Subj : PING Question To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Sat Feb 22 2020 09:34:00 Hi Nancy! BM>>> So useful for me to figure out a problem, possibly semi-useful to the BM>>> other person for learning a little about something they may know BM>>> next-to-nothing about. NB>>> Or even just exposure to it, so that it sounds vaguely familiar next NB>>> time around.... ;) BM>> That was something I did in college: during the breaks between quarters BM>> read from an "Introduction to" type of text to get familiar with BM>> terminology plus the basics. That way everything wasn't new to me. NB>> I was never quite that proactive at getting exposure to things... ;) BM> Most aren't. Occasionally the "watcha doin' durin' break" would come BM> up, I'd tell - "oh! that's a good idea! I should do that!". I think BM> maybe a couple classmates did. NB> It wasn't something that I really needed at all... pretty much NB> the courses I took were understandable enough even without any NB> prior exposure, or I'd already had some some other way... Only NB> two classes I really had any problems with were two advanced math NB> courses, and there the problem was that my thought patterns, NB> while valid from a logic point of view, weren't the exact same as NB> the instructor, so while I'd understand his explanation, he'd NB> never give me credit when I didn't do it his way.... and it NB> wasn't something that I could just memorize so as to pass the NB> quizzes and tests.... Yes, I remember you posting that some time back. I remember I had something similar with division and the "show your work" waterfall of numbers below. I _know_ 3 goes in to 27 an even 9 times - so does just about everyone else! Why waste time? I'll do and show the work with something worthwhile! (No, didn't say that, but I was thinking it!) BM>>> ... Approximately one new word added to the English language every 2 BM>>> hours. NB>>> Now THAT's a bit scary, actually.... BM>> Well, yes and no: the language is evolving, which is good, just at a BM>> far more rapid pace than we expected. NB>> It's the rapid pace that's scary.... :) BM> Maybe we just found why the new medication names are such a jumble of BM> letters: have to make up a whole new word as most of the old words BM> which could be used for combining are taken! ...Throw those Scrabble BM> tiles and see what we come up with! NB> Often the Brand names are something at least reminiscent of what NB> the drug is supposed to be treating... and I think the generic NB> drug name has some relation to what class of drug it is.... I NB> realize you were just kidding about throwing the scrabble tiles, NB> but that's really not how they do it... generally has something NB> to do with the compound(s) making up the new drug(s).... Yes, I was kidding about the Scrabble tiles but it sure seems like it some times!! BM>> And English (or at least BM>> American English) tends to absorb international words and phrases BM>> readily whereas French (of France) tends to avoid adding new phrases, BM>> rather preferring to stick together a bunch of current ones to create BM>> the new. Can't think of an example currently but let's say Pita bread BM>> of the Middle East. English would just call it 'pita', possibly BM>> clobbering the original pronunciation; French might string together BM>> "unrisen bread with the contents inside". NB>> German's even worse.... piling it all into one very long complicated NB>> word that uses all that string.... BM> Tell me about it! This one came up (don't ask why!!): Consumer BM> Analytic Production Attorney General (it's a mouthful in English!) ==> BM> Generalstaatsanwalt fr Analytische Konsumgterproduktion NB> That one's almost understandable... albeit an even bigger NB> mouthful.... ;) Yes, after the initial glance and shock at the word taking up half the line (to English-speaking eyes, anyway) one starts seeing potential words-within-the-word to make it understandable. Half-thinking of the 13- and 15-letter word categories on _Jeopardy!_, most of which are relatively common usage and so not as bad as one initially things when hears "thirteen letters!!". Generalstaatsanwalt is 19. Konsumgterproduktion is 21. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is 34. ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... Inquiring Lunatics want to know! --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .