• DMBFFF
    link
    fedilink
    English
    414 months ago

    "But your honor, I parked my car there because the sign said ‘fine for parking.’ "

  • Mwalimu
    link
    English
    164 months ago

    “The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”

    James D. Nicoll

  • @EnderWiggin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    8
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    English is fucking weird. Take for example: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

    This is a perfectly fine sentence,. I am not sure I am fine with it.

  • @jaschen@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    54 months ago

    You can also describe how a woman looks without even changing the words.

    How does she look?

    “She’s fine”

    SHE’S FINE!!!

  • @killabeezio@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    44 months ago

    Look at that fine woman with her fine hair. I wonder if she’s feeling fine today. Maybe I should take her out for fine dining.

  • @JASN_DE@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    14 months ago

    The food aspect is mainly a problem of the US “awesomeness” bullshit. Nothing can ever simply be fine, it has to be awesome.

    • @lugal@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      24 months ago

      This is by no means unique to the US. It’s also a cliche of Bavaria in Germany but seriously, it’s a common force in language change. I blanc the term but it’s a cycle.

      • @JASN_DE@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        24 months ago

        It’s also a cliche of Bavaria in Germany

        Sorry, what? Since when? That’d be news to me.

        • @lugal@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          24 months ago

          While other regions are known for being modest, rude or reserved, Bavarians are known for being outgoing and very proud of themselves.

      • @JASN_DE@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        14 months ago

        On the contrary, American culture has no fine dining of its own. They imported quite some cuisines though.

        I’m trying to say that its ludicrous how inflated the use of “amazing” is over there.

        • @booly@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          14 months ago

          American culture has no fine dining of its own.

          This is a stupid position to take. American cuisine, like American literature or film or music, does derive quite a bit from the fact that almost all Americans are descendants of immigrants (rather than the native population that was largely decimated into very small populations through war, genocide, disease, and conquest), but plenty is still invented here by people who were born here. Yes, almost all of us speak a European language, but Europe doesn’t get to claim our literature or poetry. Similarly, our music uses scales and temperament and instruments developed in, like Austria and Italy, but American music is still its own thing.