Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: Evidentials for a future English

From:Chris Bates <chris.maths_student@...>
Date:Thursday, October 21, 2004, 19:25
> > The worst part [or best, depending on your POV] is that these are > _verbs_, > and you get forms like "timesed" and "timesing". > >
Can't we go with the irregular spelling option (like dwarf -> dwarves... I know that's a noun changing, but I mean along similar lines) and write them timzed and timzing or... wait, that's no better.. but I seriously hate seeing those in writing. Its like "text"... its becoming a verb meaning "to send a text message", but never mind spelling it how the hell do you pronounce the past form? Is is /tekst/ (many people treat is as an invariant), or /tekst@d/ (sounds stupid) or what? And since there's disagreement on the past form, how do I write it? I think the tendency of English to turn nouns into verbs just goes too far sometimes... the endings don't fit well with some of the latest additions. And the excessive use of -ize as a denominalizing suffix in manager speak sounds especially stupid sometimes. You only have to listen to George W to notice that. What's happening to our language? *cries* Okay, I know language change happens and god knows I'm no prescriptionist but... *sigh* Some of the changes don't fall well on my ears at all.

Reply

Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>