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Area 51 » Culture

definition commitment beta
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English Language & Usage

Launched Q&A site for linguists, etymologists, and (serious) English language enthusiasts

Announcements

3  
Does this include issues of punctuation? – Robert Cartaino Jun 1 '10 at 20:28
3  
Could somebody with power fix the "for for linguists" in the description? – Dan Dumitru Jun 1 '10 at 21:23
10  
I'm signed up to this proposal, but I don't like the direction it is headed. There's a tendency for people who make many categorical assertions about English usage to be ignorant of relevant linguistic knowledge, such as about register, the relationship between spoken and written English, how standard English came to be, and the actual facts about what constitutes standard English. Is the core of this site meant to be experts or pontificators? How should our preference be reflected in the example questions we choose? – Charles Stewart Jun 10 '10 at 11:14
show 15 more announcements
11
votes
1
answer

Should the proposal definition be changed?

may 27 '14 at 17:39 Tamer Shlash 345
6
votes
2
answers

The requirements for progressing from definition to commitment are warped

may 23 '14 at 0:11 Robert Cartaino 473

discuss this proposal

64 Example Questions (8 closed)

active newest votes
up vote 0 down vote
Does anyone know if there is an XML format that exists for English grammar?
added by Edward Tanguay Jun 17 '10 at 21:22
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up vote 0 down vote
What languages are genetic relatives of English? When/where was mutual intelligibility lost? What artifacts of that relationship can still be found?
added by Charlie Jun 17 '10 at 21:47
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IMHO this would go better on Linguistics (area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/6673/…). – JSBձոգչ Jun 18 '10 at 0:50
up vote 0 down vote
Does anyone want to be my pen pal so I can improve my English?
added by Dan Dumitru Jun 18 '10 at 10:30
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...just because I thought I could come up with a better off-topic example :) – Dan Dumitru Jun 18 '10 at 10:31
up vote 0 down vote
Why should native English speakers learn "proper" English instead of continuing to speak/type what they're used to? (such as ebonics, or "1337")
added by Stephen Furlani Jun 18 '10 at 15:14
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I'd like to add something about the dynamic quality of language, or how to communicate this to modern High School students but the question has a limited characters. – Stephen Furlani Jun 18 '10 at 15:15
up vote 0 down vote
Is there something grammatically wrong with ending a sentence with "it's" and if not, why does it sound so wrong?
added by JohnFx Jun 18 '10 at 15:15
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up vote 0 down vote
What is the rule for when to use the article "a" versus "an" to precede a noun?
added by JohnFx Jun 18 '10 at 15:17
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up vote 0 down vote
Does English have any formally recognized dialects?
added by JohnFx Jun 18 '10 at 15:17
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up vote 0 down vote
Should immigrants be required to learn English as part of the naturalization process?
added by JohnFx Jun 18 '10 at 15:24
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up vote 0 down vote
Is English the lingua franca of business?
added by JohnFx Jun 18 '10 at 15:26
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up vote -1 down vote
Is the expression 're-up' used in 'The Wire' common, and where did it originate?
added by cindi Jun 17 '10 at 10:18
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up vote -2 down vote
Do you consider a serial comma (i.e. "Oxford comma") to be required in a list of three or more items?
added by gnovice Jun 4 '10 at 4:35
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In case anyone is interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma – gnovice Jun 4 '10 at 4:36
1  
The question has to be dealt with even though there's not an authoritative answer. – moioci Jun 4 '10 at 7:51
1  
This question was intended as a test case for whether highly subjective questions are considered on- or off-topic. – gnovice Jun 5 '10 at 14:13
gnovice, thanks - this question highlights an issue raised here: meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/52614/… Your clarification helps - this is a perfect proposal to test the boundary, but I don't want to vote off-topic for it because I think it should be askable - In this case, "it's subjective" is a great, definitive answer, since it tells me that both are permissible. +1 for on-topic. – Jaydles Jun 5 '10 at 15:28
Too subjective. A better question might be, "What common style guides advocate/mandate the serial comma?" – Jesse Beder Jun 17 '10 at 2:09
up vote -2 down vote
How to build my English vocabulary? [closed]
added by Sujee Jun 6 '10 at 16:44
link

closed as off topic by sth, Rob Hyndman, Konrad Rudolph, Michal Gajdos, alexanderpas Jun 16 '10 at 22:01

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote -2 down vote
Where can I get a summary of [some play by Shakespeare]? [closed]
added by sth Jun 8 '10 at 3:09
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closed as off topic by Jared Updike, JSBձոգչ, David Thornley, Andrew Aylett, mafutrct Jun 17 '10 at 11:22

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote -3 down vote
Where can I learn to speak ye olde Shakespeare English? [closed]
added by herzmeister Jun 1 '10 at 19:58
link

closed as off topic by fmark, gnovice, Maxim Zaslavsky, Ward, Rob Hyndman Jun 11 '10 at 1:00

