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tumblr post by seokoilua: it’s so wild to me that some people just speak english all the time… like they can’t switch it off to speak in a #real language when they need to

  • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    Ooh, that sounds like a fun game. What are the words you’re talking about? I bet I could find a more precise word (or sometimes compound words or phrases) that expresses that concept very exactly.

    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I second this game idea. It sounds fun, and like it could be helpful for other non-native English speakers who want to learn more vocabulary.

      • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 days ago

        Also, what a lot of non-native speakers might not understand is that sometimes, especially with English, the correct translation is to leave a word untranslated.

        You know, since all words are English words, as long as you get the grammar correct 🤣

        (joking but it’s kind of true though)

        • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          You’re right. English can be real tricky. I’ve known Spanish speakers to say “scape” instead of “escape,” because similar words in Spanish that have English counterparts usually drop the e-. For example, escuela -> school; estudiar -> to study; hell, even Español -> Spanish. There are loads of examples of this pattern, but a handful of words (like “escape” and “escalate”) defy it. It’s gotta be so confusing.

          • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            2 days ago

            Yeah, I’m not sure where we got the e- prefix from, but once upon a time it seems to have been used to modify the meaning of words. Obviously it’s no longer in use, just a relic of lost grammatical rules.

            And now we have a new e- prefix, such as email and e-bikes. I wonder if future linguists will think that “escape” refers to a digital lawn 🤔