The and is a bit weird but I do sometimes break large numbers down like that, for example if I'm looking at an address I won't say 1050 I won't say one thousand fifty ill say ten fifty.
Nah, this is just how things go with traditional masculine circles. A certain level of aggression is both expected and respected, and harassing random strangers is seen as a harmless pastime, so long as it's the 'right' strangers being harassed. Someone who responds with the appropriate level of aggression to the harassment is considered amusing and respectable, and, especially since men are conditioned in our societies to not show 'weakness' by things like 'needing socialization', expansion of social circles (temporary or long-term) can happen this way.
It's honestly not a great social function, lmao, and luckily not as prominent as it used to be, but I can attest both by personal experience/observation and stories from family that it's a real thing.
Well, you take the rough with the smooth with English:
Smooth:
verb conjugation rules are straightforward
adjective declension is trivial - don't do it
easy to make most plurals, only a handful of exceptions to learn
no grammatical gender
Rough:
can't have too many words that mean almost-but-not-quite the same thing
spelling is the fever dream of a madman. In particular, eighteen or so vowel sounds represented by five letters, words transliterated from other languages that may or may not have their pronunciation changed, words that have had their pronunciation changed over the centuries but spelling hasn't been updated. Because fuck you, that's why.
putting two words together to make noun phrases that don't have the meaning of either word
a plethora, indeed a veritable abundance, of strange grammatical forms
Genuinely thought it was an older spelling of "feign," but have learned that they are homophones that have opposite meanings. Like a contronym, but phonetically... a controphone.
I once haggled over a hat with some street salesman in Arabic. Managed to take it down from 10 to 8 dirhams. Then I felt bad from haggling over 50 cents with a guy that probably ears in a year what I make in a week. I still have the hat though.
Yes, it's a great game, and they like to play it (or to get paid more if you don't know the rules. I was in a souvenir store in Barcelona, and there was no price tag on Gaudi-themed clock.
Me: Excuse me, what is the price for this?
Salesguy: [with a voice that can be used to announce a khalif coming in] FIFFFF-TY EUROS!
Me: Oh..could it be twenty though?
S: [his eyes shine up, I know the game] Not less than thirty five!
Me: Could we go thirty five and throw this other thing in?
S: It's a deal
I'm leaving with some souvenirs, he is happy that he sold 15 euros worth of Chinese crap for 35, We're both thrilled by our sparring.
I’ve gotten similar reactions by busting out spanish as a white as fuck gringo. One guy was making fun of my accent and i asked him how many languages he spoke. Shut him up real quick.
I wish I had this level of eloquence in my youth, I wish it at an old age too.
Still, I was never a fan of "yo mama" jokes. Where I grew up, bring up someone's mother in such manner as a sure way to start a melee. Except maybe for "your mom is hot" if it sounds more like a compliment.
41 Comments
aeronmelon@lemmy.world · 81 pts · 119d
The archaic way of enumerating things in prose “two and ninety” is the best part. Perfect comedic reveal.
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 25 pts · 119d
I think it's also used in archaic English 'four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie'
Serinus@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 119d
Four score and seven years ago
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 119d
The and is a bit weird but I do sometimes break large numbers down like that, for example if I'm looking at an address I won't say 1050 I won't say one thousand fifty ill say ten fifty.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 119d
no that's 420 blackbirds. it's a very high pie.
teft@piefed.social · 1 pts · 119d
jaaake@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 119d
The timing of "two... PLUS ANOTHER NINE WITH A ZERO AFTER IT" is something I'll never experience in my native tongue.
toofpic@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 119d
Ha, never learn Danish!
Griffus@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 119d
To og halv fems!
J92@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 119d
Is it 180? 290? 92?
jaaake@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 119d
The last. Much like Americans with their dates, English would occasionally jumble up the unit order.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 119d
German still does this. The French are even worse.
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 119d
Pray tell what is wrong with quatre vignt y douze?
Other than the fact that it has been decades since I took French and probably misspelled every single word there.
Their way of counting just makes it more frequent to encounter 420
Klanky@sopuli.xyz · 42 pts · 119d
The original ‘then everyone clapped’?
