Thanks for the definition.

While wrenching my neck through the dictionaries, I did find something interesting, perhaps:

One who speaks many languages: "multi-lingual"

One who speaks two languages: "bi-lingual"

One who speaks just one language: "American"

- CB

:p

Allison,

You would not believe how much stuff I throw in the trash every night that is submitted as a story. As for my other post, well, I don't speak this 'internet' abbreviation language with using numbers and such, "ur 2 good 4 dat" which means "you're too good for that."

Basically, the rule is - if I can't read it or dig through it, or fix it in a half an hour, it gets trashed.

Well said all.

What the hell is a spanner?

:p

Sorry about that one, Classy and anyone else that I lost.

That one slipped past me. Normally I remember to call curtains drapes, the boot the trunk and a tap a faucet. Also I know that a cupboard is a closet. Incidentally no-one ever comes out of a cupboard. When they come out of it it's always a closet.

So there you are. See how easy it is to get it wrong?

Kortpeel

Kortpeel (imported) wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2002 11:15 pm Normally I remember to call curtains drapes, ...

cupboard a closetWords have many meanings and can be rather confusing, especially when you consider the regional and national differences. We have both curtains and drapes, and cupboards and closets.

Curtains and drapes can both be window coverings, with drapes being heavier and more substantial. The word "drape" also has other meanings.

Cupboards are smaller and used for storage of dishes and smaller items. Closets are larger and used for storage of hanging clothes and larger items.

The English language is probably tne most diversified of any major language.

I see, she said, as she walked to the W.C., wondering, "Could a bloody chap be nulled in the null-null?"

I'm glad I didn't get knocked up this morning.

I thank you all, very much indeed.

- CB

Mac (imported) wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2002 3:32 am Words have many meanings and can be rather confusing, especially when you consider the regional and national differences.

I once received an email about English being very difficult to learn as a 2nd language, and I can see why. In studying German for 8 years, I found that about after 2 of those years that it was 'put together' much better than English. I'm sure that there are other languages out there, although I dont' have to study them, that are not nearly as hard.

Common examples in English are 'mouse'. 2 of them, 'mice.' We live in a 'house', but if you own 2, you have 'houses' and not 'hice'. And to this day, I still don't know the plural of 'moose'. More than one 'goose' is 'geese', but I'm pretty sure it isn't 'meese' if you have a whole bunch of those overgrown deer. But oh dear, there's another form of that sound and if I call someone 'dear' it doesn't mean that I think that person has antlers (or horns) growing up out of his or her head.

Differences like that aside, which I'm not very bothered by, aren't (I think) what some of us are talking about. However, no matter how careful you are, and how many times you read your own stuff, something is bound to slip through that's wrong. Left out words, 'is' for 'his' when you miss the 'h' key, etc., or repeated words like 'the the'.

Things have improved a great deal, of late, however. They really have.

So in closing, since I have to go to the (pick one)

bathroom, loo, WC, watercloset, potty, toilet, head, john, can ... by the time we decided, it may be too late!

Ummmm Paolo,

I don't know about here in you-all land, but we Canucks always used the plural of "moose" to be... well, "moose!" for example, I saw a moose today, or I saw five moose today. The same goes for deer: I killed a deer today our of a flock (herd???) of seven deer.

But your point is well taken. When I lived in Canada one of the first things I had to do with a new copy of WordPerfect was to add all the Canadian spellings: harbour instead of harbor, etc.

Hmmm... it just occurred to me, WordPerfect calls Ottawa Canada home now. Does that mean the Canadian spellings are already in there?

NOT!!!!!