|
Go
|
New
|
Find
|
Notify
|
Tools
|
Reply
|
|
Member |
That very well may have been my problem, Sean! I did sense a tinge of sarcasm in it. |
|||
|
|
Member |
In a very funny editorial in the Chicago Tribune today, they wrote about a study in the British Food Journal. The editorial writers reported, "In a new report, the journal says the consumers overestimate the dangers of dining out, and--how's this for British gentility?--'underestimate the contribution of their own domestic food storage and preparation practices to the overall burden...'"
 Yes, we would definitely be more forthright in the description, saying something like "...and don't take responsiblilty for their own filthy habits!" |
|||
|
|
Member |
I've a quick question of our Brits: I know you often use an s when we use a z, such as in realize vs. realise, but would you use an s or a z in agonize? Is there a specific rule for when that is done?
|
|||
|
Member |
We write "agonise" - without the "z". Every person you encounter, whom you interact with, is there to teach you something. Sometimes it may be years before you realize what each had to show you. Raymond E. Feist |
|||
|
Member |
No. As with most spelling differences, it's a matter of style. The important thing is to be consistent. Don't spell it one way in one sentence, then the other a paragraph or so later. I happen to prefer agonise, too, but many people use agonize. Come on you raver, you seer of visions, Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine! |
|||
|
|
Member |
Okay, so in other words, I couldn't tell if someone was British or not by the use of the word "agonize," correct? I am playing detective. There is someone on another forum who says she is from "Devon," but I suspect in fact that person is a sock puppet. She used the word "agonize," and I thought I had her! Now, "colour" or "humour" for example would always be written that way in England, right? |
|||
|
|
Member |
Right. The reverse would probably be true; if they used 'agonise' they are likely to be British (or Canadian or Anzac, etc.). 'Colour' and 'humour' are always spelt that way; note the use of 'spelt', not spelled, although the latter is also used.  Come on you raver, you seer of visions, Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine! |
|||
|
|
Member |
I don't mind either way on colour/color, but to me agonize is clearly better, since this is less ambiguous in pronunciation. Of course, we still spell rise with an s, so I don't get too worked up over it.
|
|||
|
|
Member |
The letter z is a relatively recent introduction to our alphabet. In fact, it was still new enough for Shakespeare to have Kent in King Lear insult Oswald by calling him "Thou whoreson zed, thou unnecessary letter!" I found these links about the letter Z, which I think are absolutely fascinating: New Zealand Listener Samuel Johnson cites that quote from King Lear in his definition of Z. The Straight Dope discusses the difference between the US and UK pronunciation of the letter Z. Bill Casselman has quite a bit to say on the subject too. Pseudodictionary - fun  .Wikipedia Every person you encounter, whom you interact with, is there to teach you something. Sometimes it may be years before you realize what each had to show you. Raymond E. Feist |
|||
|
Member |
News to me. It was dropped from the early proto-Italic alphabets, but reintroduced in the Latin one and used in writing Greek loanwords. It occurs, although rarely in Old English. [Correct typo.] This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd, —Ceci n'est pas un seing. |
|||
|
|
Member |
On a similar note, I've read the letter v was also a late comer to the alphabet party.
|
|||
|
|
Member |
The Romans had a letter that looked a lot like a V and it stood for both a vowel, modern u, and a consonant, modern v (but which was very likely pronounced like our w). The Greeks had a letter called the digamma, which looked like like an F (and was pronounced like our w). This was later dropped in classical times: e.g., oinos (οινος) 'wine' used to be written (and pronounced) *woinos (*Ϝοινος); cognate with Latin vinum, English wine. This letter went back to the alphabet the Greeks adapted from the Phoenicians. The Romans adapted the digamma to be their F, f. (NB, that Greek ph, th, and kh (φ, θ, and χ) were not originally fricatives (i.e., f, ɵ, and x).)
