interesting new jig announcement

[Ken S]

Clever, SADW!

Ken

[Rob]

My apologies for the profound, nee abyssal deployment of the Mother tongue Jan.  I'm certain your English educator will cherish, laud and value such a "rotund" sentence and vocabulary structure as opposed to the more perfunctory style typified by dry English text books.  :-)

SADW - I sincerely hope there wasn't a "coma" in the sentence!

[Jan]

Jeffs55, Ken, SADW and Rob thank you for your explanations.  The majority of unknown words and idioms I easily find on web. But in the case of "using it in anger", my googling was not so helpful.   

SADW, your wondering why Rob used the phrase "using it in anger", pleased me. On the other hand, your sentence: "I don't on the moderator.", was also difficult for me, but I sensed the meaning. Our English teacher was wondering about the meaning. He told me that the meaning should be clear from the context. But it was the first sentence of the post. 

Please do not change your vocabulary structure because of me, I will try to improve my skill and adopt to your expressions. I partly enjoy the language difficulties. 

Jan

[SharpenADullWitt]

Jan.
This is one issue with an interactive forum.
My post, I expect would have make more sense if I had quoted what I was responding to (but multiquote isn't in use on this forum, quoting here is less useful then other forums).  From the time I started to type, until I hit send, a poster typed in between.
The people are the best aspect of this forum.  There are other features, like the lack of multiquote, or the screwed up search engine (normally happens during some upgrade in the past), are not so good aspects.

[Jan]

OK, SADW. I do not complain in any case, because the real life expressions I encounter here are enriching my vocabulary and fill the gaps from the English class education. Above some level the knowledge of a foreign language is rewarding, e.g. usage of idioms for description of the same situations. 

On the other hand, according to the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, the innermost creative thinking happens in the mother tongue. 

Jan

[Rob]

An anthropologist once told me that one of the reasons the Brit's are so inventive and innovative as a culture is down to the language.  It's that very wide vocabulary you lament Jan.

Apparently when your language has multiple ways of describing accurate technical paradigm's, it's an aid to creative visualisation and therefore inventiveness.  Kind of make sense.

So we're not just imperialist war mongers, we're thinkers too :-)

[Jan]

I agree with you, Rob, the rich vocabulary is a definite advantage on your side. 

It's just one thing that makes me wonder, why you Brits need to make fun of the French? 

Jan

[SharpenADullWitt]

Jan,

Not a Brit, but I remember James Burke doing a show called connections.  And in one episode, some of the talk was about the fighting between the two and how the French used an innovation to help win the war at one point, then subjugated them to speaking French, which changed the language:
"By adapting the medieval Afghani stirrup, the French enabled their horsemen to fight more effectively and defeat the Anglo-Saxon British in the battle of Hastings in 1066. French Norman rule over the British Isles brought changes to the language spoken in Britain, as the Anglo-Saxons sought to prove their refinement by learning the Anglo-Norman language of their French rulers. This contributed to the shift from Anglo-Saxon "Old English" to Middle English, which later developed further into the English we use today on either side of the pond"

So it may be from complicating their language further.

[Jan]

SADW, thank you for the interesting historical reminder!     I have heard about passionate discussions concerning possible significant role of stirrups in spreading feudalism on the Continent.

Jan

[Ken S]

Rob,

When you Brits are not out war mongering, you have given the world a fine collection of murder mysteries. From Shakespeare, Authur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie to the vast collection of BBC murder series, you are top shelf. Murder must be a popular pasttime in the UK.

On a more serious note, I believe idioms can add color and flavor to language, any language. For the benefit of our members whose only training in English ( or other languages) is proper English taught in schools or universities, I try to note in parentheses, "English idiom meaning ..............". I would encourage everyone to do the same, lest we become involved in more "Bob's your uncle" puzzles.

Ken

[Ken S]

I suspect the real rulers were not the Normans, but their Anglo-Saxon wives.

Interesting observation about the stirrups.

Ken

[Rob]

by the by..."used in anger" simply means really put something through it's paces ie test it hard. I do enjoy language but one thing the Brit's are shameful at is learning foreign languages.  The amount of times I travel to Paris (I have a sister who has lived there for 40 years) and over hear Brits trying to make themselves understood, by simply raising the volume of their pitiful attempts at pidgin French. It is embarrassing!

I take considerable trouble to at least attempt to respect the natives by using their own language when in their country.  They cant understand a word I'm saying of course....but I feel better :-)

[Ken S]

When I was returning from studying in Barcelona in 1969, the one place I could not understand a word one an spoke was in London. His Cockney accent and me New Jersey dialect just didn't connect. Ihad no problem understanding the British pint.

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_6SaqVQSw

Even the Brits make fun of themselves and the English language.

[Ken S]

Great link, SADW!

On the days when imperialist war mongering is slow, the Brits do some "cracking good" comedy!

If the BBC had existed then, my pilgrim ancestors might have stayed and remained tuned to the tele.

Ken