Thread: And these people say we have too many words

Yeah, that's true Indrashki! I do lose, don't I?

ANNOUNCEMENT: It is now officially acceptable to call me Bretishka.
(Though, it's probably a girl's name )

But I'm man enough to handle a girl's name.

Originally Posted by brett

Yeah, that's true Indrashki!

Indrashka or Indrasha or Indrashik, but not *Indrashki*.

ANNOUNCEMENT: It is now officially acceptable to call me Bretishka.(Though, it's probably a girl's name )

No, this isn't a girl's name. In fact, it sounds a bit like "bratooshka" which is a bit like "Br

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

The truth is, no one would really say bratooshka in today's Russian, the most likely diminutive would be bratetz or bratik, bratooshka sounds awfully provincial.

You're right about "bratooshka", but "bratishka" is widespread.

Originally Posted by brett

ANNOUNCEMENT: It is now officially acceptable to call me Bretishka.

Договорились

Originally Posted by Indra

You're right about "bratooshka", but "bratishka" is widespread.

Where I come from bratishka is hardly ever used to address your brother, it's used by middle aged working class men to address younger working class men, as in братишка, не подскажешь.... Not to be mixed up with bratok - an entirely different word!

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Not to be mixed up with bratok - an entirely different word!

Or "bratan" , which is rather gangster-style.

For some reason, I now have a craving for tiny bratwursts...

Originally Posted by Aaa

For some reason, I now have a craving for tiny bratwursts...

"Bratwurst" sounds so cannibalistic to a Russian ear

Originally Posted by Propp

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Not to be mixed up with bratok - an entirely different word!

Or "bratan" , which is rather gangster-style.

Or now so popular "Bratello"

I belive the main reason we have so many words is because English is not only so old, but highly influenced by other cultures. Whenever we need a new word we usually just take one from another language. My teacher told me English has over 100,000 words in its vocabulary, but most of us dont ever use more than 10,000 in our lifetime. I would hate to be the person that counted those words

The bad thing is that English uses all those taken words in their original spelling, although the rules are different in different languages despite their common latin letters. The worst thing is that English uses all those taken words (plus names) in their original spelling without their original diacritical marks. It seems that English-writing people have an inner aversion to them (but why then follow the bogus original?). Who can gess then, for example, that Miloscevic is Милошевич and not Милосевик or Милоскевис?

Were just odd I guess.

Originally Posted by Propp

The bad thing is that English uses all those taken words in their original spelling, although the rules are different in different languages despite their common latin letters. The worst thing is that English uses all those taken words (plus names) in their original spelling without their original diacritical marks. It seems that English-writing people have an inner aversion to them (but why then follow the bogus original?). Who can gess then, for example, that Miloscevic is Милошевич and not Милосевик or Милоскевис?

Yes, English is sub-par in regards to its written-to-spoken relationship. I think alot of its word (thought, though, rough etc.) maybe have once upon a time been pronounced as they're spelt. Now I think it is time for an over-haul. The Swedes are doing it with their inconsistencies, I don't see why English couldn't. Snobbery, I guess. "Oh no, one mustn't. Our language is the pinnacle of intelect" ....and so forth. Half the English-speaking world's iliteracy rate can be blamed on the language itself. When Americans simplify (or 'dumb-down') the language by spelling words how they sound, I think they speak better English than the people at Oxford University, personally. The English intellectuals are iliterate, I say.

Oh, come now, that would get rid of a lot of the fun, wouldn't it? Should the Chinese just switch to Hanyu Pinyin? BTW, I'm curious if English has more homophones than other European languages.

I don't know what a 'homophone' is, so I'll just assume it's an off-topic comment, and you've finally come out of the closet. Congatulations! (I've always suspected. I think we all have).

A homophone is a word which has the same pronunciation as another but different meaning, derivation, or spelling. Such as theyre, their, and there.

Or would and wood, might(power) and might(perhaps), I and eye, etc., etc.

English is just nasty isint it.

Or I'm addicted to love and I'm a dickhead to love??

I dont think that works. They have to sound the same.

Just say it fast!