—Ceci n'est pas un seing. |
|||
|
|
Member |
I probably didn't phrase my post very well (I was posting fairly late at night - never a good idea  ). As you've just said (and one of the links I posted also says), the use of Z was still fairly "exotic" and not commonplace until relatively recently (about 400 years or so ago).Every person you encounter, whom you interact with, is there to teach you something. Sometimes it may be years before you realize what each had to show you. Raymond E. Feist |
|||
|
Member |
Probably not. But if your saw the spelling, "analyze" you would know it was an American writer. We always use an "s" in ending with "y" - "analyse". Richard English |
|||
|
|
Member |
I apparently made a faux pas on Wordcraftjr by defining "tush" or "tuchus" as "arse" for the British. Arnie edited the post for me (thanks!) because the word is not acceptable in England for kids to use.
When I told someone about that, she said the same is true of "bum." She said that she has known Canadians to punch Americans in the mouth for saying "bum." Is that the same in England? She said that it is a contraction of "bottom" and not acceptable. |
|||
|
|
Member |
That's right.
It does mean "bottom", but it's a very mild word in Britain - certainly much milder than the word you first used - so you wouldn't get punched in the mouth if you said it over here .Every person you encounter, whom you interact with, is there to teach you something. Sometimes it may be years before you realize what each had to show you. Raymond E. Feist |
|||
|
Member |
Do you see our arse and your ass as different words or just different pronunciations? |
|||
|
|
Member |
Well, they started out as different ways to pronounce the same work, but they have different connotations. Of course, defining what is means to be a word is not as easy as you'd think, and at some point the two are the same word, and at some other they are separate. I think they are the same word, but I have nothing to back me up on that, except the law of conversation of R's.
|
|||
|
|
Member |
I see them as the same, though of course never having lived in England I can't be sure. That's why I was mortified at my post. I had used the American word "ass" too, and I realized that I shouldn't have used that for kids, too. Unfortunately, "ass" has become not such a bad word anymore, at least around here. Yet, I realized that I shouldn't have used it.
|
|||
|
|
Member |
"Asshole" is definitely considered a swear, as is just "ass", and referring to the animal walks a fine line. Still, using "ass" is like "shit", nowhere near the letter of the "F-bomb", as good a euphemism as any.
My friend made up a word "asholic"(uh-shole-ic), meaning basically asshole-ic, and that is the first meaning, describing a person. "Ass" can be used to describe a smell, and you can probably guess the smell. I have a friend who uses it to describe things which are broken, "This computer is ass". I certainly wouldn't use the word around children, but then again, if they're boys over the age of 10, they probably use it themselves. |
|||
|
|
Member |
In the UK an ass is a donkey or an idiot. It's handy to have a different word that describes a posterior.
Richard English |
|||
|
|
Member |
A "silly ass" was a bumbling, good-natured, but not very intelligent person described to perfection in the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse in the 1920s and 1930s. He (and silly asses were always "he" and always upper middle class or higher) was constantly getting into awkward situations of his own making, from which he was ingeniously extricated by his long-suffering manservant or fiancee. Every person you encounter, whom you interact with, is there to teach you something. Sometimes it may be years before you realize what each had to show you. Raymond E. Feist |
|||
|
|
Junior Member |
Nobody ever says "ass" here, but it's not an unfamiliar term. I've seen it used often enough on TV or in print to take it as it's intended -- sometimes animal, sometimes idiot but more often "buttocks", in overlap with our own version of "arse". Perhaps the overlap in meaning extends to the more specific "date" region, as our "arse" occasionally does.
It's common here to call an idiot a donkey (or a goose), but we would rarely call one an ass, let alone an arse. You can get the "arse end" of a deal, and you'll find a thousand similar uses in slang. But even on its own "arse" is still a flexible word. A lucky shot at a Aussie pool table is "arsey"; if you're lazy then you just can't be "arsed" mowing the lawn; and if you get the "arse" from work then there's no need to come Monday. I also find it interesting that different animals change "ass/arse" expressions. Here at least, "pig's arse" is an interjection expressing disbelief, and to be the "cat's arse" is quite a compliment (as for "duck's nuts" and "bee's knees"). "Couldn't give a rat's arse" is very common too, maybe even universal. I'm sure there are plenty more. |
|||
|
|
Member |
Wow, you Australians seem to have a lot of different meanings for "arse." I just love the cultural differences of English! I think it would be so fun to call someone a "goose!" That's my new insult!
Well, I really feel like a plug nickel now! I can't say that I consider 'ass' on the same level as 'shit,' but if you do, Sean, I should have been more sensitive. Thank heavens for arnie! |
|||
|