show transcript

tumblr post by seokoilua: it’s so wild to me that some people just speak english all the time… like they can’t switch it off to speak in a #real language when they need to

  • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    edit-2
    16 hours ago

    Ooh, that sounds like a fun game. What are the words you’re talking about? I bet I could find a more precise word (or sometimes compound words or phrases) that expresses that concept very exactly.

    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      14 hours ago

      I second this game idea. It sounds fun, and like it could be helpful for other non-native English speakers who want to learn more vocabulary.

      • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        14 hours ago

        Also, what a lot of non-native speakers might not understand is that sometimes, especially with English, the correct translation is to leave a word untranslated.

        You know, since all words are English words, as long as you get the grammar correct 🤣

        (joking but it’s kind of true though)

        • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          14 hours ago

          You’re right. English can be real tricky. I’ve known Spanish speakers to say “scape” instead of “escape,” because similar words in Spanish that have English counterparts usually drop the e-. For example, escuela -> school; estudiar -> to study; hell, even Español -> Spanish. There are loads of examples of this pattern, but a handful of words (like “escape” and “escalate”) defy it. It’s gotta be so confusing.

          • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            14 hours ago

            Yeah, I’m not sure where we got the e- prefix from, but once upon a time it seems to have been used to modify the meaning of words. Obviously it’s no longer in use, just a relic of lost grammatical rules.

            And now we have a new e- prefix, such as email and e-bikes. I wonder if future linguists will think that “escape” refers to a digital lawn 🤔

            • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
              cake
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              12 hours ago

              Just wait until you see the new VR psychological horror by Guillermo del Toro, Escape the E-scape

              • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                7 hours ago

                I do think that we will eventually lose the distinction between movies and video games in favor of “immersive story experiences.”