Something interesting…
I got this in an email a while ago. You may have seen it before, but it shows how the english language is full of contradiction. Here goes:
There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So, one moose, two meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
And why do they call it a “building” if it was ALREADY built!
When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
And this may apply to Pakistan only, but why on earth are the cleaning ladies here so unclean?
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August 13th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Yeah, very interesting things.. I think such contradiction words can be found in lots of language…
in french, and in german too, you can have opposite meanings for the same words, and opposite words for the same meaning
I think it depends on the sentence context, the syntax, and the feeling people can put in their words…
The essential is to be understood, but what you speak about reveals of a philosophical issue…
The goal of a word is it to be understood only ? Or can it be sent and received as more than a “code” ??
MMmm…
I think we could think about it…
August 13th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Well, my friend, contradiction is the essence of human nature, and language is just another form of expressing that. I don’t know what contradictions French and German have, but I gotta tell you, I love France. Your IP reads from Paris, and I take it you speak both French and German. I visited Paris in November, totally enjoyed myself! And since I have a very good impression of France, French sounds like music to my ears too. It probably sounds better than other languages anyway, but my view of french is, well, positively biased.
Of course, the context and emotion in language are important, but I think if we dwell on the philosphical aspect of language, language suffers from the fallacy of being a tautology. Just like the law today in most countries (developed and underdeveloped), language has evolved into a creature of subjective understanding, and is slowly headed toward the opposite end of what it was originally meant for, i.e., communication.
And there fits the idea of the code you speak of. Just like mathematics, all languages also function if you accept a certain set of rules and accept certain definitions of certain words. However, all scholars seem to think they are more qualified than each other, and they want to customize the rules and apply preferred definitions to words. Such customization leads to the loss of common ground, and renders language absolutely useless. That’s what’s happening. With English being the world’s most spoken language, it’s tautological nature has taken a new growth, and that’s only doing the language damage.
What’s most sad about this whole ordeal is that the US is responsible for tainting about 50% of the English used in the world today; the other 50% we can attribute to the champions of Asia.
Btw, did you get QuickPlay installed? I’m speaking with a lawyer tonight to sue HP. They’ve had my laptop for over a month for repairs, and they haven’t returned it. Lying pricks! I’m going to make public the chats I’ve had with customer service too once I speak with the lawyer, but I this will make for a class action lawsuit.
August 14th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
I see… I wish you to success in your lawsuit issue (is that correct ? (pb of language ;-))
And no, I didn’t have hpqpdp installed yet, because from the place I live now (for a month), the nice men who could (without knowing it) lend me his wifi connection is gone on holidays
That’s why i can connect only at work, and the d.. purchase process for vista ultimate x64 is long.
Now, i’m just in it : hp sells its tx1000 (for me : tx1020ea) with a AMD turion core 2 64 with vista family premium in its… x86 (32-bits) version ! !
Nonsense ! !
Concerning the language issue, I think you’r right since speaking 10000 X more than only “communicate”: it has taken different new functions, and I think it has good and bads effects on the humans linving together…
The “code” has become a very-rich way of meaning, and can now allow its users to play with the… (How to say that in english…? I try… Meaner and the meaned ?? You know, the object that is meaned and the way to mean it…) i.e. : poesy, or very beautiful songs it which words can just touch you by the thnig they’re meaning or by the sound they produce…
Having said that, language is also a powerfull tool to lie, to disguise, to hurt…
Language is a powerfull thing and can be used as your wishes : bad or good, but it works hard
Excuse me if i meet difficulties to express myself, I must admit that english language is not as rich as french… but it’s more “practice” (???) (I mean : confortable)
PS : yes, i’m french
and i speak german (not as well as english) too…
And you ? Is it possible for you to tell me what language you speak ?
August 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Well, thank you. It seems like i finally got through to someone at HP. They’ll be shipping me a dv2415us as a replacement for the dv2120us. Apparently the part needed to fix the issues is on backorder, and the manufacturer hasn’t been good on delivering on time. I’ll probably post a detailed article on how the whole thing worked when I receive the laptop.
Sure, I understand what you’re getting at with the meaner and meaned stuff :). You see, I think, language is primarily only valid when used in the context of a certain speaker or writer and the intended audience. The language for art, for instance, is difficult for many of us to understand. After all, we can only speculate, and all of us for different reasons, why Mona Lisa has a mocking smile on her face. That’s Da Vinci’s way of communicating with someone, something. We’ll never know.
