Couldn't We Be More Friendly?

[Pamela Galli]

3 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

@Pamela Galli -- this is for you, affectionately. You'll approve.

 

Yes I love it. Especially the graph. TY.

This reminds me of when I would do a little demonstration for students, holding a pencil in one hand and no pencil in the other hand and telling them that in one hand I have a pencil and the other hand I have no pencil, so in one hand I do not have a pencil and in the other hand  I do not have no pencil. Whereupon some looked a little stunned.

And from that point on when someone said they didn’t have no paper, a chorus of smart alecks congratulated him. 

And I confess that I am a fan of David Mitchell from Peep Show.

 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by Pamela Galli

[Pamela Galli]

3 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

This stuff bugs me too, but the point is that language isn't, and never has been, about "rules." It's about communication. And there will come a time doubtless when someone who literally means "literally" when they say "literally" is the one who is misusing the language, because they are miscommunicating their meaning.

Not soon I hope.

But yes, I used to be bewildered reading 18th c. literature when some devout character would proclaim that God was awful.

[Silent Mistwalker]

😱This thread!

 

 

 

🤭

[Madelaine McMasters]

3 hours ago, Rolig Loon said:

Sic transit gloria linguae.  

Gloria got sick eating linguini on a bus?

[Rolig Loon]

Spinning gracefully back to the main topic ...   remember the topic? ...  I think one key to friendly conversation is recognizing how likely we all are to misunderstand what we hear other people say, and recognizing that our own words can sometimes fail to say exactly what we mean.  Once we start misunderstanding each other, some people get testy.

On the whole, I think the regulars in these forums know each other well enough that we are pretty friendly. We cut each other slack because we can fill in the blanks in what we mean to say. Things get weird when someone decides to stir the pot, and there are some longstanding personal issues, but those happen in any crowd. 

[Garnet Psaltery]

16 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

there are some longstanding personal issues, but those happen in any crowd. 

Will no-one think of those poor personal issues?  They must be tired out from standing so long.  Not to mention all the crowding.  Someone please fetch them a few chairs to sit on, preferably outside.