Regional Linguistics

MacGyver1968 said:
No offence dude..but that was 16 words that pretended to be a sentence.
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Offense is spelled "offense", dude. None taken. And it looks like 18 words, so maybe you weren't addressing me.
But, while we're communicating, I've always wondered about your avatar. I mean, you're bent over and "MacGyver" is slang for "taking the tool".
I just shrugged it off as an innocent and fair-natured attempt to photograph from a different angle, to maybe talk down at a level to the little children, whose single-parent mom's at this site might find inspiring. Or...that I find it slightly askew is maybe my male sensors are detecting a female with a "tool-time" avatar.
 
keith1 said:
Offense is spelled "offense", dude. None taken. And it looks like 18 words, so maybe you weren't addressing me.
But, while we're communicating, I've always wondered about your avatar. I mean, you're bent over and "MacGyver" is slang for "taking the tool".
I just shrugged it off as an innocent and fair-natured attempt to photograph from a different angle, to maybe talk down at a level to the little children, whose single-parent mom's at this site might find inspiring. Or...that I find it slightly askew is maybe my male sensors are detecting a female with a "tool-time" avatar.
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Sorry..it made sense after I sobered up.

For my avatar...it comes from this pic:
mitch3.jpg


I love the smile on my face..its why I use it..that is the face of someone who is baked like a cake, drunk as a skunk...about to have sex in the hot tub kinda face.
 
keith1 said:
Offense is spelled "offense", dude.
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* * * * NOTE FROM THE LINGUISTICS MODERATOR * * * *

"Offence," "defence, "licence," etc., are standard British spelling, guv'nor. Make sure you've got all your facts next time before you jump on somebody. British spelling is perfectly acceptable in unedited writing in the United States.
 
Fraggle Rocker said:
* * * * NOTE FROM THE LINGUISTICS MODERATOR * * * *

"Offence," "defence, "licence," etc., are standard British spelling, guv'nor. Make sure you've got all your facts next time before you jump on somebody. British spelling is perfectly acceptable in unedited writing in the United States.
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Not to mention the fact that some portion of the posters on this board are from (gasp) places other than the US that (generally) adhere to the British spellings of words, rather than the American spellings.
 
I never knew there were words like offense that was spelled different in the U.S. Vs England. Let alone others.

That's cool to me...
There should be a more knowledgeable person to make a thread on that...
 
R1D2 said:
I never knew there were words like offense that was spelled different in the U.S. Vs England. Let alone others.

That's cool to me...
There should be a more knowledgeable person to make a thread on that...
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The one I routinely fall victim to is colour versus color.

I was taught colour all through school, because that's the way we roll here.

However, all of the major programming languages are in American-english, so you can imagine my confusion using colour commands in GW-BASIC (or nearly anything else) and getting Syntax errors and what-not.
 
I am a terrible speller. I get errors all the time. I think being here has helped a little but I understand what you mean..
 
keith1 said:
To use of the word "dude" by a non-U.S.ian to a U.S.ian is a proper use of a surfer term, originating in the U.S.
It was to originally to differentiate a "cowboy" from the U.S. west, from his "city dude" counter-part, who moved out west and bought himself some "cowboy clothes", and immediately expected to fit in. The dude also took his new personae back with him to the city, to "pretend" to be a cowboy, for reasons to:
--impress the ladies.
--intimidate the city men.

It is appropriate from a westerner as myself, to find juxtaposition, and yes, offense**, in terminology of a "non- U.S.westerner trying to sound like a laid-back U.S. surfer, and using simultaneously the inappropriate pronoun.

It is perfectly acceptable for you do that and perfectly acceptable for me to cringe at the sound. Continue as you were. No harm done. Just saying. Cheerio. Pip pip. All in good fun. I say capital, what? The dingo ate my baby. You be right, bloke!

