# what kind of a language is english?



## homer (Mar 9, 2002)

If anyone can come up with a grammatically legitimate English sentence that uses five "that"s in a row, I'll hand out a prize.  BTW, it exists.  I just have to say that I'm very glad to have english as a first language (sympathy to everyone else--at least, all non-native english speakers who feel they need to learn this strange language).


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## bighairydog (Mar 10, 2002)

Easy - like this:

When a friend asked me to critique his boss' report for grammatical correctness, I told him that that '_that_' that that guy had used was incorrect - he should have said 'which'.

Here's two harder ones:

1) How about _11_ 'had's in a row, in one sentence.

2) Punctuate this: "that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is" to make a sentence.

Bernie     )


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## homer (Mar 10, 2002)

Well.  I'm impressed.  

2) Punctuate this: "that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is" to make a sentence.

Well, I can't make one sentence out of it, but I can make four:  
That that is, is.  That that is not, is not.  Is that it?  It is.  (with the help of my mother-in-law).

1) How about 11 'had's in a row, in one sentence. 

Okay, I concede defeat on that.  I guess it's appropriate enough, that a citizen of the place that invented the language would be able to overcome a silly upstart American. 

I do have to say, though, that I can't figure out how the word "Worcester" is pronounced "Wooster" or something like that.  What's the deal with that?


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## scruffy (Mar 10, 2002)

A chinese friend of mine told me a phrase that consisted entirely of the syllable 'ma' with different intonations, and meant something along the lines of.

Mother wants to ride the donkey, but the donkey won't move.  Mother gets angry and shouts.

Of course I hadn't a hope of pronouncing it, which was rather the point.


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## bighairydog (Mar 10, 2002)

> _Originally posted by homer _
> *How about 11 'had's in a row, in one sentence.
> 
> Okay, I concede defeat on that.  I guess it's appropriate enough, that a citizen of the place that invented the language would be able to overcome a silly upstart American. *



It relies on knowledge of early English public school grades (a bit unfair on Anerican competitors really). Written on your work you'd have the comment '_had_', if you had errors in your work, or '_had had_', if you had had errors, but successfully removed them. Hence:

James, whilst Peter had had '_had_', had had '_had had_', '_had had_' had had the examiners approval.

Ta DAH!

And scruffy - nice one. I once heard a single 18ish syllable German word consisting of only three syllable sounds, meaning "a man who attempts to murder the aunt of an African Chieftains wife"

Bernie     )


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## scruffy (Mar 10, 2002)

Well, I can't guess all of that, but someone who assassinates (or tries to assassinate) an aunt would be a 'Tantenattentäter' though.


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## bighairydog (Mar 10, 2002)

Yeah, mthat was the end of it (I'll try and dig up the word). Must have had more than 3 sounds, but it was still cool.

Bernie     )


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## Lessthanmighty (Mar 10, 2002)

You guys have a lot of free time don't you? 

Just think, if they had people working on finding new technologies as hard as you guys think up this stuff, do you know how far more advanced we would be. 

Just kidding.  Keep up the good work.


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## bighairydog (Mar 11, 2002)

I'm on my coffee break from curing cancer I'll have you know ;o)

Bernie     )


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## homer (Mar 11, 2002)

> _Originally posted by bighairydog _
> *
> 
> It relies on knowledge of early English public school grades (a bit unfair on Anerican competitors really). Written on your work you'd have the comment 'had', if you had errors in your work, or 'had had', if you had had errors, but successfully removed them. Hence:
> ...



Good answer. But I've gotta ask a question: the last part "'had had' had had the examiners' approval" seems to be tacked on, and doesn't follow the first part well.  It seems like there should be a conjunction, and that the last 'had had' should only be 'had'.  But whatever--it's impressive anyway.  

Oh yeah--I shouldn't be exempt from knowing English school system stuff--I was educated in South Africa under a British system (modified).  School uniforms!  whoohoo!  Ill-fitting clothes that are hot during hot months, cold during cold months.


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## bighairydog (Mar 11, 2002)

True, my English master would have given me a good caning for not putting a semi-colon between those two sentence halfs ;o)

Bernie     )


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## homer (Mar 11, 2002)

When I was in school in South Africa, I was told by all my classmates that it was impossible for a boy to get through school without being caned ("jacks", as they called them). But I did, by golly.


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## whitesaint (Mar 12, 2002)

uh what?


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## homer (Mar 12, 2002)

> _Originally posted by whitesaint _
> *uh what?  *



Monkey butt!


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## genghiscohen (Mar 14, 2002)

> _Originally posted by scruffy _
> *A chinese friend of mine told me a phrase that consisted entirely of the syllable 'ma' with different intonations, and meant something along the lines of.
> 
> Mother wants to ride the donkey, but the donkey won't move.  Mother gets angry and shouts.
> *



Another example that I learned many years ago when I studied Chinese in college was the poem "Shi Shi Shi."  It used only the syllable "shi," and translated as "Ten Stone Lions."


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## Lessthanmighty (Mar 14, 2002)

You know what day the Chinese vote on dont ya?

Erection day.


Sorry, but you guys could not be more dull.  Never mind. Ill leave you alone.


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## Jeff Ulrikson (Mar 14, 2002)

English is a Pan-Indo European Language.  Need I say more?


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## homer (Mar 14, 2002)

Okay, but why the heck does it not make any sense (as in not having real rules to abide by)?  After all, Spanish is a European language, but is not plagued (at least to the extent that English is) by all kinds of strange exceptions to EVERY rule (or attempts at rules).  At least, that's what I'm told by my Spanish-speaking friend.  but he's Chilean, so who knows. . .   i kid, i kid because i love.


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## genghiscohen (Mar 14, 2002)

The trouble with English is that it's a "combination" language.  It started out as a Germanic language, but with the Norman Conquest, it got intermixed with French, a Romance language (means derived from Roman a/k/a Latin, not love-oriented, BTW).
Plus English has enthusiastically borrowed words, phrases and grammatical constructions from every other language that it has ever encountered.


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## homer (Mar 14, 2002)

We should all just speak Esperanto.  Now there's an idea!


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