The Reid wrote:

> Following up to [email protected] (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
> (*)) wrote:
>
>
>>This is getting confusing. "Britain" isn't an americanism.
>
>
> we call ourselves British, I've never heard UKian!
>
>
>>England often is, meaning Britain.
>
>
> England swings like a pendulum due
> bobbies on bicycles, two by two....

By the way, it's "pendulum do"

Following up to mrtravel <[email protected]> wrote:

>> England swings like a pendulum due
>> bobbies on bicycles, two by two....
>
>By the way, it's "pendulum do"


i wondered what it meant, (well a bit)
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

On Aug 4, 2:08 pm, "James Silverton" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> The wrote on Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:53:49 +0100:
>
> ??>>> I think they do. The problem comes when you are presented
> ??>>> with a new word as text. In English, even after a
> ??>>> lifetime, you cant be sure how to say it. I see that as a
> ??>>> bad point.
> ??>>
> ??>> But it's not a defect of the language, per se.
>
> TR> what is it a defect of?
>
> "It's not a bug, it's a feature!"
>
> Spanish *is* impressive with its consistent pronunciation, so
> much so that the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy does
> not have pronunciation indicators, unlike most English
> dictionaries. On the other hand, IMHO, Spanish grammar is not
> easy to learn; they even have a subjunctive tense! (I know
> English has a few remnants so don't bother pointing them out :-)
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

The consistent pronunciation stuff is true in principle, but Spain has
a plethora of regional dialects, just as the UK does. You need to
understand what someone is saying to you as well as be able to speak
it. Down here in SW Andalucia the dialect is so strong that it
bears about as much relationship to what you'd be taught in language
class as broad
Geordie does to RP. Consonants are pretty much optional and 'll' is
pronounced 'j';
thus 'Castillo' is pronounced 'Cast-ee-jo' with the 'j' said in the
English way.
And that's before we get on to Latin American Spanish.

Point taken about the subjunctive. Probably worth mentioning the verbs
'ser'
and 'estar'. The difference between the two is not as simple as a
grammar book
will make out. Even in the better ones which distinguish between
'intrinsic' as opposed to
'contingent' properties, rather than the more lazy and misleading
'permanent' and
'temporary'. Like all languages, you aim to get to the stage where you
say it right
because it sounds right. I'm nowhere there yet.


There. Rant over. I need a cold beer.

Allan