**Next time Frag, check your own site spell-checker...it changes "offence" to "offense"...blimey, it must be programmed in the states, hey partner!!
picture.php


All the Ausies, Cannucks, and Marmalades owe me an apology, wouldn't you say? I'll accept a "get out of one ban" card in it's place, righto, James?:D;)

Next moderator in line...
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Are you actually this ignorant? Or are you just putting on a special act for Sciforums readers?
 
keith1 said:
God, I hope not. What basement level would that leave you at?
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This doesn't even make sense as a response to my statement.

Do you actually think that usage of the word dude is confined to the US? (Answer: No, it isn't.)
Do you actually think that aspects of American popular culture have not been incoporated into British popular culture? (Answer: No, aspects of American culture have been widely disseminated throughout the globe.)
Do you think the word is exclusive to the American language? (Answer: No, the most likely origin is the abbreviation of a German word, among German settlers that means lazy fellow or foolish fellow.)

So there's nothing that can reasonably be infered from the use of Dude with the british spelling of Offence other than the fact that the poster lives in a UK-english speaking country and watches The Simpsons, has seen 'City Slickers' (which features a dude ranch), 'Dude, where's my car', 'That Seventies Show', nearly any Cheech and Chong movie, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Finding Nemo, or any other of literaly hundreds of pieces of TV, Movie or Literature that have been shown throughout the world since the end of World War 2.

The point being that usage of 'Dude' is not restricted to americans, and to assume it is is either conceited or ignorant.
 
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Addendum:
(In fact the usage of 'Dude' and the concept of a 'Dude ranch' has been so widely disseminated outside of the United States that here in the country I live in, where we use the British spellings, we have an advertising campaign for a locally brewed band of Beer that is conceptually based on the 'dude ranch'. It has, of course been adapted to make it culturally relevant to this country, however the concept is that of a 'dude ranch'.)
 
keith1 said:
Your lips are moving but no linguistic data for comparison. At this juncture we must leave it at the loose study of "dudes" and "duds" (slang for clothing) may be related to cowboys making fun of fancy Eastern city men's clothing.

You have every right and opportunity to adjust that with further study.
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This doesn't even make any sense.

What 'linguistic data' do you expect to be spoon-fed?
 
keith1 said:
Must I go and bring forward word origin data from Euro languages to help you build a reason to be moving your jaws? Are you THAT helpless? Must I carry both sides of the conversation? Doesn't sound like much incentive for me here.

No offense dude, but...Next.
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Do so for dude and you will find this:
Trippy said:
...the most likely origin [of dude] is the abbreviation of a German word, among German settlers that means lazy fellow or foolish fellow...
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Much of the rest of what I've had to say has been illustrating how widely disseminated the word is outside the US, and giving some specific examples.

But hey, if that level of discussion is too highbrow for you...
 
keith1:

Your "get out of ban free" card only exists in your own mind.

Other people breaking the site rules (if that happens) doesn't give you free reign to also break them. Two wrongs don't make a right.
 
MacGyver1968 said:
Sorry..it made sense after I sobered up.

For my avatar...it comes from this pic:... I love the smile on my face..its why I use it..that is the face of someone who is baked like a cake, drunk as a skunk...about to have sex in the hot tub kinda face.
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You lie! You've never been in a hot tub! :D
 
keith1 said:
Oh no, you don't get off that easy. You just gave me but one more reason to mark MacGyver1968's original "dude" remark as a flame. I think that warrants another "get out of one ban free card". Reading this, James?

Does anyone else want to work on my future "ban-free" status level?

Anyone please...next. Let's return to the OP subject before more feet go to mouth.
picture.php
:facepalm:

(kudos to MacGyver1968, the only guy to apologize. Hats off to you, sir.)
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You're saying you took offence at being called 'Dude' because of it's origin, inspite of the evolution of its meaning and its widespread colloquial usage?

Dude... Really?
 
Trippy said:
Not to mention the fact that some portion of the posters on this board are from (gasp) places other than the US that (generally) adhere to the British spellings of words, rather than the American spellings.
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... And those of us who cannot spell to begin with...
 
I'm an American, but oddly enough I automatically spell among as amoung.
 
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