Scare quotes is a term for a particular use of quotation marks. In this application, quotation marks are placed around a single word or phrase to indicate that the word or phrase does not signify its literal or conventional meaning.
If you weren't using them that way, then what were you trying to imply by putting the word Australian in quotes?
And I say zee when it's part of a name. A name is a name.
I have no clue if I pronounce the H in "H" or not. I've been told I sometimes add H sounds to random words that start with a vowel or forget them when they should be pronounced. I'm going to say I'm inconsistent on whether I say "haytsh" or "aytsh".
French is "ash", incidentally. And "zed" for Z.
I generally think of French speakers as pronouncing "H" as inbetween. You kind of have that aspirant/sighing at the beginning while English speakers will pronounce it as "aitch" with the first sound like the "a" in "ate" or an "h" sound like in "hate". That might be why some people hear you saying an extra "h" while others don't; they have different sensitivities to it. Like I know a British man who complains about younger people saying "wif" or "wiv" instead of "with", and yet he does it himself constantly. He just doesn't hear it when he does it.
cucumbers are a gourd they are in the same family as pumpkins and zukes technically it is a vegetable because of this reason same with pumpkins also a vegetable because the seeds are soft not hard fruits have to have hard seeds or they land in this catagory.
no they don't there is a fine line between hard and soft seeds they are the hardest of the soft i am not sure of the specifics when it comes to determining hard vs soft but pumpkin seeds are soft
I eat pumpkin seeds once, in my chinese class ^^!. Now, those were the biggest pumpkin seeds ever! And maybe not from the same pumpkin you are talking about.
I remember being taught that gourds are fruit. So pumpkins would be fruit, squashes too and so on.
Anyways. The interesting thing in French is that we have an aspirate H, but it's only used in laughs and the like. Like "Ha ha ha", each H is aspirate.
And seriously, why is it called "aspirate" instead of "expirate"? I don't know about you, but I breathe out, not in when I pronounce a H.
Because there's an aspirate when you say aspirate? Frankly, there is much about English that doesn't make sense. The important thing is to roll with the punches and not eat bitter cucumbers. (That's one thing I don't get; cucumbers in California never taste as good as the ones I get in KSA. Why the heck would they taste better there when they're grown in a desert?!)
I remember being taught that gourds are fruit. So pumpkins would be fruit, squashes too and so on.
Anyways. The interesting thing in French is that we have an aspirate H, but it's only used in laughs and the like. Like "Ha ha ha", each H is aspirate.
And seriously, why is it called "aspirate" instead of "expirate"? I don't know about you, but I breathe out, not in when I pronounce a H.
"Aspirate" and "expirate" would both essentially mean the same thing. "A" is the Latin prepositional prefix meaning "from," and "ex" is the Latin prepositional prefix meaning "out of." "De" is the prefix meaning "out from," and so "despirate" would also mean pretty much the same thing. "Inspirate" would mean "to breath in." "Obspirate" would mean "to breath in front of." "Conspirate" would mean "to breath with." "Respirate" would mean "to breath back" or "to breath again." Et cetera.
as·pi·rate, tr.v.
1 Linguistics
[LIST=2][*] To pronounce (a vowel or word) with the initial release of breath associated with English h, as in hurry.
[*] To follow (a consonant, especially a stop consonant) with a puff of breath that is clearly audible before the next sound begins, as in English pit or kit.[/LIST]
2. To draw (something) into the lungs; inhale.
So when it's not in linguistics, it means to breathe in, not out.
As far as I know, it is so in any English-speaking country that isn't the US.
We didn't make it up -- it's actually a regional British English dialect pronunciation that happened to catch on in the colonies, if this is to be believed. The Straight Dope also backs up that story.
I wasn't trying to sound insulting. Changes in language due to distance are common, and considering most of your alphabet is pronounced in a "-ee" way, "zee" makes some sense.
Just saying that I was aware it's the same in Canada, and in most English-speaking places. Actually in school in France, we weren't even taught the "zee" variation.
EDIT: and usually, we're taught the stuff that's most different from French. Cue to years of being taught that "voyage", "vacation" and "baggage" aren't words in English, and you need to use "journey", "holiday" and "luggage".