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

This question is vague. Are you asking for a real world place or physical course that teaches this, or for a book, or a website, or what? If a physical course, then I think this is too localised. – ire_and_curses Jun 1 '10 at 23:06
This is a bit localized but the question seems on topic. – Good Person Jun 2 '10 at 7:03
The question of "what was the pronunciation of English in Shakespeare's time?" seems to me to be on topic. – Master Of Disaster Jun 9 '10 at 2:31
@kinopiko: i agree, but that's not what this question asks. – quack quixote Jun 15 '10 at 12:12
up vote -3 down vote
How to use a "/" with in multi word cases? For example - "to be / not to be" or "to be/not to be".
added by Lazer Jun 5 '10 at 17:58
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1  
That's not English, that's typesetting. – Zombie Praeclarum Jun 8 '10 at 0:02
I think the answer might be don't use '/' with multi-word cases, but I think it's a reasonable question. – cindi Jun 17 '10 at 15:33
up vote -3 down vote
What is the difference between "I don't want" or "I do not want"? is second one more polite?
added by Sujee Jun 6 '10 at 16:59
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up vote -3 down vote
Can you recommend a good online thesaurus?
added by sth Jun 8 '10 at 3:02
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Better example would be: what are the pros and cons of various online thesauri? – Jared Updike Jun 10 '10 at 6:31
Another better example: "What is your favorite online thesaurus"? Link: area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/1269/… – Ed Brannin Jun 17 '10 at 18:55
up vote -4 down vote
Can I make money as an english major? [closed]
added by Gordon Gustafson Jun 16 '10 at 3:21
link

closed as off topic by Mark Pim, JohnFx, Scott Morrison, Dan Dumitru, Daniel LeCheminant Jun 17 '10 at 21:37

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote -5 down vote
What is the root of immortality and where did it come from.
added by Arlen Beiler Jun 1 '10 at 20:05
link
1  
While this is on topic I already posted a general version of this question. – Good Person Jun 2 '10 at 13:31
I believe you mean the root of "immortality", or else this belongs in mythology. – moioci Jun 8 '10 at 5:58
up vote -6 down vote
Where does the word "certificate" come from, and what is its root word?
added by Arlen Beiler Jun 1 '10 at 20:28
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While this is on topic I already posted a general version of this question. – Good Person Jun 2 '10 at 13:32
I'm voting "not a good example" because there are other examples of etymological queries that are identical to this one – Joel Spolsky♦ Jun 5 '10 at 1:20
up vote -6 down vote
Resolved: American punctuation placement (e.g., inside the quotations) is stupid and pointless. Discuss.
added by moioci Jun 8 '10 at 6:00
link
1  
A good off-topic question is one that would be a good question if it was on topic. So this, being "subjective and argumentative" is Not A Good Example. – Charles Stewart Jun 8 '10 at 7:37
up vote -7 down vote
Please help me to write an official meeting invitation email. [closed]
added by Sujee Jun 6 '10 at 16:49
link

closed as off topic by WikiSpeedia hang-around, Zombie Praeclarum, Maxim Zaslavsky, Helen, Ward Jun 10 '10 at 22:45

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

3  
This is kind of similar to your other question, "I have composed following email. Please help to check grammer or other issues." - area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/1269/…. Some diversity always helps. – Dan Dumitru Jun 16 '10 at 21:22
I have to follow-up on that comment. This question is actually too similar with the other one, it should be "not a good example"-voted into oblivion. We shouldn't have 2 questions that similar in our top 5. – Dan Dumitru Jun 18 '10 at 11:22
1  
+1 to what @Dan said. It would be embarrassing and unfortunate if both of these questions got into our top 5. I urge everyone who reads this to take their votes off of this question if possible. – JSBձոգչ Jun 18 '10 at 13:23
up vote -7 down vote
Were Shakespeare's plays really written by Francis Bacon?
added by Charles Stewart Jun 7 '10 at 13:01
link
Currently, this qn is in the top 5 of examples for off-topic votes —admittedly not terribly meaningful when the range is 3 to 7 votes— but has received 3 NaGE votes. What might be provoking them? Is the question maybe seen as too divisive or speculative? It's certainly very much a live qn in belles-lettres. – Charles Stewart Jun 11 '10 at 0:18
1  
Is there actually some debate over this? Without any prior knowledge about it, it looks like a troll. – Blorgbeard Jun 15 '10 at 18:32
1  
I don't see what the authorship of the plays has to do with English language. – ire_and_curses Jun 16 '10 at 16:39
@ire - That's why it's a good off-topic question, IMO. – Dan Dumitru Jun 16 '10 at 21:05
@Dan Dumitry: It really isn't. It's one of those "why is the sky blue" questions that, while off-topic, doesn't really tell you anything about the site. Off-topic questions should be informative about what someone might think the site is about, but is not, nonetheless. For example, a good off-topic for Super User (a site about computers and software) might be a video game question (which is expressly prohibited). – Robert Cartaino Jun 17 '10 at 0:36
show 1 more improvement suggestion
up vote -8 down vote
What words rhyme with "orange?"
added by Joel Spolsky♦ Jun 1 '10 at 19:15
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not sure about this one: it seems a bit basic/homeworky. – Good Person Jun 1 '10 at 19:45
If the questioner ask about orange, this would not be basic as I can't think of one off the top of my head. – Arlen Beiler Jun 1 '10 at 20:02
Unless you count the Yiddish "shmorange," there's no answer, other than, "None." ("Sporange" is some kind of botany term of questionable legitimacy, but neither of its pronunciations quite rhyme, IMHO. Maybe the organic gardeners' SE site can help us out!) – Jaydles Jun 1 '10 at 20:29
@Arlen Beiler: oranage and agnst and a few others have no rhymes ;) – Good Person Jun 2 '10 at 7:08
1  
Shouldn't it be "Which" words rhyme with "orange"? Since there is a fixed number of english words and all... – Zombie Praeclarum Jun 8 '10 at 0:01
show 2 more improvement suggestions
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