Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: problem words

Now that I have demolished my credibility as an accurate source of
information with my post "Vorresti imparare..." I'm left with the task of
rebuilding that credibility from the rubble. Here is my first post with that
goal in mind.
------------------
Da allora ho dimoletto la mia credibilita' come una origina per
l'informazione dal mio post "Vorresti imparare...," mi lascia il compito di
recostruire quella credibilita' dai detriti. Ecco il mio primo post con
quello scopo nella mente.
There are certain words in English that people often misuse. Sometimes the
misuse of a word will become so commonplace that the new meaning implied by
its use becomes acceptable. At other times the misuse is so contrary to the
actual meaning of the word that it can only be considered a gross error by
the reasonable listener (although you can be sure that there will be a
sizable number of other listeners who will say, if that's the way it is
used, that becomes the meaning.)
------------------
Ci sono le parole particulare in inglese che le persone usano spesso
improprio. Qualche volta l'uso improprio della parola sara' cosi' commune
che il significato nuovo implicato dall'uso deviene accettable. Alle altre
volte l'uso improprio sono cosi' opposto al significato actuale della parola
che puo' sembre all'ascoltatore ragionevole come un gran errore (ma e' certo
che ci saronno degli ascoltatore che diceranno che se quel e' il modo d'uso,
allora quel deviene il significato.)
--literally versus figuratively
figuratively= not literally, metaphorically.
literally=really, actually.
Wrong: I'm literally drowning with work.
--affect versus effect
affect=(verb) to influence, to impact, or to assume or pretend.
A person may be affected BY an event.
effect=(verb) to cause, to bring about or (noun) result, accomplishment.
An event may effect a change in a person.
--obstacle versus impediment
obstacle=something that stands in the way progress or action.
impediment=something that interferes, hinders, or slows down rather than
stops progress or action.
--imply versus infer
imply=to hint a meaning rather than explicitly state it.
infer=to draw a conclusion from statements.
--habitable versus inhabitable
habitable=capable of housing people (regarding a building).
inhabitable=capable of being lived in (regarding land, or an area)
If this is interesting to you, there are many other examples.
---------
Se questo vi intresse, ci sono molto esempio piu'.
Ron
USA
principiante in italiano

(absent-mindedness won't let one learn foreign languages)
If absent-mindedness was truly an obstacle to learning foreign languages
then one would be required to overcome this characteristic in order to learn
foreign languages. If absent-mindedness was only an impediment to learning
foreign languages then one could still learn languages while
absent-minded, albeit more slowly.
But don't sweat it,* Dario, if you use "obstacle" in this way, 95% of the
listeners won't notice, 4% will excuse you as an ESL** speaker, and 1% will
smile and disguise their disdain.
* sweat it: slang for "worry about it."
** ESL:  English as a Second Language
Ciao,
Ron
Born in the USA

stops progress or action.
Shouldn't one say:
1) "Absent-mindedness is an obstacle to learning foreign languages"
(absent-mindedness won't let one learn foreign languages)
*and*
2) "Absent-mindedness is an impediment to learning foreign languages"
(difficult, but not impossible)?
Ciao,
Dario.
ITA

Born in the USA
Nobody's perfect.
Ciao,
Dario.
ITA
"I prefer to give people a little poke to see if they
want to play along, and then be quick to apologize
and demonstrate my benign intentions if they are
offended" - Confucius ;-)

offended" - Confucius ;-)
Maronna! Che profundo! Che un'uomo bravissimo!
Ron
Born in the USA
Nonni nati in italia
Ma imparare italiano soltante recentemente

Maronna! Che profundo! [Che profonditą!] Che [un']uomo [bravissimo]!
E chi sono io per smentire queste sacrosante veritą?
:-)
Ciao,
Dario.
ITA

"Presently" vuole dire "soon" ma molte persone l'usano come "now."


 principiante in italiano
Ciao.
Giovanni

What were we talking about anyway?
Ron
USA
principiante in... in... in... beh, qualcosa, non ricordo.

