Search found 74 matches
Can a machine use a personal pronoun?
Yes, How is this different from a person, you or me, saying 'I'? I interact with avatars, tho not the postal type so much, but ... I don't doubt I have conversed with bots and thought they were human, also conversed with humans who mislead me. Think customer service with any major cable/isp company....
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:55 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Lucifer and Lucid are cognates
- Replies: 12
- Views: 43973
lucy
You mean the Unitarians are right, that the Devil didn't make me do it? Shucks. Now I have to find another excuse! Laughing
replace Unitarians with astrologers
and you are half there!
Lucy, you got a lotta splainin' to do!
aw Ricky!
bows head
replace Unitarians with astrologers
and you are half there!
Lucy, you got a lotta splainin' to do!
aw Ricky!
bows head
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:35 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Speed of dissemination of new words
- Replies: 13
- Views: 29893
and lethargic
Skinem, Yes my experience of English vs French is yes. Anglophones have been very creative, Francophones not so much. Why English is the lingua 'franca'? not so much. Probably more about global domination than lethargic vs energetic language change. But gotta love the fact that the common language a...
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:22 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Speed of dissemination of new words
- Replies: 13
- Views: 29893
dissemination
bnjtokyo, yes. "2. A "word to symbolize news that is really Not News" from the website fark.com and the book "It's Not News, It's Fark." yes, was just referring to dissemination of memes and the fact that it happens a little faster now, whether it is news or new... fark can ...
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:56 pm
- Forum: Idioms
- Topic: Decidedly uncosmopolitan, but may be worth it
- Replies: 23
- Views: 73406
left cat, bite right ear
or is it the other way around? cat logic (and NH/VT) those kitties are doing it wrong, or at least upside down?
One of them is pointed the wrong way!
One of them is pointed the wrong way!
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:48 pm
- Forum: Idioms
- Topic: Decidedly uncosmopolitan, but may be worth it
- Replies: 23
- Views: 73406
herding cats
Sorry, the Mainism is 'wicked easy' followed by an explanation of how to attain New Hampshire ( I think)
- Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:38 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads
- Replies: 41
- Views: 121126
eats, vittles, crawfood
@ eberntson: door mice? for shame. But, I will eat anything in the meat category, if it has passed the Darwin test, meaning it would stand a chance in the wild. Also anything that hasn't passed, once I've observed them eaten by my fellow humans with no ill effect. Yes escargot is meat. Not sure abou...
- Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:35 am
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Speed of dissemination of new words
- Replies: 13
- Views: 29893
dissemination hehe
Fark as an example of memes gone wild ... but bnjtokyo, I must read that article. do they provide constants, as in English vs French? Or just imply that frequency of use is overpowered by the tendency of some languages to change or avoid change? Language is lethargic, but usually just wants to get a...
- Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:52 am
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads
- Replies: 41
- Views: 121126
waterbugs
They are definitely more appetizing after being cooked, red or pink, don't eat the green ones. And the only 'bug' I will eat aside from lobsters and their ilk. Or is it kin, never sure. In New York we have waterbugs almost the size of crawdads, but would never think of scooping them out of the sewer...
- Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:12 am
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Exact vs. approximate numbers
- Replies: 17
- Views: 48360
exact/approximate
Not really a question of grammar but of precision. "Over 40" means more than 40 and less than 50, but "almost 50" would be better if much closer to 50 than 40. If 67 members are reported, It should be exactly 67. If 67 percent, between 66.5 and 67.5 percent. If 60 percent, betwee...
- Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:57 am
- Forum: Slang
- Topic: Where do yikes and other small interjections come from
- Replies: 16
- Views: 69271
yikes
Maybe on topic, was just looking at how different languages express laughter, probably the closest we come to barking. It seems we are pretty much in agreement lately, even as far as mwahahaha as the evil maniacal laugh. It may be due to comics and other mass media, because most languages have older...
- Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:40 am
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Speed of dissemination of new words
- Replies: 13
- Views: 29893
dissemination
Hmm a math question, and interesting. I would also like to know how word of mouth compares to print, radio, tv and fark. The speed is approaching c, and the nodes are approaching a few billion. Language change seems almost instantaneous now, to me, along with visual language. Lolcats and all. Memes ...
- Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:12 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Am I wrong again...?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 19636
- Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:03 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Odd construction
- Replies: 13
- Views: 50187
- Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:22 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads
- Replies: 41
- Views: 121126
Craydaddy
Yep, to me Robert is the craydaddy. hey, Steakface is up there with the best band names too. But we called them crawdads when they crawled up out of the culverts into the yard. Almost as if they were begging to be eaten. Also called them 'mudbugs' but that's more a Cajun thing maybe. But mmm they ar...