Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
Well since you heard incorrectly, it is logical to assume that it wasn't the American english that threw you off, but your own simple ignorance. You were unable to grasp words uttered, and it is normal. Don't bash the language if its your fault.
Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
So are you saying that it is **logical **to say “for here to go?” I didn’t bash the language. I was talking about the American version of the language.
It sure the best language in the world where there is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If vegetarians eat vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposite, while quite a few and quite a lot are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the other day.
Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are
absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or piccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course, isn’t a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
*The above English bashing originates from Richard Lederer, who published it as part of his introduction to “Crazy English: The Ultimate Joy Ride Through Our Language” (Pocket Books, 1989)
*
Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
French fries are called that because that's the technique used to cut the patatoes. You "french" the patatoes to make french fries.
Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
[QUOTE]
So are you saying that it is **logical **to say "for here to go?"
[/QUOTE]
Yes. Because they probably said "for here OR to go". By the way, having been lived in Canada, UK, and US I can assure you thats what they said. Because thats what they say in all three of those countries. Since you were new to the place, you couldn't even grasp what the person said, let alone their accent. It was your inability to hear what was said. No one says "FOR HERE TO GO". That doesn't even make sense.
[QUOTE]
I didn't bash the language. I was talking about the American version of the language.
[/QUOTE]
Ofcourse you did. You went on a rant on about how American English is this and that.
[QUOTE]
It sure the best language in the world where there is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If vegetarians eat vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposite, while quite a few and quite a lot are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the other day.
Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are
absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or piccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
The above English bashing originates from Richard Lederer, who published it as part of his introduction to "Crazy English: The Ultimate Joy Ride Through Our Language" (Pocket Books, 1989)
[/QUOTE]
Thats fantastic. But what does that have to do with you not comprehending someone in a fast food restaurant?
Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
Probably? Are you sure?
But they do. The “OR” part is skipped by most people working there.
Exactly my point. There are a lot of things in English language that don’t make sense.
Re: Stories of Pakistani Immigrants
^ Well, if they said "for here to go" then that's not proper English anyways.