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steve74 wrote:
the inevitable dumbing down of our language.


evolution


Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:47 pm
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Bear in mind that evolution has headed down quite a few dead ends in it's time. It's far from infallible.


Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:56 pm
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leeds_manc wrote:
steve74 wrote:
the inevitable dumbing down of our language.


evolution


I find I have to agree - I know. Who'd've thunk it?

We have given our language to the world. We cannot control how it is used, nor can we assume it will be preserved in its current form on home soil. The French have tried that, and look where it got them.

So, reluctantly, I have to accept change is inevitable.

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Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:59 pm
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HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.

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Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:09 pm
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HeatherKay wrote:
leeds_manc wrote:
steve74 wrote:
the inevitable dumbing down of our language.


evolution


I find I have to agree - I know. Who'd've thunk it?

We have given our language to the world. We cannot control how it is used, nor can we assume it will be preserved in its current form on home soil. The French have tried that, and look where it got them.

So, reluctantly, I have to accept change is inevitable.


We stole pretty much all of it from the world as well! I do like the quote "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."

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Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:39 pm
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jonbwfc wrote:
Bear in mind that evolution has headed down quite a few dead ends in it's time. It's far from infallible.


I know what you're saying, but your point would only be valid if evolution's role was "to make things better".

Evolution isn't proactive, it's simply how things change over time to better survive. When it's applied to ideas, survival is defined by use, nothing more, if a word or spelling is used then it's used, it survives.


Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:46 pm
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cloaked_wolf wrote:
finlay666 wrote:
Not really, I could have 2 halves of a cake but there is no guarantee that that is equal to a whole cake. I could have half on 2 differing axis so I couldn't join them together to make a whole one with a cut

If I offer you a cake and you state you want one half, surely by definition that's 50% irrespective of the way it's cut. If you asked for two halves of that cake, how much cake would you end up with?


2 halves of that cake, but you could have 2 halves of 2 different cakes, you never stipulated that the halves were of the same cake before :)

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:12 am
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l3v1ck wrote:
HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.


I've heard deplane before.

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 6:53 am
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davrosG5 wrote:
l3v1ck wrote:
HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.


I've heard deplane before.

That's just as bad.

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:04 am
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l3v1ck wrote:
HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.


I agree, though apparently the word "debark" comes from the Old French "débarquer". :geek:

You learn something new every day.

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:10 am
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HeatherKay wrote:
l3v1ck wrote:
HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.


I agree, though apparently the word "debark" comes from the Old French "débarquer". :geek:

You learn something new every day.

So while debark means to "get off", disembark means to "un get on". Sounds like disembark is exactly the sort of word you'd be complaining about, back when it was first made up :lol:

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 11:18 am
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JJW009 wrote:
So while debark means to "get off", disembark means to "un get on". Sounds like disembark is exactly the sort of word you'd be complaining about, back when it was first made up :lol:


Yup. :)

Disembark sounds right to British English speakers. It fits in with disassemble, disinter and so on, even though it arrives there from a different root.

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:17 pm
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HeatherKay wrote:
l3v1ck wrote:
HeatherKay wrote:
There is an Americanism creeping into our language and it must be killed with fire. I am talking about the habit of ignoramuses saying, without irony, "10 year anniversary".

Thankfully British airlines haven't resorted to 'debark' rather than the correct 'disembark'.


I agree, though apparently the word "debark" comes from the Old French "débarquer". :geek:

You learn something new every day.

I'm going to blow your mind by telling you that the french word for "to board" is embarquer (literally to get onboard a boat, barque)


Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:46 pm
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So debark is really more correct!

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:06 pm
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TheFrenchun wrote:
I'm going to blow your mind by telling you that the french word for "to board" is embarquer (literally to get onboard a boat, barque)

I'd already assumed - one of the advantages of being a bit of a sailing buff. 8)

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Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:19 pm
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