The English Language Has Bad Syntax & Stupid Sounding Words;

[aaron11193]

Does anyone else think the English language has bad syntax?

Take for example( "What The Fuck" );

What exactly is this supposed to mean?

Is it a question? An exclamation? Statement?

look_deeper( "What The Fuck" )
{

What( a request for specific information );

The( used, esp. before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect );

Fuck( Sexual Intercourse );

}

Now tell me, if the syntax rules for the English language weren't so unpoliced and relaxed, what exactly would this mean?



What about some of the words of the language?

Golf. Think about how it sounds. Who in hell made this word up? :huh:

Prom. :blink:

Anyone got any more words that sound like some mentally deficient 3 year old made them up?

Or common phrases/statements/anything that wouldn't/shouldn't make any grammatical sense?

 

[gp32rich]

You've missed the part about it being an unfinished sentence, the unsaid part usually being implied by the situation.
Eg. wtf is that? wtf are you doing? etc.

Similar to the rules for ending sentences with me/I

"He is better than me" sounds right but should actually be "He is better than I (am)" where the (am) is implied
** this may be a bad example

 

[iprice]

GOLF (for the game) apparently came about due to the term "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" - it was a man's game and those that played it wanted it to stay that way. Or so I read many, many years ago.

Prom is short for promenade - to walk. IIRC it came to be used to indicate a theatre/dancehall at the end of a long pier (hence a long walk - promenade).

 

[fishybawb]

There are plenty of opportunities for people to get their words muddled up in the English language because they sound the same, so they're never sure which one to use.

 

[aaron11193]

The wtf that i was referring to was the general 'wtf!?', the unfinished version

Wow i had no idea golf actually meant something! i still think it sounds stupid though lol

Now i have more useless information to throw at people

 

[kevcal]

I believe it comes from Latin:

pro minare: to drive (animals) forward
ie
pro: 'forward'
minare: 'to drive' (animals)

English is a real mishmash of other languages like all other languages.
Apart from US English which is generally just laziness
eg Lazer, Americans I know didn't know laser stood for something, so you can't just chuck a Z in when it sounds right(!).

My favourite quote on this: "in the US, every vowel can be verbed"

EDIT:
And whilst I'm on the subject - the word 'signage'...!
There is a perfectly good word 'signs' - "the signs are correct" not the "signage is correct"..
I'll go and have a lie down now....!

EDIT2:
golf... I think it's from the scottish word 'gowf' - to hit...
the 'gents only.." is just an urban myth - like the letters of POSH meaning "port out starboard home'... all made up recently (last 100 years).

 

[gp32rich]

The wtf that i was referring to was the general 'wtf!?', the unfinished version
Yup! That's what I was referring to, too. wtf is used generally as an exclamation about something, which is usually implied by the situation. The examples I used were the extended versions to illustrate what may be unsaid.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

My English is terrible, I always get my mucking words fuddled up!

 

[iprice]

I really hate the word texted. it just seems really odd.

The equivilent of "I can write to you" is "I can text you", but you wouldn't use "I writed a letter to you", but you would use "I texted you".

Yuck!

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I really hate the word texted. it just seems really odd.
But you wouldn't use "I writed a letter to you".

Probably because you would say "I wrote a letter to you"!

 

[kevcal]

Yeah, 'texted' is awful, but "I sent you a text" is a bit long-winded....
Dunno the answer to that.

 

[plopperz]

QUOTE
I really hate the word texted. it just seems really odd.

The equivilent of "I can write to you" is "I can text you", but you wouldn't use "I writed a letter to you", but you would use "I texted you".

Yuck!

You'd prefer 'toxt'?

 

[kevcal]

No, "toxte". :huh:

 

[Esn]

In addition to the things already mentioned, English has bad rhythm (unlike French and Russian, the two other languages I know). That's why most English-language poetry these days doesn't rhyme; even the poets got fed up with it.

Oh, and the spelling sucks. Using the common Latin alphabet is a curse, because there are dozens of spelling rules - depending on which one of a dozen or so other languages the word you're spelling originally comes from.

 

[Milamber777]

"messaged" seems a fair alternative.

I have hang ups about specific words as well. One that sticks in my craw is "webinar." Gosh I hate that word.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

"messaged" seems a fair alternative.

I have hang ups about specific words as well. One that sticks in my craw is "webinar." Gosh I hate that word.

Tarmattawackatangi is one word I hate. Try saying that after a glass of wine!

 

[kevcal]

It's a shame that the US has bastardized (sic) spelling <_<
It's this guy's fault.

 

[iprice]

Tarmattawackatangi is one word I hate. Try saying that after a glass of wine!

I can't say that sober!

 

[dsraa]

Usage of the word 'FUCK'



Now go and watch that. That will clear it ALL up for you.




DSR

 

[alterdimension]

does anybody besides me think that this thread is useless?