Century people who attended school were taught from grammar manuals which has had some influence on how we should perceive how the language should be spoken. The English Language, as all envolving languages, is always changing-new discoveries and inventions. English must be one of the most interesting languages known. It is heavily based on the Germanic Language, a kind of mix between native British and Germanic, achieved during Anglo-Saxon period (900 AD). After the Norman Conquest, when many of Nobility spoke only French, the majority of the population spoke Anglo-Saxon English...

Jul-1-2005 10:09

Continued: When was the English Lanuage Created?


We borrowed many words from French; our basic everyday words which have German or Scandinavian origins, (the latter from the Vikings invasions and settlers during Anglo-Saxon era). We use grammar, closer to German, than the Romance languages.

The English Language envolved over the past 1600 years and it has been subject to many influences, notably Norse, Latin, Amariac, Qudsh, Shythe, Rumumsebald, or Oulde Neuter, as it was referred in the area South of Colchester. Rumumsebald derived itself from an offshoot of the old Germanic Languages and had a slarric influence. "The England and their language: Fools and Kings and Players (1997 1st Edition, Cantar)states the first sighting of English can be traced to a Shropshire Village in or around 900 AD, and to some form of shopping list which read:

"Harollhve apund, lurpenech rife. Hawlthve apund, tregoile." before leaving the shopper with instructions: Farlhs lhern hauye, ther momey gophes. Poiep, gophes ther waezil." It was Chaucer to the language thus: Aer tur faurwle end, whenunce bipute ofne whyene, tur jifferbeth aure lengordshe frame feldssarme placethe parsd." (and to the end, where to be placed the conversation our language takes is framed from far off lands.)

Jul-1-2005 12:58

Most likely from what I have heard, it is the hardest to learn the eastern european languages, like czech. Even peoples first names get change, depending on the sentence you use.

Jul-1-2005 13:49

What I found interesting today and had fun doing was typing in this sentence, as follows, to-wit:

"Thanks Mr. & Mrs. Ringold for Sleuth and all you do. You are the best and God bless.

Note: I would have used Ben & Sunny, but Ben's name in spanish meant, "Horseradish," so I didn't want to take a chance in what other languages translation of it..hehe. OK...so here is the same sentence in other languages:

SPANISH: Las Gracias Sr. y senora Ringold por detective y to do usted es el mejor. y el lios bendice.

FRENCH: Merci M. ct Mne Ringold de detective et detous vous. Vous etes le meilleur et Dieu benissent.

ITALIAN: Ringraziamenti ll Sig. & la Sig.ra Ringold per lo sleuth e tutto. Sieti il la cosa migliore ed il dio benedice.

PORTUGUESE: Agrandecimentos Sr. & Sra. Ringold para O Sleuth e o tudo voce. Voce e o mais melhor e o deus bless.

DUTCH: M. & Mevr Ringold Voor Sleuth en allen U bent best en de God Zegent.

I checked to see what the name Sunny would be in some languages and here's the results:

Spanish-asoleado/French-ensoleille/German-Sonnig/Italian-pieno di sole/Portuguese-ensolarado. I love the translator I found today, but I just hope it works and what I've typed is correct & I'm not sharing something totally crazy or a total different meaning here...lol. Again, somebody please make the correction, or better yet, delete it. Thanks!

Jul-1-2005 14:23

P.Rockwell, I didn't mean to share so many long messages...oops! Anyway, I enjoyed what you shared and guess I got carried away...lol.The English Language is amazing & I would love to learn to speak other languages, like Spanish and French. Not only this but I love to hear these languages spoken. Actually all languages other than English, are beautiful to hear. OK, I'm zipping it, I promise, or else I'll make texan tie up my hands so I can't type..hehe.

Jul-1-2005 14:52

Italian:
Ringraziamenti al Sig. e Sig.ra Ringold per Sleuth e tutto il resto. Siete i migliori e Dio vi benedica.

Spanish:
Muchas Gracias al Segnor y Segnora Ringold por Sleuth y por todo. Sois los mejores y Dios vos bendica.

Jul-1-2005 16:14

Hahahahah, I could understand what you are saying. A more correct translation in Dutch:
Bedankt voor Sleuth Meneer en mevrouw Ringold, ik wens jullie het beste en god zij met u.

And Sunny would be....."zonnig" in Dutch. Though it is never used as a first name here.

Jul-1-2005 16:30

DaRu...did you just say all languages other then English are beautiful to hear?

I guess you never heard Dutch being spoken. It sounds like I am clearing my throat the whole time. :) Dutch is spoken from the throat, while English is nasal.

Jul-1-2005 22:38

Ha! Thank you Lisa & jstkdn for sharing & making corrections. Now you've got me wondering if the sentences I transcribed from english to the other languages were correct or in part? I may not want to know what I actually typed..hehe. I noticed that yours differed somewhat from mine. If this translator isn't correct, then I don't want to use it again. jdtkn, I appreciate you mentioning whether I love the English Language. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't and wasn't clear about it. I should have said I love the English Language, but it's not as romantic as the French, Italian, and Spanish Languages. I mentioned these because I could listen to people speak in these languages, whether I know what they're saying or not. As far as the English Language I love to hear certain accents of people in the Southern States. Also, I love hearing the people in England speak our language because the way they speak, the words used and accent which is fascinating to me. I've practiced their accent but haven't achieved it yet..lol. There are languages I don't care to listen to, for instance the language of the Bolswana or bushman tribe. They make a clicking sound while speaking which would annoy me after awhile. As far as the Dutch Language, I don't have any idea how they talk, because I've never heard anyone speak in person before. I did know you spoke Dutch jstkdn so I mentioned it to get a response from you in hopes you would share, and again I appreicate you and Lisa. To me all languages are like musical instruments with different tones, basic base tones, but differ by overtones. The English Language has high pitched sounds and we emphasize the S' sounds, like in SucceSSeS..etc., but the words ending with an S in French are usually silent. As far as the English Language overall I am proud to speak it. I just wish I knew how to speak other languages fluently like some of you here can do. Hopefully, I soon learn to master Spanish. God bless you all.