Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[french frank]

The misuse of the -self pronoun does irritate me. It can only ever be the same person or thing as the subject of the sentence.

So, 'themself' is fine - as long as it follows the subject 'they', used as a non gender specific singular?

[french frank]

It took me ages to discover why Italian uses the third person feminine singular form this purpose.

Never really thought about that, but I assume rather like Spanish 'vuestra merced' (your worship), abbreviated to Usted(es)/Vd, with the 3rd person verb. And German Sie? From?

[jean]

Quakers only did this to emphasise that all people should be given equal respect. They don't speak like that nowadays.

Sorry - I was using the historic present.

[jean]

Never really thought about that, but I assume rather like Spanish 'vuestra merced' (your worship), abbreviated to Usted(es)/Vd, with the 3rd person verb.

La vostra signoria . I've seen it written La V.S. in Goldoni - I don't know how they pronounced that.

As Radio64 says, Mussolini tried to replace it with the 2nd person plural. I don't know why he didn't go the whole way and abolish the distinction altogether.

And German Sie? From?

I don't know. Same sort of thing, maybe?

[Radio64]

As Radio64 says, Mussolini tried to replace it with the 2nd person plural. I don't know why he didn't go the whole way and abolish the distinction altogether.


I don't know. Same sort of thing, maybe?

Apparently folks in Benito's time were reluctant to use it as it sounded too much like a lot of local/dialect forms and not "proper" Italian. You still hear older people using the 'voi' for single persons sometimes...oh and the 'loro' for plural formal ..

BUT. WE. DIGRESS!!

[MrGongGong]

[mangerton]

A client of mine from south of London often uses the personal pronun 'yous' the second person plural. I often find that a bit irritating although I also like to think it's some kind of return to an archaic form of English, (cf. French 'vous', Ital. 'voi') which may have survived as a dialectic form.

Any ideas? jean?

Very common amongst the ... errm..... lesser washed in Scotland.

Woman goes into a card shop, looking for an anniversary card. "Hiv ye no' goat wan that says "Happy Anniversary to Youse? I want it for the baith o' them."

[french frank]

Very well educated peasants!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Very well educated peasants!

Not really - it should be "Which Tyler".

[Nick Armstrong]

not really - it should be "which tyler".

Groan!!!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Eye thangew!

[french frank]

Not really - it should be "Which Tyler".

As far as I can make out from his 'blue collar' - he's actual Waultier le tieulier. Speaks French too!

[Bryn]

As far as I can make out from his 'blue collar' - he's actual Waultier le tieulier. Speaks French too!

What taylor embroidered that?

[vinteuil]

Thanks to her visit to the Houses of Parliament we now know the title of Angela Merkel's doctoral thesis.

.
“Untersuchung des Mechanismus von Zerfallsreaktionen mit einfachem Bindungsbruch und Berechnung ihrer Geschwindigkeitskonstanten auf der Grundlage quantenchemischer und statistischer Methoden.”

[Serial_Apologist]

What taylor embroidered that?

I was going to say: Moss Bros!