EDIT: and usually, we're taught the stuff that's most different from French. Cue to years of being taught that "voyage", "vacation" and "baggage" aren't words in English, and you need to use "journey", "holiday" and "luggage".
Wha? I'm confused. Why were you taught that those weren't words, or even words not commonly used? At least where I'm from both sets of terms are common.
Wha? I'm confused. Why were you taught that those weren't words, or even words not commonly used? At least where I'm from both sets of terms are common.
That's the point. Even when the words exist and are commonly used, if there is a word close to French and a word not close to French, they either told us that the words didn't exist, like in the examples above, or that they were never used, such as for instance "liberty", which was never used except for "statue of liberty".
Then in university I was told "oh yeah, all these words exist, we just wanted to make sure you'd learn the words that aren't close to French". We were penalized if we used the "wrong" ones! We got points deduced from our marks for using words like "comprehend" or "utilize". It's ridiculous.
Well, there's only so much you can say about lengthwise-cut cucumbers. The topic doesn't exactly call for much discussing.
The solution to that is top stop discussing it then, and move on. This forum in general has become pretty shitty about just letting threads die and starting new ones. It's actually fairly annoying and lame.
Comments
Well, there's only so much you can say about lengthwise-cut cucumbers. The topic doesn't exactly call for much discussing.
I say 'zed', unless I'm singing the alphabet or speaking the alphabet in rhythm (because it must rhyme with 'v') or if I'm saying 'ZZ Top'.
zed zed top sounds even better!
Hehe, sometimes I actually say that for a joke
Well... not a joke, but just to be dumb.
coach zed guest starring for zed zed top.
i only say zed when i pronounce "ANZ"
And it's the Australian way without "scare quotes". If you pronounce it zee, you're pronouncing it the American way.
Aitch and haitch are both correct in Australian English, though. I say aitch.
Yeah, Ay-eN-Zee just sounds strange.
Am i mistaken, or are about 25% of the people on these forums that post frequently Australian?
Also, i didn't use them as "scare quotes".
I don't get the "I just say z". Do you say "zzzz", without any vowel? That sounds like a weird way to say it.
I say Zee. Better?
Same. All of the smarter people I know pronounce these letters this way.
R u speeking dat eye iz nought smart?
And I say zee when it's part of a name. A name is a name.
If they think zee I say zed
and vise-versa.
Also aitch
French is "ash", incidentally. And "zed" for Z.
Anyways. The interesting thing in French is that we have an aspirate H, but it's only used in laughs and the like. Like "Ha ha ha", each H is aspirate.
And seriously, why is it called "aspirate" instead of "expirate"? I don't know about you, but I breathe out, not in when I pronounce a H.
"Aspirate" and "expirate" would both essentially mean the same thing. "A" is the Latin prepositional prefix meaning "from," and "ex" is the Latin prepositional prefix meaning "out of." "De" is the prefix meaning "out from," and so "despirate" would also mean pretty much the same thing. "Inspirate" would mean "to breath in." "Obspirate" would mean "to breath in front of." "Conspirate" would mean "to breath with." "Respirate" would mean "to breath back" or "to breath again." Et cetera.
As far as I know, it is so in any English-speaking country that isn't the US.
Also, @thesporkman:
So when it's not in linguistics, it means to breathe in, not out.
Just saying that I was aware it's the same in Canada, and in most English-speaking places. Actually in school in France, we weren't even taught the "zee" variation.
EDIT: and usually, we're taught the stuff that's most different from French. Cue to years of being taught that "voyage", "vacation" and "baggage" aren't words in English, and you need to use "journey", "holiday" and "luggage".
Wha? I'm confused. Why were you taught that those weren't words, or even words not commonly used? At least where I'm from both sets of terms are common.
That's the point. Even when the words exist and are commonly used, if there is a word close to French and a word not close to French, they either told us that the words didn't exist, like in the examples above, or that they were never used, such as for instance "liberty", which was never used except for "statue of liberty".
Then in university I was told "oh yeah, all these words exist, we just wanted to make sure you'd learn the words that aren't close to French". We were penalized if we used the "wrong" ones! We got points deduced from our marks for using words like "comprehend" or "utilize". It's ridiculous.
The solution to that is top stop discussing it then, and move on. This forum in general has become pretty shitty about just letting threads die and starting new ones. It's actually fairly annoying and lame.