sayitwell

When I was first studying English, I didn't put the comma before and. But after seeing authors do it so often in their books, I've started to do it as well.

Here's another question for you all: Do you put a comma before "but"? Example: I would like to play, but I have to do homework.

It's the same story for me. I didn't put the comma before but when I first started learning English. But then I saw it used in books and so I just started doing it too.

No, I do not.  I only put the comma before the word "but".  I've seen many people do it but it is unnecessary for the same reasons that it is unnecessary before the word "and". 

I misspell more words nowadays than I did when I was in school, that is for sure.  It is probably because I don't read as much as I used to.  When you don't surround yourself with words, you forget their spellings.  I have been misspelling "Onomatopoeia", "calendar" (I put it as -er at the end for some reason) and "tomorrow" as I want to double up on the m for some reason.

It happens to me all the time.  I think it happens more once you are out of your 20s and your brain becomes cluttered with all sorts of various information and you are bogged down by adult responsibilities like a job and a family. 

I noticed that many immigrants who have children in countries such as Canada and the United States, can't speak their mother tongue. Many don't want to learn and/or many have forgotten because they're used to speaking English. What do you think about this growing situation? Do you know your mother tongue? At the rate that the "New World" is going at, do you think that at some point in the far future everyone will be speaking the same language?

I actually started a thread on the world adopting one language.  I think it is inevitable and will be more efficient.  It is a shame that the Mother tongues are going to go extinct but if you think about it, it really makes no sense to have all these languages.  I do know my Mother tongue and I know two other languages as well and I would not be saddened to learn that two of the three are to go extinct. 

I do have an accent.  I have that nasal upstate New York accent because it is where I grew up.  I sound a little bit like the actors in Fargo.  That was set in North Dakota, not upstate New York.  I hate my accent!

I think the word, "scoundrel" is a funny one to me.  I also like the sound of "irreverence" and "svelte".  Those make me grin when I say them or when I hear them.

I never cared for the sound of Chinese and Japanese.  It seems too stunted and abbreviated.  Maybe the natives just speak it too quickly for my taste.  I also don't like the English accent of those who live in England.  It is sort of cute for a little bit but after listening to them speak for more than five minutes or so it begins to wear on my ears.

Chinese, English and Spanish.  Spanish because there are a lot of Spanish speaking Americans and latinos are the fastest growing race in America.  There are more and more jobs advertised that require one to speak Spanish and English.  China for obvious business reasons.  They are the top emerging market.  English because it is the most widely spoken language.

It is not necessary.  Most people never leave their home country.  Most people never encounter anyone who does not speak their native tongue unless they go onto the Internet often.  I'd argue that you are spending your time most prudently by studying things other than foreign language.  The stud of foreign language is merely a luxury, not a necessity.

I fear that it would cripple my mind.  I would implode.  I can't compartmentalize all of that knowledge.  I know that we only use ten percent of our brain's capacity but it seems nearly impossible to master six languages.  I'd like to meet the person who has accomplished this.  I respect the talent and devotion.  They probably do it by starting foreign language learning classes at a very young age.

One thing that I love about literature is the way i can be able to show so much of humanity using different methods. I have really learned more from reading a book  thab I have ever learned watching the television. What is more fasinating to me is how  you can get great depth only using words. I just love literature.

That's an excellent way of looking at literature.  I read books for the same reason.  It lets you inside the author's mind while a television program merely shows people acting.  There's little introspection, detail or depth to the characters compared to what you find in works of fiction.

I am going to give "Coming Up For Air" and "A Clergyman's Daughter" a shot.  Those looks like good ones.  He doesn't actually have that much more fiction than what I posted already in this thread.  I wish he was more prolific.  Maybe his soul was reincarnated in the form of Edward Snowden.

I'm not really old but I remember "gay" used to also mean happy. I'm not exactly sure if it's being used these days to mean happy although I know it's more popularly used for "homosexual".

That is a good one.  I'll see the word "gay" used in literature from time to time.  Usually older English authors like D.H. Lawrence used it but I don't hear anyone using it nowadays unless they are referring to someone who is a homosexual. 

Of course! Who am I to force a child to learn something that they have no interest in. Languages are fascinating to me, but some people just don't enjoy them. Some people also have a lot of trouble learning other languages and therefore don't ever learn a language.

If my future child wants to learn another language, great. If not, that's fine too.