I wanna get cynical...
Let's get into cynical? The cat's out of the bag--credo che ti piace Olivia
Newton John! Avevo sentire molti cambi ai lyrici di questa canzone che le
persone fanno per scherzo, ma cinico! Che ossessione!
Ciao,
Ron
USA
imparare italiano con l'aiuto di Dario e le altre.

principiante in... in... in... beh, qualcosa, non ricordo.
"in italiano", Ron, "i-t-a-l-i-a-n-o"!
Ciao,
Dario.
ITA


 goal in mind.
Ron, why don't you continue with this project and point out some of the most
troublesome verbs as for example lay and lie?
Ciao
Arianna
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of the most troublesome verbs as for example lay and lie?
Dear Arianna,
It would be a lie if I said I was expert on the lay of the land for this
subject. May I leave this task to the volunteer, proper?
Ciao,


 subject. May I leave this task to the volunteer, proper?
I will lay the ground for this post after I lie down.  Many hours of hard
word lie ahead since yesterday I lay all day and did nothing. Just kidding! 
I lie a lot.
Bye


I lie a lot.
All the colors you have in your mind!
Best regards,
Ron

 Ron
???????????????
What's that supposed to mean?  Is it a compliment or an insult? I'm not sure!
Hope it's a compliment
ciao
arianna


troublesome verbs as for example lay and lie?
La vostra schermaglia qui sotto č simpaticissima, ma non ci toglie dagli
impicci.
Puň essere importante dire innanzitutto che _lay_ č transitivo mentre
_lie_ - che ha almeno due distinti significati - č intransitivo?
Ehm, ora che ci penso, anche lay ha piů di un significato... ;-)
Isa
Queens do it, too

I'm not sure! Hope it's a compliment
Ciao Arianna,
I never intend to insult. To truly insult would give me no pleasure, but
rather the opposite.
In this case, my post is just an inconsequential reference to a song I
thought you would recognize immediately:
Lay, Lady, Lay, by Bob Dylan, a.k.a. Robert Zimmerman.
Best regards,
Ron

I remember those.
Not a chance. But here's one by Rosemary Clooney
Baci', baci',
Baciami a' baby,
baba boo, boo
Baciami a' crazy
You a' baciami
and I a' bacia you
bacia, bacia, bacia, bacia, boo.
Ciao,
Ron


-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------


 Ron
Ron, that was before my time.  I know I am old, but I am not that old!	And
are you sure that is a song?  Ron sei sicuro?  O sono parole che hai
inventato tu? :-))
ciao
Arianna
.....a time to be born....a time to die...  (we're playing "Name that song")


inventato tu? :-))
Ehehehe... I think it's "Baciami piccina" by Alberto Rabagliati
("Botch-a-me", the version of R. Clooney...)
--
Er Roscio.

"Oh you should see Sophia move,
she swings from north to south,
and when Gina does the twist,
the boys all twist and shout;
Hey paesano! twista italiano, ohh, ohh, oh, oh!
Hey Calabrese! twista like a crazy, ohh ohh oh oh
Round and round like a pizza pie,
gira, gira, you and I...."
 
 
But mayhap, this is not exactly what Arianna had in mind.
For her, on this particular day, I include the following;
 
"    (fill in the blank)
so good to me;
    (fill in the blank)
it was all I hoped it would be,
Oh (fill in the blank)
you gave me no warning 
of what was to be,
Oh (fill in the blank)
how could you leave,
and not take me..."
 
Not quite my style of composing, but a wonderful song none-the-less.
 
I remain, as always ecc
Bambi
dtb

gira, gira, you and I...."
Isn't this "Mambo Italiano"?
How about:
When the moon
(blank) your eye
like a big
pizza pie
that's amooooooooreeeeeeee...
Oh the crimes that've been committed in the name of music...
Baci
Isa

 that's amooooooooreeeeeeee...
 
ammmooureeeeee (needs at least three "m") :-))
Giorgio
________________________________________________________
Giorgio Capuani
Dipartimento di Chimica   -   Universita' "La Sapienza"
Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5     -   00185 Roma
voice: 
++39-06-4991 ext. 3708
/3576   fax: 
++39-06-4455278
 
