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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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 Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy walks into a psychiatrist's office and says "I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam". Shrink says "Your problem is you're too tense". |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| johntpartee wrote: |
| Dutch; there's gotta be others. |
I can see dutch as a noun, but as a verb?
There's another one I was thinking of, as a verb/noun, then as a demonym.
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| A friend of a friend had to introduce herself to a church congregation in Spanish. Her speech was sprung on her and her Spanish wasn't great. She started by trying to explain that the (vicar, pastor, priest?) had embarrassed her by asking her to speak unprepared. She used embarazada (pregnant) instead of avergonzado (embarrassed). Apparently her introduction was rapidly cut short. |
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VinnyG.
Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 18
Location: Massachusetts
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:36 am Post subject: |
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How about polish/Polish?
Can you name two pairs of homonyms where the two words don't have any letters in common? |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:17 am Post subject: |
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| VinnyG. wrote: |
| How about polish/Polish? |
There it is.
+1
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| But Polish isn't a demonym, the demonym is Pole. As I understand it, when the adjective form is used as a noun (e.g. The Polish are hard workers) it's an accepted usage contraction of 'the Polish people', it's still an adjective. |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| HLJHLJ wrote: |
| But Polish isn't a demonym, the demonym is Pole. As I understand it, when the adjective form is used as a noun (e.g. The Polish are hard workers) it's an accepted usage contraction of 'the Polish people', it's still an adjective. |
Both Pole and Polish can be demonyms.
The Polish (used as a noun) are hard-working people.
He's being very Polish. (used as an adjective)
Just as:
The Irish are hard-working people.
They are sooooooo Irish!
http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa030900a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonym
The Wikipedia page notes that it's an irregular demonym.
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| fat_chris wrote: |
The Polish (here as a noun) are hard-working people.
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Hmm this is what I disagree with. I think in that sentence Polish is still an adjective because it's a contraction of
The Polish people are hard-working people.
We avoid repeating 'people' twice in the sentence, and common usage often lets us drop it entirely, but it's still an adjective.
I think the Wikipedia entry is wrong. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:11 am Post subject: |
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| Interesting. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:05 am Post subject: |
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| If polish/Polish is one, then surely too welsh/Welsh? |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:15 am Post subject: |
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| Is it "welsh" or "welch"? I looked it up on Wiktionary; check it out. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:18 am Post subject: |
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Optional spelling, as far as I know. But it etymology is clearly from the ethnic group known as the Welsh.
Now to look up Scot free... |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| Now to look up Scot free... |
scot47 free!
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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Dear fat_chris,
Well, he's not free - but he is rather cheap. 
Regards,
John |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear fat_chris,
Well, he's not free - but he is rather cheap.
Regards,
John |
Oh!
…and I have a feeling this thread won't be scot47 free before too long.
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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