Practice your English. Help and advice.

[babatriestina]

...also the first name Geoffrey or Jeffrey

read yourself

[dcobau]

There are many irregularities even in English "Proper", that is the reason
one must spell continuosly, specially the names of persons. In my conputer, Microsoft has got a spellcheck in American English, and any word that is not written in their way, specially non British in origin come up as incorrect even though they are perfectly correct. Ciao Coce

Just to go a bit further, I do a bit of database programming for my organisation. Computer languages of today are developed, by and large, from american companies so you have to use 'american' english when you write your own applications (eg. color = xyz).

Dave

[dcobau]

A further observation on english names:

Ian is scottish for John, and Bill is an abbreviation of William.

Dave

[Capuzi garbi]

All's well and good, but I will never accept that words such as tonite, dunno, ass (instead of arse) are English! There is no such thing as "American English" and that is all there is to it.

The best I can call it is an American aberration of the English tongue, and let's admit it, they are excellent at that.

Just listen to the way they pronounce aluminium!

While on the subject, Jack and John are the same name.

[babatriestina]

ass (instead of arse)

When I read for my first ( and I think , last) time a work of Henry Miller, Sexus, I was wondering why he spoke so much of an ass, which for me was a four-patted animal with long grey ears... then I pronounced it and and from my memory appeared a similar German word which I knew was not for well-behaved girls and I understood everything

[macondo]

Just listen to the way they pronounce aluminium!

Now you mention it..
Steve Job, the CEO of Apple, recently presented the new iMac made completely in aluminiun. I was watching the video and he said aluminium at least 10 times. I couldn't believe my ears

[macondo]

A photo dated 2 of May 1946, Trieste.

The Scottish Officer: "Och aye, didnee you everrr been in Ednbrrrah? Nae botherrr pal, aarrrgh."

The US Major, thinking: (Watta heck is trying to say dis fella?)

[AdlerTS]

A photo dated 2 of May 1946, Trieste.

The Scottish Officer: "Och aye, didnee you everrr been in Ednbrrrah? Nae botherrr pal, aarrrgh."

The US Major, thinking: (Watta heck is trying to say dis fella?)

[Tirabaralla]

My opinion on American English:
American English is a language, face it, people (or ppl, should I write? LOL).

My favourite (or favorite?) english ever is the one spoken in Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland. Very difficult to understand, believe-me

[babatriestina]

Question:
origin and meaning of the name Tomcat.
I guess it is a generic name for the family cat. But why just Tom?

[babatriestina]

question n 2: I remember a song, whose title was
wakka doo wakka day
What's the meaning? the only word I know is "day" It was the "wakka" which puzzled me most

[dcobau]

ciao baba,

1) tomcat refers to a male cat, the stud type that apart from hmmmm the usual also terrorise other male cats. Don't know exactly the origines of the name but it's probably to differentiate a Tom from a Tommasina

2) wakka doo wakka day is meaningless. Gilbert O'Sullivan probably had a bad day when he wrote it

Dave

[Capuzi garbi]

ciao baba,


2) wakka doo wakka day is meaningless. Gilbert O'Sullivan probably had a bad day when he wrote it

Dave

So was Manfred Mann when the band released Do wah diddy and Roger Miller whe he recorded Do wakka, wakka do!

[AdlerTS]

dear english speaking mates
a strange question about interior outfitting: in italian we call "disimpegno" a small space, some kind of corridor, just outside the bedrooms or the bathroom. Probably in english is just a corridor, but I do like to know if there is a right word to define it.

[Ron]

Adler

The word is "ante-room" but be aware that this is slightly old fashioned as few houses these days can afford the luxury of such a space.

Ciao

Ron

[Capuzi garbi]

...nterior outfitting: in italian we call "disimpegno" a small space, some kind of corridor, just outside the bedrooms or the bathroom. Probably in english is just a corridor...

Disimpegno? Disimpegno? Disimpegno?

Never heard of it! But if you mean andito that is a different thing.

I presume you may mean that part of the house that connects the front door to all the other rooms? We call it corridor, as you said, or passageway, or even hallway. lt's really all the same!!!

[Ron]

Signori

Apparently this is not a new problem

http://forum.wordreference.com/archive/ ... 82701.html

Ron

[Ron]

More on antechamber:

An antechamber is a smaller room or vestibule serving as an entryway into a larger one. The word is formed of the Latin ante camera, meaning "room before."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antechamber

Ron

[Capuzi garbi]

....More on antechamber: An antechamber is .....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antechamber

Ron

Not to be mistaken with chamberpot

[AdlerTS]

Never heard of it! But if you mean andito that is a different thing.

On the italian dictionary I can read:


Andito: luogo di passaggio o di disimpegno