How do British people understand British English?

Discussion in 'Serious Discussion' started by mdlgaofei, Mar 14, 2016.

  1. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

    Oct 21, 2009
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    Yeah, it's either you (need to learn) or it's me (need to dumb down a bit because you feel a wee bit lazy and you have never heard a phrase "IIYF"...)...:rolleyes:
     
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  2. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

    Dec 2, 2015
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    I know don't=do not,wasn't=was not,didn't=did not and so on.But I do not know that kind of abbreviations like m8,btw,CU.Does that kind of abbreviations belong to standard morden English?
     
  3. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    You are on the internet... it seems... :D
     
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  4. Yen

    Yen Admin
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    May 6, 2007
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    Most people speak besides of the 'official' native a local language. Then when being in the internet English (as the international language), English slang, 'English internet slang' and 'native internet slang' are used additionally.

    It is also a question of politeness.

    When I want that people should understand me I (try to) use the official native and / or 'official' Oxford English, as taught at school...
    For instance being in a meeting I cannot use my local native, it would be unprofessional and impolite. Besides of that some people there would not understand me...:)

    The abbreviations used in the internet (slang) come from messengers, the purpose is to type as less letters as needed.
    They are spread via the internet and kids today learn them at school as well.

    There are official abbreviations and 'unofficial'. There is a standard dictionary at each language. For English there is the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) for instance, the Germans have their 'Duden'.

    Official/standard or not: Either one can understand or not...I mean language is nothing individual...it is used by a (social) group. And official means established by a particular instance/institution, nothing more.
     
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  5. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    My point was: you are on the internet - use it, don't be lazy and try to get it all served for you, since these are not complicated technical or scientific issues... ;)

    Simply: a SEARCH engine (like DuckDuckGo) would get you most of those questions answered in no time at all, just read a bit... :)
     
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  6. Yen

    Yen Admin
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    Yes, that's right. I also use the online English dictionary from time to time when posting here. It is almost no effort to find out what something means if forgotten...the same applies to abbreviations and the like.
    It is really no problem to get what they mean if needed. And there is probably nobody who knows them all without to have a look at the web...

    It actually plays no role if the language used here isn’t my native or if there are abbreviations from the internet I do not know, I have to make some efforts that I can be a part of the community here.

    Anyway people 'change' the way they talk (some unaware) dependent to whom they talk. Also dependent on the purpose...chat, instructions, publications, info, opinion...and language can be used to in/exclude one into/from a 'community'....:)
     
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  7. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    But the presumption that all the English or Chinese must somehow be thinking the same way could only have come from China or North Korea or some such enlightened place... :D
     
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  8. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

    Dec 2, 2015
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    the history of unpopular?

    Somethings are not regular in English. Such as see and saw,teach and taught,get and got.
    The antonym of polite is impolite add im,but the antonym of popular is unpopular add un. Why add un not im? A people said it's because of a history. What history?
     
  9. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    The answer to the question in your title is - naturally, like in any other language... ;) :D

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregularities_and_exceptions_in_Interlingua

    English has about 70 - 80% of Ancient Greek and Latin incorporated into it, sometimes via other languages, so...

    http://spellingsociety.org/irregularities-of-english-spelling#/page/1

    http://oupeltglobalblog.com/tag/language-irregularities/

    http://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learn-languages/english/english-spelling-complicated-irregular/

    As for the usual story that English language is 'simple': http://aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu/english_language_crazy_inconsistencies

    :D :D :D
     
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  10. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

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    #50 mdlgaofei, Apr 14, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2016
    (OP)
    How did the ancients invent English? Are there any shortcuts to understand English?
     
  11. Joe C

    Joe C MDL Guru

    Jan 12, 2012
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    News Flash!!
    We will be learning Euro-English!

     
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  12. Mr.X

    Mr.X MDL Guru

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    HAHAHAHAHA :D :eek:
     
  13. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    No, quite the opposite is the case: you start with Ancient Greek and bastardised Latin, work your way through German, French, Nordic lingos etc. etc. and - maybe...:D
     
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  14. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    Joe, this is an old one, it's very real, well and truly under way for quite a while - it's called Amuuurican 'English'... :rolleyes::biggrin::D
     
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  15. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

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    #55 mdlgaofei, Apr 17, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2016
    (OP)
    When(or before)people write an article or do others(for example,translate a film into English),people think some languages. When people do these things,how do they think (in) English? How do English masters think (in) English?
     
  16. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

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    The following sentence is copied from Internet.How do you understand and explain the sentence?
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Joe C

    Joe C MDL Guru

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    Is this the skeleton your referring too?
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    "...blind on one eyes"? I think not. Perhaps if you posted an English sentence? :D
     
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  19. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

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    That sentence is just copied from another website
     
  20. mdlgaofei

    mdlgaofei MDL Member

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    #60 mdlgaofei, May 2, 2016
    Last edited: May 2, 2016
    (OP)
    Do the auxiliaries point to the subjects?

    In order to ask a general question,we can add(or move)the auxiliary elements. Examples:"What do you""Why did you". I think "do""did" and others are auxiliary elements.We don't add some auxiliaries into some clauses. Example:"I don't know what you mean" because "what you mean" isn't a main clause,perhaps "you" isn't a subject.
    Do the auxiliary elements of the main clauses point to the subjects?