vejktoro:The lack of future tense is kinda general across the Germanic languages and appears to be the result of a particular world view.. Yggdrasil and all that, the future was shaped by the present and the past, thus it is spoken of with present and past tenses. Kinda cool.

Mind. Blown.

Reminds me of how western sign languages show the future as a gesture IN FRONT of the signer as they imagine they are heading INTO the future, but other deaf cultures, particularly in the South Pacific sign the future BEHIND them. The past is before ...

The trolls on Terry Pratchett's Discworld think that way, or something like that - because you can see the past but you can't see the future. It is one of those things I never thought about (but of course the future is in front of us!) and then when someone puts it that way, I find myself going... Oh. Hmmm. Now there's a thought...

sudanglo:Or that in a rural French Post office it is alright to jump the queue provide that you exchange pleasantries with each of the women in the queue on the subject of the size of their breasts.

That sounds like something one would do in France... but I have to ask, is to "jump the queue" the same as what we would call to "cut in line"?

That sounds like something one would do in France...but I have to ask, is to "jump the queue" the same as what we would call to "cut in line"?

Ah, yet another difference between British and American English.

Christa, is it true that 'irony' in American is an adjective and not a noun, and refers to the difficulty of removing creases from shirts?

sudanglo:
Christa, is it true that 'irony' in American is an adjective and not a noun, and refers to the difficulty of removing creases from shirts?

I've never heard that. Irony is always a noun in these parts but I'm often amazed at how many regional differences there are in just American English alone. When I talk to other Americans it's hit or miss whether they know what I'm talking about when I say sneakers, hoagies or jimmies.

deltasalmon:...When I talk to other Americans it's hit or miss whether they know what I'm talking about when I say sneakers, hoagies or jimmies.

These are my guesses:
Sneakers = Shoes
Hoagies = donuts or hotdogs
Jimmies = PJs or dried beef

sudanglo:

That sounds like something one would do in France...but I have to ask, is to "jump the queue" the same as what we would call to "cut in line"?

Ah, yet another difference between British and American English.

Christa, is it true that 'irony' in American is an adjective and not a noun, and refers to the difficulty of removing creases from shirts?

It sounds like something that could mean that (iron-y), but I haven't seen it used that way. In either case "irony" is still used as a noun, pertaining to, well, being ironic.

Would it be ironic to have to explain that a joshing remark about the absence of irony in American culture is not meant to be taken literally.

By the way, the joke is not mine. I heard it used by an American comedian who had been living in London for some time and was commenting on the differences between the two cultures. The British audience was amused.

Alkanadi:

deltasalmon:...When I talk to other Americans it's hit or miss whether they know what I'm talking about when I say sneakers, hoagies or jimmies.

These are my guesses:
Sneakers = Shoes
Hoagies = donuts or hotdogs
Jimmies = PJs or dried beef

Sneakers = (athletic) shoes
Hoagies = submarie sandwich, grinder, hero
Jimmies = sprinkles (like on ice cream)

sudanglo:Would it be ironic to have to explain that a joshing remark about the absence of irony in American culture is not meant to be taken literally.

By the way, the joke is not mine. I heard it used by an American comedian who had been living in London for some time and was commenting on the differences between the two cultures. The British audience was amused.

I would say there isn't an absence of irony in American culture as much as there is an abundance of it in British culture. It is common to hear someone say that British have a "dry" sense of humor, and my personal definition for this "dryness" includes heavy use of irony (among other things). A lot of my British cultural exposure admittedly comes from watching Doctor Who and Top Gear, but it does seem like you guys are fascinated with irony.

Alkanadi:The Wall Street Journal mentions Esperanto in this ArticleDo you think that English crushed Esperanto's chance of being the lingua franca of the world?

Interesting article. I think that English did occupy the position that Esperanto hoped to in many ways, e.g. as an international scientific and commercial language. That is not to say that Esperanto is without hope, because the internet may enable it to serve as a medium of communication between people who do not have English in common. Esperanto may yet prove its worth as a diplomatic language.