English language contractions...

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EP
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by EP » Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:12 pm

its the hi 2 u 2 l33tspeak that gets on my tits. Now as well as the Finnish modern SMS-talk (onx ihq?) is much worse that writing in dialect.
Same here.

I am one of those "older" Finns. I was taught English with and without contractions. And that was a looooong time ago.



Re: English language contractions...

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Janat
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Janat » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:02 pm

EP wrote:
its the hi 2 u 2 l33tspeak that gets on my tits. Now as well as the Finnish modern SMS-talk (onx ihq?) is much worse that writing in dialect.
Same here.
I totally agree.

AldenG
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by AldenG » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:30 pm

Pursuivant wrote:More common is to use contractions wrong. Its always safer to write them open so you don't confuse its with it's
It's and its are pretty much a lost cause any more.

Now we're wrestling with hi's and her's and thank's and absolutely "no" checks.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.

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Bubba Elvis XIV
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Bubba Elvis XIV » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:41 pm

See a lot of potato's for sale in the uk....
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AldenG
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by AldenG » Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:33 pm

And to make the apostrophe even more annoying, it is perfectly legitimate, and by some sources preferred, to use an apostrophe for plurals of individual letters and of acronyms and many initialisms IF written in all-caps. Yet it's not universal and good judgment is expected of the writer (a common recipe for disaster).

Mind your p's and q's.

Many CEO's enjoy lavish severance packages.

We went to an Oakland A's game.

University towns have a higher than average concentration of PhD's.

Many American MD's receive disguised financial incentives for prescribing particular drugs.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.

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Bubba Elvis XIV
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Bubba Elvis XIV » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:21 pm

The above examples confuse the hell out of me...Should I? shouldn't I?

At work, I tell people if you are trying to decide whether you should or shouldn't, take your pick and then keep it consistent...or at least for that email or report or whatever.

(oh...contraction^^)
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Rosamunda
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Rosamunda » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:39 pm

AldenG wrote: Mind your p's and q's.

Many CEO's enjoy lavish severance packages.

We went to an Oakland A's game.

University towns have a higher than average concentration of PhD's.

Many American MD's receive disguised financial incentives for prescribing particular drugs.
Michael Jackson had many Number 1's in the 1980's....


Ahhhh. The dos and don'ts of written English..... or should that be do's and dont's..... :lol:

Satish
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Satish » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:48 pm

The Economist's style guide on the use of the apostrophe...

skandagupta
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by skandagupta » Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:37 am

Dear Tuulen, just use your own idiom,whichever most convenient to you.
Best regards, Skandagupta
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tuulen
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by tuulen » Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:31 pm

Bubba Elvis XIV wrote:One thing I have noticed with Finns in the class is that they'll read contractions as...er....uncontractions! :lol:

So the sentence will say 'I won't see you later' and they will read 'I will not see you later'...not always but with a lot of them. When I have asked them about it they say it's what they were taught to do at school - I dunno!
lol

This gets exactly to the question I had in mind when I kicked-off this thread, and thank you!

It appears, moreover, that non-contracted language is the standard, here, and my thanks, to onkko, for that understanding.

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Bubba Elvis XIV
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Bubba Elvis XIV » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:47 pm

tuulen wrote: It appears, moreover, that non-contracted language is the standard
A strange interpretation of the discussion but there you go.
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tuulen
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by tuulen » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:59 am

Bubba Elvis XIV wrote:
tuulen wrote: It appears, moreover, that non-contracted language is the standard
A strange interpretation of the discussion but there you go.
Well, it came down to going one way or the other with it, but not both. Now, I am sure that everybody here could get along with the occasional contraction, but it happens that I am quite capable of using a wealth of contractions, indeed, perhaps far more than a majority here could be generally comfortable with (Hey, we Americans invented trailer trash!), and so it is actually easier for me to go with non-contracted language exclusively, rather than my having to guess about the comfort zone, here. Of course, should there be a call for my use of contractions, say, maybe on a thread about contractions, then I will be glad to go that way, too. Meanwhile, I am still struggling to keep my finger off of that apostrophe key! ;-)

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Bubba Elvis XIV
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Bubba Elvis XIV » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:39 am

The average Finn's English level is good enough to understand contractions whether they use them correctly or not.

You don't have to stop using them. (Oh...I just used a contraction).
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Rosamunda
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Rosamunda » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:49 am

Yes!

In fact I think some Finns would be insulted if you started speaking really slowly, in a loud voice, using the Queen's English and absolutely no contractions! :lol:

American movies and series are shown almost daily on Finnish TV, in the original version, no dubbing.

My kids read "the Indian in the Cupboard" at school in 5th grade. Now, even I had a few problems understanding some of the dialogue in that. In 6th grade they did "To Kill a Mockingbird" - quite a lot of dialogue, but the kids seemed to cope with it.

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Bubba Elvis XIV
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Re: English language contractions...

Post by Bubba Elvis XIV » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:56 am

penelope wrote:
In fact I think some Finns would be insulted if you started speaking really slowly, in a loud voice, using the Queen's English and absolutely no contractions! :lol:
"Goooood mooooorning....I *bangs chest* am......from.....Ameeeerrrriiiicccca....Ameeeerrrriiiicccca....*shows map*"

Maybe the OP could bring some 'bang sticks' and whiskey to trade with the savages here....(they would probably appreciate it though :wink: )

tuulen - I think you are reading way too much in to this, and I'm sorry to say, but being a little bit patronising.

First 45 seconds

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