Don’t worry about the difficulty to express, it happens. I hope your wifi fellow returns soon enough for you to fix the QP issue.
As for me, English is my first language. Urdu my second. Punjabi my third.
August 16th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Excuse me, I couldn’t reply yesterday, because 15th of August is, in France, a “holyday day” (??) and since I haven’t internet any more in my small flat, I may connect only at work (I work at BNP Paribas it’s a bank group)…
(I live 5 km far from the Louvre Museum, 3 min by subway (metro):-p)
i hope I’ll have more time to read your comments and reply when wifiman will come back (”Wifiman 2 : The return”… lol)
I’m happy for you as your HP issue reaches now toward it’s end
With a upgraded model of computer, for more ! ! !
I agree with you for the question of speculation… Language is even more subjective (And you see with today’s journalists and media..) and maybe we could even say that everyone, even in a same community, has it’s own relationship with this communication tool/art…
Concerning Mona Lisa, I could say hello to her for you
I find interesting your 2nd and 3rd language… Which Country is it from ? Excuse my “unknowledge”… (??)
I find it nice to speak with you, about such different things
Read you soon
August 16th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I agree. Language today is headed in the opposite direction of what it was meant for. Two hundred years ago, irony and sarcasm were themes that were appreciated in English Literature, with the likes of Jane Austen. Now, sarcasm is common place. It still takes a very skillful writer to delivery sarcasm or irony like its truly meant to be, but there aren’t many out there that make it appealing.
Ah, the Mona Lisa. Do say hello to her if you head over to the Louvre. I’m just waiting till I get out of this wonderful place I’m at, and then I will be heading over other parts of Europe more often.
My 2nd and 3rd languages come from Pakistan and India. I’m from Pakistan (sadly, might I add). I’ve spent several years in the US, and I never really connected with Pakistan as ‘home.’ Now, however, I’m stuck here, among other things, due to some family issues. But since neither I or my wife, who, being very much a Brit in too many ways, are happy here, we plan on heading over to the UK soon enough.
Do stop by, I have some very interesting articles ready to be posted here. I just need to get myself out of the political mess here in Pakistan before I start criticizing the musings of this government and Muslims in general :).
Best of luck with wifi man. He could make for one hell of a comic character that an ISP could use in an advert campaign.
Now, is PNB restricted to france or do they have a set up in other countries too?
August 17th, 2007 at 7:44 am
you are lame and spend too much time on the internet i suggest you get a life….youre a nerd!!!
August 17th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Thanks for your feedback. If you don’t like the site, life’s tough. Go fuck yourself
August 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
[TO DAVID]
Oh what a joke, david let an useless comment…
i suggest you read some books and open your mind, then you could return post more-clever feedbacks… You’re a dumb ^^
[TO ASIF]
So much ways to say even only one thing… and so much ways to understand it ! Powerfull language… But I think there’s something even more powerfull : The spirit. Human spirit is able to everything…
:-p
Hi ! it’s 9h22 here, and Wifi man hasn’t returned yet..
BNP Paribas has a lot of set up in lots of foreign countries, but I don’t think in Pakistan
Looks like Itis a bit restricted to Europe and North America, and.. India.
Concerning the language issue : I think you’re totally right. Language has lost it’s “art” value in most of places on the planet.. But I can assure you that some people here make it respawn with the ancient style… It’s quite amazing to here it !
I’ll post you a good exemple to figurate (??) that idea soon…
But now I must return on work…
So I wish you a nice day ! !:-d
and enjoy with your new hp notebook
August 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
PS To david : If the sun could shine only for silly men, you would have warm hears ^^
August 20th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Hey Milamber,
Thanks for the defence. You often come across such losers on the internet who have too much extra time to browse web sites and talk shit.
Yeah, I know BNP Paribas has no setup in Pakistan. Not many major companies or businesses do, and you can’t blame them. It’s quite a dump.
Language: if there’s one nation or people who can respawn it, or truly appreciate it, it is the French. After all, no other empire has stuck to its own this day and age when English dominates the world. I’ll wait for your figurative example.
What do you do at BNP? My brother’s gonna get the laptop for now. He’ll either ship it to me or bring it with him next month, so I won’t be getting it yet.
Hope your weekend went well and that wifi dude returns.