• db2@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    9, you could monotone it all, and you could make the last word interrogative.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Used to think Chinese must be impossible to learn as so much depends on context and very slight “stresses” (forget the word). Now I’m thinking that applies to about any language.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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      21 hours ago

      Tones is the word, and while Chinese tones are hard they’re just part of the pronunciation of a word rather than anything context dependent. The English equivalent would be the stressed syllable in a word, and yes every language has something like this.

    • EvilCartyen@feddit.dk
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      20 hours ago

      It does, it just depends on how it’s coded. Like, take word order. If you have a case system with nominative, accusative, etc. your word order can be pretty free, you can move objects to the front of the sentence like ‘food-ACC eat I-NOM’.

      Remove the case system and it’s simpler to encode the words, but word order becomes much more fixed.

      All languages are equally complex, in theory at least, but where the complexity lies is different.

  • blave@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    I’ve definitely said this sentence enough times to know that there are more than seven meanings, especially if you either shout this sentence or whisper it.

  • peoplebeproblems@midwest.social
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    19 hours ago

    Uhm.

    I might be missing something, but when I say it out loud I only get 6. I’m not sure which word I’m not stressing either.

    • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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      16 hours ago
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- Someone else said it.
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- I was accused of having said it; I’ve never said it.
      • I never said he licked me asshole. <-- He licked my asshole, but I didn’t talk about it.
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- Someone licked my asshole, but it wasn’t him.
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- He did something with my asshole, but it wasn’t licking.
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- He licked an asshole, just not mine.
      • I never said he licked my asshole. <-- He licked some part of me, just not my asshole.
        • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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          16 hours ago

          Some context might provide the distinction.

          • Adam: “Jane told me that he licked her asshole.”

            • Jane: “I never said he licked my asshole.” <-- He never licked my asshole, and I never claimed that he did. Adam is lying about both parts.
            • Jane: “I never said he licked my asshole.” <-- He licked my asshole, but I never told anyone that he did. Adam learned about the asshole-licking from someone other than me.
    • Famko@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Stressing each word gives a different meaning to the sentence and considering that there are 7 words, it means there are possible 7 meanings if you stress one word.

  • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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    16 hours ago

    This is why I’m sure spoken English and written English are two different languages. Information is carried through vocal emphasis that the standard alphabet doesn’t contain symbols for. Online we often resort to bold or italics or allcaps, whatever is available.

    • Mike D@piefed.social
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      16 hours ago

      Very much so. Ever had a misunderstanding while texting someone? The vocal emphasis is missing.

  • PagPag@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    This is funny but it would be better if we weren’t all distracted by the absolute shit picture. I tend to just laugh then downvote this garbage effort whether intentional or not.