PugJesus@piefed.social · 43 pts · 119d
Nah, this is just how things go with traditional masculine circles. A certain level of aggression is both expected and respected, and harassing random strangers is seen as a harmless pastime, so long as it's the 'right' strangers being harassed. Someone who responds with the appropriate level of aggression to the harassment is considered amusing and respectable, and, especially since men are conditioned in our societies to not show 'weakness' by things like 'needing socialization', expansion of social circles (temporary or long-term) can happen this way.
It's honestly not a great social function, lmao, and luckily not as prominent as it used to be, but I can attest both by personal experience/observation and stories from family that it's a real thing.
fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk · 24 pts · 119d
"Applause was brought forth by all onlookers to our exchange of wits"
SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org · 3 pts · 118d
Then someone stood up, and was President Theodore Roosevelt! Who proceeded to shake my hand.
Agent641@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 118d
Inshallah everyone clapped
NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone · 42 pts · 119d
“fain” is new to me. This stupid language never ends.
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 39 pts · 119d
you'd never get invited for coffee and smokes
addie@feddit.uk · 20 pts · 119d
Well, you take the rough with the smooth with English:
Smooth:
Rough:
You mostly take the rough, to be fair.
Samskara@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 118d
English is simplified Germanic with French words, that never got a spelling reform.
PugJesus@piefed.social · 13 pts · 119d
Fain is very archaic, it's not something that would be used anymore. Even back in 1906 it was archaic.
jaaake@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 119d
Genuinely thought it was an older spelling of "feign," but have learned that they are homophones that have opposite meanings. Like a contronym, but phonetically... a controphone.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 119d
dude not cool
DifficultCobblestone@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 119d
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 119d
also reported for homophonia. be better.
PugJesus@piefed.social · 3 pts · 119d
cat with homophobia in her eyes
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 119d
wait i know that word and i know how to parse it but i don't know what the fuck it means. nobody tell me it is hidden in the coffee
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 32 pts · 119d
I once haggled over a hat with some street salesman in Arabic. Managed to take it down from 10 to 8 dirhams. Then I felt bad from haggling over 50 cents with a guy that probably ears in a year what I make in a week. I still have the hat though.
WanderingThoughts@europe.pub · 45 pts · 119d
Nah. They love the haggle. And he most likely still made a nice profit. If they announce 10, you can bet they still turn a profit at 4.
toofpic@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 119d
Yes, it's a great game, and they like to play it (or to get paid more if you don't know the rules. I was in a souvenir store in Barcelona, and there was no price tag on Gaudi-themed clock.
Me: Excuse me, what is the price for this?
Salesguy: [with a voice that can be used to announce a khalif coming in] FIFFFF-TY EUROS!
Me: Oh..could it be twenty though?
S: [his eyes shine up, I know the game] Not less than thirty five!
Me: Could we go thirty five and throw this other thing in?
S: It's a deal
I'm leaving with some souvenirs, he is happy that he sold 15 euros worth of Chinese crap for 35, We're both thrilled by our sparring.
teft@piefed.social · 29 pts · 119d
I’ve gotten similar reactions by busting out spanish as a white as fuck gringo. One guy was making fun of my accent and i asked him how many languages he spoke. Shut him up real quick.
lauha@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 119d
From a book called Orientations by Ronald Storrs from 1937
papalonian@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 118d
Killed him before he even started
Nils@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 118d
I wish I had this level of eloquence in my youth, I wish it at an old age too.
Still, I was never a fan of "yo mama" jokes. Where I grew up, bring up someone's mother in such manner as a sure way to start a melee. Except maybe for "your mom is hot" if it sounds more like a compliment.
urushitan@kakera.kintsugi.moe · 7 pts · 119d
fork
lime@feddit.nu · 5 pts · 119d
funk
OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 119d
Reminds me of my old blue collar job when we used to poke the new guy at work to see if they're on the level lol
Janx@piefed.social · 3 pts · 119d
"Ow, stop poking me, that stick is sharp!"
OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 118d
"...well he's not on the level"
toynbee@piefed.social · 5 pts · 119d
There was a similar anecdote in the book Now You See Me.