Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language

[mclaincausey]

In the southern US, blessing someone’s heart can be a genuine expression of empathy, fondness, or respect, or a genuine expression of disdain, pity, or disrespect. Sometimes the delivery won’t help you suss out exactly which we mean.

“Bless her heart, that poor girl could get stuck on an escalator.”

“Oh bless his heart he means well but just has the worst luck.”

Then of course, the ole F bomb…

[ROman]

@Giles said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

Cunt, used with the right inflection is the highest compliment you can give/receive......

I once worked with an Irish guy that used to say cunt lapping bitch. Was that a compliment.

[steelworker]

[Giles]

@ROman said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

Was that a compliment.

I suspect not.......

[Giles]

From 1976. No doubt about whether this is a compliment or not.....

Listening discretion required......

[IrishHeart]

@Giles laughing to Derek and Clive is one of my great memories from the 6th form common room at school.

[Cutlasshound]

Mine and @Giles favourite word.

The C Bomb. A masterclass in the idiosyncrasies of the English language distilled into a single pure, beautiful, expressive word.

[Giles]

@IrishHeart said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

@Giles laughing to Derek and Clive is one of my great memories from the 6th form common room at school.

I find it utterly unbelievable that this was broadcast in 1976......

[Tago Mago]

If I send this to my mother she'll cut me out of her will

[IrishHeart]

@Giles agreed, but that’s what made it so hilarious. None of us had heard anything like it before, and we couldn’t stop using the same terminology on our mates.

[Nocturama]

A quote for every occasion…! 🫣

For some reason, “Hamburger stands, but no fucking hamburgers” (from Joan Crawford’s ****) sticks in my head to this day!

[Kasi]

Bender..

Been out partying for 24 hours more, or weekend none stop
mash out of your head.

[EdH]

@T4920 This has reminded me of a question I have never had answered by a (proper) American:

Why is Arkansas pronounced "AR-kan-saw" and not "Ar-Kan-sas", if Kansas is pronounced just "Kan-sas"?

[SKT]

@EdH same reason some pronounce my state Missour-ee and some pronounce it Missou-rah…because we Americans don’t always make a lot of linguistic sense.

[Giles]

Same reason that if you live in Clapham, you pronounce it Clarm

[T4920]

The most definitive sign that the English language is out to troll us all is that it is linguistically sound to pronounce the town 'Loughborough' as 'Loo-gah-bah-roo-gah'

I've seen weirder place name during my time in Australia though...

[EdH]

Not saying us brits are any better... "Lieutenant" caught me out when reading aloud in English class at school:

Me: "... lieutenant ..." ("lew-ten-ant")
Teacher: "it's [lef-tenant]"
Me: "oh, it doesn't have an 'f' in my copy"
Teacher (getting angry already): "It's [lef-tenant] in English, [lew-ten-ant] is American"
Me: "oh, I must have an American translation"
Teacher: "stop being sarcastic"
Me: "I'm being sarcastic?"
Teacher: "That's a demerit"
Me: scratches head in confusion

[Oaktavia]

@T4920 hahah, yeah I've seen something similar. Maryland is close to KY but not touching.

[Oaktavia]

@EdH don't try to make sense of American pronunciation, we're super improper and make zero sense, wait till you hear me say "Maryland" at the party.

[Oaktavia]

My favorite is Appalachia pronounced regionally as "Apple-atcha" or by outsiders as "Apple-ay-shuh".