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Literal Takes On Popular Phrases

Nulle said:
The Queen song 'I want to break free' has these words in it: I've fallen in love for the first time and this time I know it's for real.
 
I know that it's what we in Danish calls 'flueknepperi' (literally flyfucking - meaning nitpicking) but I just can't help myself. :P
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In Dutch, they don't f*ck flies but rather ants (mierenneuken: to f*ck ants, or to nitpick) or commas (kommaneuken: to f*ck commas, also to nitpick). Another verb to describe nitpicking would be muggenziften, or to sift mosquitoes.
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
Yea........ I feel the same way!
 
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I recently conducted a non-scientific double blind study on this phenomenon and had some interesting observations as a result. To wit, I "asked" some people to pronounce the word "ask" written on a piece of paper. Unsurprisingly so, some questioned responded "axe." Others responded in the true English pronunciation "ask."
 
I then queried both groups as to the name of the protective facegear they were forced to wear, and all persons responded in correct English pronunciation "mask." Not a single person said "max." This revelation was confounding...
 
WarrantMan said:
I recently conducted a non-scientific double blind study on this phenomenon and had some interesting observations as a result. To wit, I "asked" some people to pronounce the word "ask" written on a piece of paper. Unsurprisingly so, some questioned responded "axe." Others responded in the true English pronunciation "ask."
 
I then queried both groups as to the name of the protective facegear they were forced to wear, and all persons responded in correct English pronunciation "mask." Not a single person said "max." This revelation was confounding...
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An interesting observation, which I quickly reviewed because in my native language we have similar issues with some sounds, for instance proper language consonant sequence sp becomes ps in some local dialects (imagine English wasp becoming waps).
 
The ask/ax-dilemma, however, seems to be of a different nature. Both ask and ax are correct and represent co-evolved forms of the same verb. Some basic introduction in Smithsonian Magazine, something more in NPR, and an overview in wiktionary. Mask/max is dissimilar: they truly represent different words..
 
Therefore, I would not use the term "true English", since from my POV both forms are "true English". According to my High School teacher, "true English" is BBC English. Just image you guys getting F after F :lol: I'm on an ironic drive here, no offence intended. Just think about it, what is "true English"? 
 
I'm looking at this through the glasses of my own native language, Dutch, which actually is a compound name of sorts. It harbours several large dialects, which are not treated as disrespectfully today as they were before. About 30 years ago, the unified Dutch language was called "General Civilized Dutch", and language rules were dictated by some learned A-h0les in Amsterdam, effectively putting aside the rich local language traditions and imposing what they considered correct. This situation has evolved, luckily. A proper term to describe "proper language", again IMO, is "Standard Dutch", or "Standard English".
 
Just ponder on "true English" for a bit... Who has decided for you what is correct? Your parents? Teacher? A committee of Washington DC bureaucrats? The Queen?
When I arrived at school, I was basically told that whatever my parents (and consequently their parents, grandparents, etc.) had learned me was "incorrect".
My better half received the rules of "correct Spanish" she is obliged to apply at her job, but these rules strongly deviate from the Real Academia Española's recommendations. The reason for that is simple: some politically motivated bureaucrats in Mexico City have enforced it. Just think of the consequences this has on the next generation, who might remain unaware of this...
 
I think WarrantMan already knows why English is important... :D
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuxJAfjbb_M
 
ahayastani said:
The ask/ax-dilemma, however, seems to be of a different nature. Both ask and ax are correct and represent co-evolved forms of the same verb. Some basic introduction in Smithsonian Magazine, something more in NPR, and an overview in wiktionary. Mask/max is dissimilar: they truly represent different words..
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I too researched this while posting this awhile back. I was surprised to find axed was an accepted form of asked and had been for  People Have Been Saying “Ax” Instead of “Ask” for 1,200 Years
 
I was in deep financial distress and needed a raise so I went to my hated-lowlife- tightwad boss and axed him.....
 
Yea, that'll fly during your interview at the police station...........
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
I too researched this while posting this awhile back. I was surprised to find axed was an accepted form of asked and had been for  People Have Been Saying “Ax” Instead of “Ask” for 1,200 Years
 
I was in deep financial distress and needed a raise so I went to my hated-lowlife- tightwad boss and axed him.....
 
Yea, that'll fly during your interview at the police station...........
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In that case, it's better to fly low and remain under the radar.
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
 
Good point Stan! It would have to be an awfully small plane to fly under the police radar in the interrogation room!
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Nevertheless, with Stan the Man anything can!
 
When the price is right,
I'll show you my might!
From left to right, or right to left,
I make radar from signal bereft.
 
Back in what you would call high school (in Danish gymnasie - nothing to do with sports!) we were told that both British and American English were accepted but not a combination of them, meaning no American 'liter' or 'truck' if you did British and no British 'litre' or 'lorry' if you did American.
 
One of my classmates had spent a year of high school in Michigan and naturally it affected his English and eventhough it was supposed to be equally accepted his English teacher - who was totally and solely into Oxford English - kept giving him very low grades even though his English was very good. So much for both 'Englishes' being equal.
 
Nulle said:
Back in what you would call high school (in Danish gymnasie - nothing to do with sports!) we were told that both British and American English were accepted but not a combination of them, meaning no American 'liter' or 'truck' if you did British and no British 'litre' or 'lorry' if you did American.
 
One of my classmates had spent a year of high school in Michigan and naturally it affected his English and eventhough it was supposed to be equally accepted his English teacher - who was totally and solely into Oxford English - kept giving him very low grades even though his English was very good. So much for both 'Englishes' being equal.
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Sorry for “dumbing down” your classmate [emoji15]. If he spent a year at a MI high school, he probably learned “Redneck” English [emoji16].


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nulle said:
Back in what you would call high school (in Danish gymnasie - nothing to do with sports!) we were told that both British and American English were accepted but not a combination of them, meaning no American 'liter' or 'truck' if you did British and no British 'litre' or 'lorry' if you did American.
 
One of my classmates had spent a year of high school in Michigan and naturally it affected his English and eventhough it was supposed to be equally accepted his English teacher - who was totally and solely into Oxford English - kept giving him very low grades even though his English was very good. So much for both 'Englishes' being equal.
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I was in high school about thirty years ago, and had three different English teachers. Some more A-h0le than others, but all shared a common attitude: British English is the norm and BBC English is the reference for its pronunciation. Which was pretty difficult because we were much more exposed to American English (vocabulary and pronunciation).
 
I have heard that this attitude has been relaxed, but that teachers still require that you stick to one variant: no mixing of colors with colours, nor litres with liters; and also being mindful of whether you go by elevator or lift. At least now you are allowed to choose whether you want to speak as a Sir or a redneck :D But no social migration allowed  :rolleyes:
 
WarrantMan said:
Off topic a bit - but as a southerner, I gotta weigh in...  :cheers:
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Making fun of regional dialects/pronunciations seems to be an international phenomenon :) I recognized most of the imitations, in the sense that I have heard them before, but I cannot connect them to their region. Now I can :cheers:
 
Arkansas made me laugh though. I still remember that I thought Clinton "talked weird" when he had his "job" at the Oval Office and made international head-lines.
 
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