Can you translate this Italian phrase into English? "Nun so' fesso ma faccio o' fesso perche' facendo o' fesso te faccio fesso."
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posted by ataxia
on Apr 28, 2013 -
9 answers
I first came across this about 20 years ago in a Calvin & Hobbes strip where Hobbes taunts his friend: "Calvin and Susie, sitting in a tree. Kay-Eye-Ess-Ess-Eye-En-Gee!" I never understood why Hobbes was making "words" out of letters; I assumed it was something unique to comics (or tigers). Then today, a
poem linked to in
this FPP reminded me of that old comic strip and got me thinking: Why is there an
entire parallel alphabet to spell out the letters of the alphabet?
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posted by andromache
on Apr 14, 2013 -
29 answers
Hello, I'm a French student preparing for English interviews and in my last mock session my interviewer talked about my accent that could put me at a disadvantage. I can't afford and don't have the time to see a speech therapist so I'm looking for books with audio tracks that are aimed at mastering the standard American accent. Do you know or know somebody that had had great results with a particular book?
Thank you!
posted by lite
on Mar 27, 2013 -
19 answers
I'm considering taking online courses/doing a part time degree in English for interest reasons. Will this be worth it?
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posted by Paper rabies
on Jan 3, 2013 -
10 answers
What qualifications do I need to teach humanities, beyond the normal education teachery qualifications? Victoria, Australia, to be specific. I am a Spanish/English methods teacher, but would love some more advice on applying for all those English/Humanities jobs out there.
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posted by titanium_geek
on Oct 4, 2012 -
4 answers
Hermann Hesse apparently published a book called
Bäume: Betrachtungen und Gedichte (Trees: Reflections and Poems) and I'm trying to find a version in English, because it sounds awesome.
Look.
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posted by Cobalt
on Sep 25, 2012 -
6 answers
I know that the real English countryside is not as violent as Midsomer County --
no place is -- but how realistic are the other aspects of country life portrayed in the show? (specific questions inside)
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posted by OrangeDisk
on Sep 14, 2012 -
9 answers
How could I describe in a non-technical way how certain English-speakers maintain a distinction between the "w" and "wh" sound? A certain amount of technical description could help. Its for a character in a story. For example: "The beginning of his 'what' still comes from deep within his throat." I don't know if that's technically true and it sounds awesomely terrible but something like that.
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posted by pynchonesque
on Jul 13, 2012 -
19 answers
Looking for work in Japan - Have a work visa that will expire in early August. Details inside.
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posted by Kamelot123
on May 26, 2012 -
9 answers
Have there been any American actors that have been cast as primary characters on British shows and use a British accent?
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posted by curious nu
on May 6, 2012 -
30 answers
English language friends: Why do we use the word “different” when it doesn’t appear to be necessary?
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posted by bryon
on Apr 17, 2012 -
18 answers
Project based learning and interdisciplinary teaching! I'm a high school science teacher working with an enthusiastic English teacher and we're trying to find the best project ideas to use in summer school (and beyond if successful).
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posted by kinetic
on Mar 30, 2012 -
8 answers
E.B. White and George Orwell both suggest that short, lively Saxon words are often better than long Latin ones. This rule has helped my own writing, but my thesaurus is still full of Greek and Latin. Is there a thesaurus that includes only Anglo-Saxon synonyms? Even better, is there one sortable by origin?
posted by ecmendenhall
on Mar 3, 2012 -
2 answers
I graduated from college a few months ago with an IT degree, but my heart is not in it. I also just got a certification to teach English overseas. Should I work in IT or travel overseas?
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posted by deeba
on Feb 2, 2012 -
18 answers
I'm looking for a fully online MA program in TESOL or a related field like Applied Linguistics, that is NOT meant for K-12 public school teaching, with the aim of professionalizing myself as an English tutor. I found the New School's program
here, that would certainly cover all my bases, but I simply wouldn't be able to afford the cost. Can you help me find other options?
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posted by StrikeTheViol
on Jan 9, 2012 -
5 answers
Where can I find a comprehensive list of words that are pronounced differently in the US and the UK?
Wikipedia is a good start, but it's not complete.
