CHAT: return of the long-lost (was: RE: THEORY/USAGE:

Tristan McLeay scripsit:

> > along with "Susan suggested that she play/should
> > play Ophelia"
>
> Whose is the 'play', whose the 'should play'?
American/Brit respectively.

> > and "The Queen are raising their rates".
>
> What does this one mean? How does it translate into
> the other's English? Is Queen there the monarch or
> something different? Are rates there taxes or
> something else?
"The Queen" is an insurance company.  American: "The Queen is
raising its rates".  If it were the monarch, of course, it
would be "The Queen is raising her rates" (for what? hideous thought!).

> Is it /just@/ even before words starting with a vowel?
Yes, but of course /justu/ is not incorrect, just careful speech.
There is no automatic alternation, at least not in my dialect.

> I understand you people say 'hafta always'.
/jV?/, or as they say in New England /'ej@/.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...>     http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_