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Showing posts with the label english language

What is the shortest complete sentence in English?

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There are two main candidates for the shortest sentence in the English language. 

What is morphology?

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Source

What is Globish?

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Globish  in British ( Ɡləʊbɪʃ     ) noun a  simplified   version  of English used by  non-native   speakers , consisting of the most  common  words and phrases only Collins English Dictionary Globish is a term invented by a French business man, Jean-Paul Nerriere. It describes the an adapted form of English used in communication between non-native speakers.

How many French words in English?

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  French and English are fundamentally different languages in term of grammar, structure and syntax. Despite this incompatibility, all English speakers understand a substantial percentage of French loanwords . 

Where does the word tycoon come from?

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The word tycoon is derived from the Japanese word taikun (大君?).

Four differences between parody and satire?

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The words parody and satire are often used interchangeably but they are not synonymous .

What does 'performative' mean?

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The word  performative  has become ubiquitous but is often misused  .   Parliamentary  kabuki The always informative Dot Wordsworth points out in her Spectator column that the correct usage of performative is 'as a label useful in identifying a sort of utterance that is different from a statement of fact.'  She cites as examples, 'I do (in the marriage ceremony), I bet, I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth, I promise, Let there be light (if you are God) and I apologise.' Performative does not mean to play to the gallery (or TV cameras!) or act insincerely for public consumption. Kabuki is the word that  better describes theatrical behaviour that attempts to attract maximum media attention. What is kabuki?

Why do we say 'flea market'?

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March aux puces - original flea market still popular in Paris A mysterious term given that the market for fleas is limited. There are two (vaguely) plausible theories: 1. March aux puces? A translation of march aux puces. This was the popular name for a large outdoor market in Paris that became popular in the 1920s.  The name  march aux puces was "because there are so many second hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas." [E.S. Dougherty, "In Europe," 1922]   2. Dutch Swamp? From the Dutch word for swamp is given as “vlie”, which sounds like flea when spoken in English. The Dutch settlers held markets in the then swampland that was Manhattan Island.  The OED goes with the French market explanation as the more probable. French words in English

What is 'the House' in American politics?

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The American political system has three centres of power. These are  the President and the two chambers in the American Congress the -  Senate  and the  House of Representatives .  'The House' is the bigger body because congressmen are elected at a local level while the Senate consists of two senators from each State. At present the Presidency & the Senate are controlled by the Democrats. The Republicans have a small majority in the House. Legislation has to pass from the House to the Senate and finally to the President.  Because the two main parties (the Republicans & the Democrats) have major philosophical differences most legislation is contested.

Why do Y & Z end the alphabet?

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The Romans adapted Greek to form their own (Latin) alphabet.

What is a 'ghost word'?

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The Second Edition of the 20-volume Complete Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use. An estimated 240 of  these are ghost words.

How fast is the English language expanding?

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Recent research suggests that the English language has doubled in size over the last century.

Who is Shashibiya?

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The name Shakespeare  (transcribed  Shashibiya) first appeared     in a Chinese language publication in a translation of Milner’s The History of England in 1857. But it was the publication of Lin Shu’s Tales from Shakespeare in 1904 that first brought the Bard to a wider Chinese audience.  Lin Shu remarketed Shashibiya for a Chinese readership. He promoted the plays as traditional ‘stories of gods and spirits’. One of these tales was used for the first professional production of Shakespeare in China: a staging of The Merchant of Venice in 1913. Read more :  Shakespeare in China   (3 minute free read on Medium)

Ten most used verbs in English?

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Photo by  Brett Jordan  on  Unsplash

What is the origin of the word alphabet?

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What is 'concept creep'?

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What letters are used most frequently in English?

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Where does the word meme come from?

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How did Japanese words enter the English language?

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Oxford English Dictionary editor, John Simpson, explains how Japanese words entered English in three distinct historical phases.

Which American term did Sergeant Pepper introduce to Britain?

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