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posted by cincinnatus c
on Dec 21, 2011 -
9 answers
is there a word for 'a word that fits its own definition'? for example, sesquipedalian is a big word that by definition means "prone to using big words." is there a formal term for this type of thing?
posted by carlypennylane
on Nov 29, 2011 -
5 answers
Can you help me explain how and when to use articles (a/an/the) to a non-native English speaker?
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posted by shortyJBot
on Nov 7, 2011 -
9 answers
Has an evaluation been made of the dichotomy between what is implied by the term "wild" in the line "You drive us wild" and what is implied by the term "crazy" in the immediately following line "We'll drive you crazy" in KISS's "Rock And Roll All Night?"
posted by herbplarfegan
on Aug 23, 2011 -
16 answers
Why does the New York Times write "unemployment rose to 10% from 5%" rather than "unemployment rose from 5% to 10%"? I trip over this formulation and have to go back and reread the clause every time. Is the goal to increase clarity of avoid confusion in some way? How so? This doesn't seem to be standard American English, and it's certainly not usual in the UK.
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posted by caek
on Jul 15, 2011 -
14 answers
Calling etymologists, linguists, lexicographers, and research librarians! Was there a time when 'television,' 'radio,' or 'newspaper' were always capitalized?
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posted by thebestsophist
on Jun 20, 2011 -
12 answers
ELT-filter: I'm arguing that "What's your favorite lunch menu?" is Japanese-English phrasing that shouldn't be included in an English textbook.
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posted by planetkyoto
on May 9, 2011 -
37 answers
Summer short course filter: Fun readings on the internet, the future, and research in the digital age for high school teachers. Help a librarian plan a syllabus!
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posted by activitystory
on Apr 28, 2011 -
5 answers
Tutoring two 2nd-grade students in writing more creatively. I'm a creative writing grad student, so no sweat right? Wrong. Their first language isn't English.
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posted by joyeuxamelie
on Apr 19, 2011 -
10 answers
So yesterday I bought a used copy of Fallout 3 for the xbox 360 at my local Gamestop. Turned out it was a Polish version. Anyone know if it's possible to change the default Polish text and dialogue to English?
posted by Dumsnill
on Apr 9, 2011 -
7 answers
What's the etymology of the phrase "once and for all"? What's the earliest known attestation?
posted by topynate
on Feb 11, 2011 -
5 answers
I only speak English and I live in a country where much of the English spoken is devoid of plurals and tenses and has a very limited vocabulary. In order to communicate most effectively, would I be better off speaking in technically correct sentences or simplifying my speech similarly?
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posted by m1ndsurfer
on Jan 17, 2011 -
20 answers
Is there any graduate program that emphasizes writing skills (in English) while providing a rigorous education in grammar, literature, and related languages (i.e. Latin), without focusing on literary criticism, but rather on writing itself? More after the jump.
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posted by Nebula
on Jan 8, 2011 -
17 answers
I want to make this short and excuse my uneasy temperment.
I'm in Korea teaching English. Teaching for almost a month to be exact. No background in teaching nor attending a seminar for ESL teaching. It's very hard since I'm doing this in the middle of the last school semester.
I don't know what to do to be honest. I speak Korean and this is a menace. They have huge expectations about me as I can speak both languages.
I need to improve my teaching skills overall
ASAP. But what to do?
posted by sanskrtam
on Nov 15, 2010 -
29 answers
Help me refresh my Spanish at the same time that my 8 month old acquires it. Where can we watch Spanish-language cartoons online?
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posted by 256
on Nov 9, 2010 -
7 answers
I am a volunteer for an organization building a nonprofit university in Angola. I am tasked with finding funding for English as a Second Language education--all students who do not speak English will take year long intensive course in English. I'm looking for whatever help I can get in finding funds.
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posted by wires
on Nov 4, 2010 -
10 answers
I'm trying to remember the name/address of a funny website I used to visit perhaps 8-10 years ago or so. It was a humor site from out of England I think, presented in kind of a newspaper 'broadsheet' format, and had a distinctly anachronistic writing style, which I remembering being kind of Edwardian/P.G. Wodehouse-ish.
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posted by pziemba
on Oct 28, 2010 -
5 answers