E-mail: 
cap...@uniroma1.it

Dear Isa
If the others will allow me a moment of personal indulgence, I write
to say that you have the uncanny ability of cheering me up when, it
seems, it is most required. I thank you for that, though it may well
be, indeed  indubitably it is, that you are not aware of this fact.
The first song I posted, was not in fact, Mambo Italiano. I shall, (by
your leave of course your Highness), wait a while to see if any other
members care to attempt to +ACI-name that tune+ACI-. I would not be at
all
surprised to learn that the song is unknown. It was not a so-called
 ' popular tune', but rather a song from an  album which kept many
lonely Italians company as they attempted to settle into new lands,
far away from home. +AFs-cue violin music in the background+AF0-.
With reference to  ' That's Amore ' , I find myself in total agreement
with you again, regarding the heinuous nature of the crimes foisted
upon an unsuspecting public in the name of music. Bearing this in
mind, I have to confess that on more than  one occasion I have caught
myself out singing the above-mentioned song, usually when involved in
some mundane chore in the garden in the sun. Odd, I find, as there is
no reference to sun in the song, but rather, the moon. I shall leave
the significance (if any, which I doubt) to the psychiatrists among
us.
Totally off the point now I wonder if I might ask: are you reading my
messages with hideous character codes in place of punctuation? I am
much troubled by this, but seem unable to make them go away. I am
unsure however, if it is just the way I am seeing things on my pc, and
therefore my problem, or if my posts are indeed
being sent out in this format.
Thanking you for...see above
I remain your humble servant,
Bambi
dtb

Thanking you for...see above
I read, sighed a little sigh that held bits of shared joy and pain tight
together, and procedeed to immediately forget every word. Won't work if I
know, but hope I can do the trick again and again and again, the pleasure
and the privilege would be mine.
Lotta love
Isa

The indulgence of the group is requested...most humbly, as I attempt
to work my way through MIME, HTML et all.
My oh my, Isabella, if I might take the liberty of saying that you do
drop names with such style. Seldom have I seen
name-dropping done in a more  winning  manner. By your own account, it
would seem that you have mastered the art of what in army parlance is
rather crudely known as;  "talking cock with confidence"  (you go
girl !)
I have Outlook Express, as you so intuitively divined, and again,
proving that Queens are always right, in Italian.  I have with this
post, made the change you suggested...now to see what ensues.  With
regard to MIME and HTML etc. unless I have become a total doddard,
(which is of course, entirely probable)
I recollect having posted using just about every variable
possible....If
there is one variable I may have omitted, I am quite certain it would
be the one required. 'e te pare....
If I might again thank the group for allowing this  decidedly OT
message , whilst at the same time also thanking Isa for...she knows
what,
I remain, as ever, ecc
Bambi
dtb

Having had recent occasion in this very news group to wonder whether
or not I was becoming doddery in my advancing years,  I must confess
that I can't for the life of me remember the name of that song,  ' a
time to be born, a time to die'
I could write the lyrics, and tell you that Mary Hopkins sang it.  ( a
Beatles protege..and where is she now?) I could even tell you that on
side B of the 45 single (remember those) was a song which began:
'Please don't wake me up too late, tomorrow comes, and I will....'
ecc. But as for the actual song titles?
In real need of course, I could venture forth, up into the attaic and
extract from my dusty singles case, the answer to the riddle.
However, I feel this is definitely a case for a former flower child.
I remain, ecc
Bambi
dtb


 Monday Monday
so good to me;
 Monday morning
 it was all I hoped it would be,
 Oh Monday morning
 you gave me no warning
 of what was to be,
 Oh Monday Monday
 how could you leave,
 and not take me..."
Monday Monday
Can't trust that day
Monday Monday
sometimes it just turns out that way
.....ecc.....ecc
I hear it on the radio at least once a week!
bye
Arianna


 Bye


 >
esattamente!
ciao


+AD4-I have Outlook Express, as you so intuitively divined, and again,
+AD4-proving that Queens are always right, in Italian.  I have with this
+AD4-post, made the change you suggested...now to see what ensues.  With
+AD4-regard to MIME and HTML etc. unless I have become a total doddard,
+AD4-(which is of course, entirely probable)
+AD4-I recollect having posted using just about every variable
+AD4-possible....If there is one variable I may have omitted,
+AD4-I am quite certain it would be the one required. 'e te pare....
Bambi, I see that (after the changes that Isa suggested) the problem
is resolved...
Now you have to change this Courier Face to another less-boring Font...
Bye, Roscio.

Now you have to change this Courier Face to another less-boring Font...
Io la vedo sempre con quei caratteri assurdi, e in Arial. Mah?
Ciao
Isa

Alas, alack and woe is me! The demon characters will not be beaten.
Prior to even remotely contemplating changing fonts, I shall content
myself with vanquishing the abovementioned  demons.....onward, ever
onward.
I am grateful however, for being kept abreast of what others are
visualising.
There have been a few knights in shining armour who are doing their
utmost to assit this damsel in distress.
Chivalry is alive and well.
