Monday, April 22, 2013

this and that.. and the other thing too.

Listening to: イカロス(ikarosu) by GReeeeN
Watching: 'Incarnation of Money' drama
Playing: Suikoden Tierkreis
Reading: Essential Kanji
mood: alergic/fighting off a replay of sickness
Latest Rant or scoff: see below...


Random comment concerning a Korean Drama called Full house 2.
"~Follows the same story line as the first one."

semi-silent rebuttal..
"Full House 2 is -nothing- like the first drama. Did you even watch it?"
"Makes me doubt whatever you might have to say about other drama suggestions."

Full House 1, was about a girl writer who loses her family home (thanks to a couple of enemy-friends, who sell the place from under her.. not even going to go into the hows of that one) and her getting close/working for the singer/rich guy who bought the place in some sort of personal agreement to get it back.

Full House 2, was about a young martial artist, set free from her grandfather's watchful presence for a month or so to try to become the next leading clothing designer, and 2 up-and-rising singing artists and their horrible agent, who winds up splitting them up and taking one of the guy's family home away from him. Somewhere early on, the guys end up hiring her as their outfitter and both fall for her clumsy charm.

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Ah Mesh, I really miss ya... miss Green as well. Hope things are going along swimmingly for yaall.

Saturday, April 06, 2013

In this wide world of language styles

American English

The word water, in American English isn't really a lazy way of speaking as most people seem to think. Its an alveolar flap that makes the tt's sound a bit more like 'dd's. (I believe, for the British English, its 'butter' or batter, that also makes that noise? not sure.) wah'tderr. There is always the exception of when we are trying to speak very clearly for the listener.. vs just typical chatting.

The tip of the tongue taps or slightly slides very briefly against the ridge on the upper palate.

barter is word that has this alveolar flap. bar'tdur. whereas 'matter' and 'batter' still sound like 'tt's. mah'terr bah'terr.

I do think it does depend a little on a given area as well though.. as some people say things differently from one side of America to the other side.
It's a bit like trying to decide what sound is used with which word. ay-long, ahh-short, or the slightly nasally aeh as in nah? most Americans I have heard call the word.. apple.. aeh'pul not ahh'pul or ay'pul. this is of course, in general. each area from this state to that, might have a slightly different (local) way of saying it. How do you say it?

butter - buh'tdur
barter - bar'tder
better - beh'tur
carpenter - kahr'pehn'tur
winter - wihn'tur
letter - leh'tder
matter - maeh'tdur
sitter - sih'ter
attribute - ah'trih'byut
cassette - cae'seht
chatter - chaeh'tur
military - mihlah'tay'ree
battle - baeh'tdul
central - sehnt'rul
dirty - der'tdy
ninety - niyn'tdy
bitter - bih'tur
fetter - feh'tur
glitter - glih'ter
nettle - neh'tul
written - rih'ten
pretty - prih'tee


This alveolar flap/tap is also shown in other languages in varied degrees and word usage as well.

the Japanese 'ɾ'
the Dutch 'ɾ'
the Spanish 'ɾ' as well.


refs.. Antimoon
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Oh by the way!!! If you are a Firefox user, as I am, you would do well by this add-in.
it's called Session Manager. and it's purpose is to restore your tabs and groups after a crash. No more tears of frustration over suddenly lost tabs or groups you were working on. A click later, and your back on course. Of All of the add-ins out there, I think it must be the most important gotta-have for any Firefox user. I can't seem to say enough good things about it. Go check it out for yourself!

Session Manager

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Listening to: Kiseki by GReeeeN
Watching: Time Team episodes. various Jap-Eng vlogs
Playing: Mabinogi.
Reading: Essential Kanji
mood: Not too bad
Latest Rant or scoff: Video prediction doomsayers can be pretty funny.