Re a post by oldkid I hate abbreviation, acronyms, text speak or anything else that might cause confusion. When you are trying to converse with strangers using only the written word, without any other means of conveying your meaning - tone of voice/facial expressions - clarity is essential - maybe even more so where a subject like sex and personal matters are concerned. Add to the confusion/misunderstanding that these can cause the usage and meaning of different words/phrases in different places and the chances of misunderstanding increases. Languages, even the World lingua franca English, are developing and diversifying so clarity, clarity, clarity - or we all finish up speaking the 'same different' language, not really understanding each other. I have to say that the American usage of 'puritanical' words, instead of the basic/base 'Anglo-Saxon', when discussing sexual matters, or even matters even closely approaching 'personal activities', does amuse me. Forgetting King George, if you possibly can, the Colonies and Great Britain would still have separate eventually for some reason or other. It is not commonly known, or now even wanted to be known but in the early 1930s the USA planned and started to put into action declaring war on Great Britain - nothing to thank Hitler for, except stopping that. Don't believe me - just search War Plan Red.
I know I'm guilty of using acronyms, text speak, and such but try to keep it to a minimum. Mostly I use them in conversations/interactions where it can be deemed "appropriate" - like text speak in text messages, abbreviations/acronyms in proper context. I am also aware that I fall into the tendency to use "puritanical" language or euphemism rather than just stating things matter-of-factly. It definitely comes from being American and in the specific area of the States that I live in - it is a very conservative area. Use of more accurate or appropriate terminology gets suppressed or drilled out of you, so using it is a challenge and actually sometimes requires more thought than creating a new clever allusion to whatever it is you are trying to discuss. It's funny because proper language usage, grammar, spelling... these things are things that I pay close attention to and (I admit) judge people on. <---Right there, prepositional phrase! AGH! NO!
Jonjo, maybe you can give us some examples of what you mean by puritanical words. All that aside, I am one of many Americans who love the way the English pronounce and spell words.
"Sleeping with" instead of "having sex" is my most loathed euphemism which folks even on this site are apt to use. Usage instead of the simply word "use" is another pet hate Then don't get me started with ROFL at the slightest hint of mirth which is only slightly behind inappropriate use of LOL in the FFS stakes!
Ibushwalker Thank you! If you are sleeping then you cannot be having sex. 'Puritanical': Ass ( that's a four legged animal); Bathroom/facilities/restroom (look up lavatory, toilet); Butt; others will come up now and again. I cannot understand the 'horror' at the use of the dreaded C word. Others: Of off - its either of or off; one that I can across yesterday "my down" for my mistake; lighten up; and many others. My biggest objection, like Ibushwalker, is to all the capitalised letter abbreviations - which can cause great confusion; prime example LOL (what that actually means featured in a recent court case here involving our Prime Minister). Until there is a standardised list of what they all mean, stop using them, please. If you've got something to say/express then do it in a clear precise way, that all can understand, for the reasons given in my original post (not OP). I am not trying to be pedantic, or saying that my English is better than anybody else's, just that I want to fully and correctly understand you.
lmao IDK wut u jst sed 2 d OP LoL, bt i ThNk U maekn gud pnt! Good God, just trying to type that is infuriating! I feel my IQ dropping just looking at what I typed... I think Jonjo's point/irritation have just been proven to be sound and just. (Sorry I didn't just say that, but I saw an opportunity to add some levity.) ...And what the Hell is "gizza?"
Ginger: please note correction "Geezer" Gizza means "give me a" - as in gizza ciggy (give me a cigarette). Nor would a 'True English' speaker use the word "legend". Obviously you were a student of the Dyke Van Dyke School of English.
For "gizza see correction above. As you say "point proven". By the way old boy, various punctuation in your bracketed comment could change its meaning - "Sorry, I didn't just say that" is an apology for saying it; where-as "Sorry I didn't just say that" is an apology for omitting to say it LOFLMAO
actually its giza in text ingo LOL never confessed to being 'True English' LOL and what is this word "school" it is unfamiliar to me
"Sorry I didn't just say that..." - What I intended with that was to say "I apologize for not immediately coming to the point! However, I noticed a chance to make an attempt at wit and to hopefully add some humor to the discussion." Damn! Language is complicated sometimes. Lololol <---my personal nemesis in texts
A question for my learned friends........... What is the International language of the world? Mars Bar for the correct answer
What is: geezer or gizza? Think the word you wanted was "lingo" Now, in the Dick Van Dyke vernacular "Youz statin the bleeding obvious mate" Plez c abv.
English - I believe even pilots have to have the rudiments of it, some obviously more rudimentary than others . You know where you can put your Mars Bar (or H4H can tell you).
Looking over the last few posts on this thread, all I can think to do now is quote H.A.L. 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey and leave the rest to everyone else: "I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid..."
This really is actually getting extremely boring my dear fellow. EVER; YOU'RE;LAID. The world's most widely used language is English which has over 1.8 billion users world wide. Perhaps you would like to defend your Mars Bar? And almost duplicate posts, dear, dear me, not losing it are we Ging.
boring Mr J you’re on SF nearly as often me LOL it is my belief that Money is the International Language of the world Mr J no matter where you are if you have enough local currency your be understood unlike English LOL PMSL.. No need to defend my Mars Bar Mr J ..... I know when I’m beaten by a much better Man
Please tell me because I'm rapidly loosing the will to live. My answer was based on the following: While English doesn't have the largest number of speakers, it is the formal language of more countries than any other language. The original official languages of the UN were English, Chinese, French, and Russian, the languages of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. The choice was largely political.English was widely used as an international language, as it was the dominant language of the United States, a superpower. Yes! You've got me on money, you are right.