This is exactly how I feel.  I know plenty of smart and talented people that never had the urge to learn a foreign language.  Their time was better spent learning how to play guitar or shoot top shelf wrist shots in ice hockey.  I would never force my kids to learn a foreign language.  It should not be a mandatory educational requirement.

I would hate for all languages but one to go extinct. Every time a language goes extinct, a small portion of the way that people once viewed the world is lost. Who is to say that one worldview is better than another?

If everyone spoke a language + a worldwide language, that could work. I also agree that something like Esperanto would be best for this, even if it isn't the ideal solution.

Why are you tying a world view to a language?  Language is a means of communication.  It's not an ideology.  There might be certain inherent prejudicial tones in language but it does not constitute a world view.  I'm not saying that all languages have to go extinct.  I'm saying that it would be ideal if everyone knew how to speak one language.  Learn as many as you want but make sure that you know the "common language", whatever we eventually decide it to be.

Wow you guys make a great point about the comfort factor. I never thought about that, but I have to agree. I distinctly remember can't waiting to get back to English after a long Spanish class or project.

I guess nothing can ever replace your native tongue.

Yes!  After French classes I was dying to start speaking English again!  I could not understand why I was being forced to learn a foreign language when my public school never trained me how to speak or write English in the proper manner in the first place. 

I think it is common in American English to put the comma there, but not in British English.

Also, you may need a comma if the sentence is ambiguous.

For example: "I bought a bag of crisps, salt and vinegar at the store." Does that mean you bought a bag of salt & vinegar flavoured crisps, or did you buy a bag of crisps, along with salt and vinegar?

Adding a comma instantly tells us that in addition to the crisps, you also bought salt and vinegar: "I bought a bag of crisps, salt, and vinegar."

Also see the Wikipedia article about the serial comma.

Well that is interesting.  I grew up in America but my father taught me to not put the comma before the word "and".  Yet my schoolmasters often did tell me to put the comma before the word "and".  I understand what you mean about using the comma to avoid ambiguity.

Actually, the word is in pretty common use in schools in colleges here. Its not like you hear it every day but once in a while someone will use it at an important function while calling someone to the 'dais'.

Where is "here"?  I don't see your location below your name.  I am in the United States.  I never hear anybody use the word.  When I say it people look at me like I am an alien.

Does anyone read George Orwell aside from his famous novel, 1984?

I read Keep The Aspidistra Flying and I loved it!  I'd like to read some more of his work but don't know what to pick out.  Yes, I have read Animal Farm.  Do you have any recommendations?  Considering the recently uncovered PRISM program and The Patriot Act, Orwell can be viewed as a prophet.

When I was learning French I would often dream in the language.  It took a semester of study to get to that point though.  After I stopped studying the language I also stopped dreaming in it.  I think it is because I wasn't surrounded by the French words and wasn't pressured to use them in any manner as my studies had ended.  Out of sight, out of mind.

I think you are getting the hang of it when you can communicate with your foreign language teacher in the actual foreign language without the temptation to use your native tongue.  That means you can speak the new language with confidence and a fair amount of ease.  My French teachers would scold us if we spoke any English in class.  That's the best way to learn!

I think the only people who actually want something like that are Americans who get pissy when they don't understand something

Not many linguists would support something like that and it would be extremely difficult to implement. Besides, it would mean the eventual death of all the other languages if it was successful. That would be pretty terrible and I hope it will never happen.

I am an American but I want one universal language to improve the efficiency of communication.  I feel like laborers across the world could unite against their capitalist masters if we all had the same language.  It would be a tool of revolution as Karl Marx envisioned.  I know that linguists would not support it but their concerns are secondary to justice and efficiency.

I still like English more than the foreign languages that I have (and am) learning.  I actually prefer English just out of comfort.  I know very few people who prefer to speak the languages that they have learned, mostly because they do not feel as confident speaking those languages.  We all feel comfortable speaking our native tongue.

When I was growing up my brother and I did not want to learn a second language.  Our parents were really disappointed and ended up offering us positive reinforcement for taking up second languages.  We both bit and took French classes.  In retrospect, I am glad that I learned a second language as it really rounded my edges and gave me an appreciation for foreign language.  Would you accept it if your child didn't learn a second language?

I never hear people use the word "dais" anymore.  It means a stand that you step onto when delivering a speech at a podium.  I've seen the word in written text but I've never heard anyone actually say the word in all of my life.  Whenever I use it in conversation nobody knows what I am talking about!