General chatter Because life isn't just about dieting. Play games, jokes, or share what's new in your life!

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 04-27-2006, 09:30 AM   #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
VelVeeta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 315

Default Useless information

So i was reading through some of the news sites i check daily and although this is very usless knowledge i was quite surprised to see that there are 1 billion words in the English language. You know, when i was in school trying to learn spanish i thought that was hard but can you imaging people trying to learn english with all of our weird slang and things like synonyms, etc. I bet it would be pretty hard.

English Language Hits 1 Billion Words – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193197,00.html
VelVeeta is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 09:49 AM   #2  
Embracing My New Normal
 
Less of Lena's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Mid-West, USA
Posts: 976

S/C/G: 248/226/135

Default

I love it!

Thank you! I remember one of my Jr. High English teachers (that's what Middle School was called back when I was in 7th grade) telling us that there were X-hundred-million words in English, but I don't remember the exact number. I'm so glad to now have a number to use!

And what a number it is!

But you know what's so sad? Even with a billion words at their disposal, many American teens (and adults, too) still can't find a substitutes for the words "like" and the f-word ("It's, like, so f'in cold outside"), or the increasingly ever-present "y'know".

It would be interesting to see how many of those billion words the average American teenager (and adult) uses in a typical day. I'm betting it would be less than 1,000. Sad, eh?

Anyway, thanks for the info!
Less of Lena is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 09:51 AM   #3  
Senior Member
 
Kashi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 126

S/C/G: 260/249/160

Height: 5'6"

Default

Neat! I'd be interested to know how many words the average English-speaking person knows.
Kashi is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 10:07 AM   #4  
Member
 
pavellina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: bologna-italy
Posts: 72

Default

it's easier for the non-english speaking learn & understand the language...
pavellina is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 10:30 AM   #5  
Blonde Bimbo
 
almostheaven's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,984

S/C/G: 250+/144/135

Height: 5' 4"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Less of Lena
But you know what's so sad? Even with a billion words at their disposal, many American teens (and adults, too) still can't find a substitutes for the words "like" and the f-word ("It's, like, so f'in cold outside"), or the increasingly ever-present "y'know".
But if they keep saying y'know, soon we'll have 1 Billion and 1 words in the English language. Pretty soon we'll have more than anyone can know because people just keep making them up and Webster keeps going with the flow.
almostheaven is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 11:17 AM   #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
VelVeeta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 315

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by almostheaven
But if they keep saying y'know, soon we'll have 1 Billion and 1 words in the English language. Pretty soon we'll have more than anyone can know because people just keep making them up and Webster keeps going with the flow.
That is so true. Its like i am sure google is now a word. Not only a noun (for the website) but also a verb (just google it). So bizarre how in our language thinks stick and become apart of our everyday language. And you're right Webster just keeps adding them to the dictionary.
VelVeeta is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 11:18 AM   #7  
Want them Muscles!
 
fitgal2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 583

S/C/G: 135/129/120

Default

not to mention all those words that sound the same but are spelt different or are spelt weird and sound "normal" i.e-draught
fitgal2 is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 01:09 PM   #8  
Give me strength
 
da fat n da furious's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 2,081

S/C/G: 299/261/250

Default

I love those words...lol its like a challenge to remember which means what. Or is it wich or witch? hmmm
da fat n da furious is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 01:22 PM   #9  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
VelVeeta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 315

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by da fat n da furious
I love those words...lol its like a challenge to remember which means what. Or is it wich or witch? hmmm
haha ladies here are some more homonyms:
too, two, to
hear, here
there, their
your you're
VelVeeta is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 02:40 PM   #10  
Addicted to potato salad!
 
techwife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Northern New York State
Posts: 2,719

Default

Or, being a border girl here...how two words can be spelled different in English, but in different countries...such as 'color' in the US and 'colour' in Canada. I get so used to seeing it the Canadian way, I just don't even think about it anymore. And I'm darn near living in a hoose instead of a house! I DO love my Canadian friends...
techwife is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 07:49 PM   #11  
Blonde Bimbo
 
almostheaven's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,984

S/C/G: 250+/144/135

Height: 5' 4"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by VelVeeta
That is so true. Its like i am sure google is now a word. Not only a noun (for the website) but also a verb (just google it). So bizarre how in our language thinks stick and become apart of our everyday language. And you're right Webster just keeps adding them to the dictionary.
Main Entry: google1
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: to search for information about a specific person through the Google search engine
Example: She googled her high school boyfriends.
Etymology: trademark Google
Usage: googling n

Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6)
Copyright © 2003-2005 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC



BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
almostheaven is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 07:52 PM   #12  
Blonde Bimbo
 
almostheaven's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,984

S/C/G: 250+/144/135

Height: 5' 4"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by fitgal2
not to mention all those words that sound the same but are spelt different or are spelt weird and sound "normal" i.e-draught
Not to confuse the foreigners, but don't you find it weird that I before E except after C...and except in the word WEIRD???

My hubby has a problem with lose/loose. I keep telling him to LOSE an O. He still doesn't get it.
almostheaven is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 09:19 PM   #13  
resident lactivist
 
GreatBigMonsterMomma's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: SAN ANTONIO
Posts: 985

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by almostheaven
Not to confuse the foreigners, but don't you find it weird that I before E except after C...and except in the word WEIRD???
I never got that word correct until someone who frequently got aggravated over its misspelling pointed out that weird is spelled weird. Now I never miss it.

I also have to agree that words are added rather willy-nilly. Seriously, ten years from now is anyone going to have a use for 'metrosexual'?

Of course, my personal favorite is still antidisestablishmentarianism, which one of my high school English teachers referred to as the longest word in the English language. It's not, but it's still pretty cool.

Here is a pretty good article on both the concept of what a word is and a person's vocabulary.

I'm always interested in expanding my vocabulary, but I seem to already have a fairly good one, if the quizzes in Reader's Digest are any indication. I still recalled my surprise when I discovered that 'machiavellian' is not in the vocabulary of most high schoolers. I suppose that says something of the sort of person I befriended as a teenager, eh?
GreatBigMonsterMomma is offline  
Old 04-27-2006, 09:53 PM   #14  
Embracing My New Normal
 
Less of Lena's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Mid-West, USA
Posts: 976

S/C/G: 248/226/135

Default

I hope they (whoever is in charge of such things) weed out words as they fall into disuse. Perhaps they can have a Word Hall of Fame for goofy words that were once all the rage but eventually fell out of favor.

I also wonder what they're going to do with all the "leet speak" words that really don't have any verbal counterparts.

At the rate the language is evolving, I'll bet we hit 2 billion soon! I just hope good grammar doesn't go extinct in the process!
Less of Lena is offline  
Old 04-28-2006, 07:25 AM   #15  
resident lactivist
 
GreatBigMonsterMomma's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: SAN ANTONIO
Posts: 985

Default

Quote:
I just hope good grammar doesn't go extinct in the process!
I fear that it already has. Grammar and its twin sister, proper spelling, are on their last legs. Seriously, how often have you seen a product in the store proudly proclaiming 20% LESS CALORIES THAN BEFORE? (It should be "fewer" calories, for those scratching their heads.)

I am constantly correcting my husband's grammar (we have an agreement that I can do that if I leave his spelling alone). It's frustrating as a parent, because I am trying to teach my daughters proper grammar. I love my mother-in-law, but she came very close to a painful demise when she constantly used the term "feets" to my eldest a couple of years ago. Feets!
GreatBigMonsterMomma is offline  
Closed Thread


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:02 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.