tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post5222402054593577783..comments2023-10-30T09:26:32.732+00:00Comments on Now's the time: bricks, smoke, faux amisAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-38580471620638806832009-11-22T16:35:29.056+00:002009-11-22T16:35:29.056+00:00Just listen to the English young and old misusing...Just listen to the English young and old misusing English verbs!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-84895207073901000062009-11-21T16:05:13.335+00:002009-11-21T16:05:13.335+00:00My Dutch friend frequently says 'when' for...My Dutch friend frequently says 'when' for 'if' in English, as I think it's the same in Dutch. It doesn't bother anyone, since the context is usually evident, and it interests me because I can identify the source of the error from German. <br /><br />A French difference that still catches me out is following 'when' - 'quand' or 'lorsque' with the future tense, so in effect they say 'I'll tell him when I'll see him'. This leads them sometimes to make the mistake of mis-constructing their own 1st and 2nd conditionals, so they say 'Je le dirai(s) si je le verrai(s)'. Which is odd really, since one assumes the ability to use verbs correctly, or at least consistently, in one's own language is automatic. Youngsters on hearing these errors taunt the speaker with the chant 'les 'si's n'aime pas les 'rai's!'Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09764296105901909328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-64441623824137882152009-11-20T18:42:11.851+00:002009-11-20T18:42:11.851+00:00Trying to follow this linguistic conversation
in E...Trying to follow this linguistic conversation<br />in English (my second language being some Italian, not German), I am reminded of the famous American Vaudeville Abbot and Costello routine, "Who's On First?" ;-)CChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12653106775702366387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-35209693813871123762009-11-20T18:00:39.958+00:002009-11-20T18:00:39.958+00:00While wo, so close it seems to "who?", a...While <em>wo</em>, so close it seems to "who?", actually means "where?" Actually I'm beginning to wonder about <em>faux ami</em>. Given that it's in French and yet it seems to be applicable to problems Anglophones have with French, what's its function for the people who invented the phrase? (Yes, they're the French, but all of a sudden I had too many Frenchs too close together. And here's more.)Roderick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828395545197001637noreply@blogger.com