EPTPeople are lazy, so they pronounce the "n't" less and less. Then people don't hear the "n't" at all, don't think about it, and repeat what they think they heard. If enough people do this, you get people saying "I could care less" clearly meaning "I couldn't care less", and getting confused when people tell them that that is idiotic, because everyone does it, right?
US Politics Mega-thread - Page 3927
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Simberto
Germany11554 Posts
People are lazy, so they pronounce the "n't" less and less. Then people don't hear the "n't" at all, don't think about it, and repeat what they think they heard. If enough people do this, you get people saying "I could care less" clearly meaning "I couldn't care less", and getting confused when people tell them that that is idiotic, because everyone does it, right? | ||
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Gahlo
United States35159 Posts
On May 10 2023 01:47 Liquid`Drone wrote: I mean, I could care less is more likely to be a true statement than I couldn't care less is. But it is so obviously true, most of the time, that it is redundant to the point of being meaningless. I couldn't care less on the other hand is hyperbolic, and probably not literally true in most instances it is used - but therein lies the meaning behind the phrase. That is, assuming one is not particularly nihilistically inclined, in which case I couldn't care less might frequently be the case. I could care less is coherent, but it just means that you care more a non-zero amount about something. I've started using "I'm aggressively disinterested in ___" | ||
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Dan HH
Romania9129 Posts
On May 10 2023 03:02 Simberto wrote: I am pretty sure "I could care less" has simply evolved out of a mobination of laziness and not-thinking. People are lazy, so they pronounce the "n't" less and less. Then people don't hear the "n't" at all, don't think about it, and repeat what they think they heard. If enough people do this, you get people saying "I could care less" clearly meaning "I couldn't care less", and getting confused when people tell them that that is idiotic, because everyone does it, right? Pretty much every word we use has undergone that mechanism to reach its current form. They all would have been wrong at some point in the past, but whatever is easier to say wins in the end. It's like desire paths. Since you mentioned "drive thru" in previous comment, it's the opposite that I find the most strange about English. That abominations like "through" where you use 7 letters to convey 3 sounds have survived for so long. | ||
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GreenHorizons
United States23295 Posts
On April 26 2023 05:24 Razyda wrote: Out of curiosity if not Biden then who else would run in Dem primaries (I dont think Kennedy is taken seriously)? Ended up looking into RFK Jr. out of curiosity... With RFK Jr. not much further from Biden than DeSantis is from Trump (and closer than any other Republican is) I'd expect at least some pollsters to go ahead and start polling the head to head with Trump soon. I'm curious where he'd fall currently and to see how his support tracks over a few months of more intense (likely negative from both sides) coverage, but I wouldn't be that surprised if in the coming months people had to start taking his candidacy more seriously. + Show Spoiler + No I don't support him if anyone thought that. | ||
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justanothertownie
16319 Posts
On May 10 2023 03:02 Simberto wrote: I am pretty sure "I could care less" has simply evolved out of a mobination of laziness and not-thinking. People are lazy, so they pronounce the "n't" less and less. Then people don't hear the "n't" at all, don't think about it, and repeat what they think they heard. If enough people do this, you get people saying "I could care less" clearly meaning "I couldn't care less", and getting confused when people tell them that that is idiotic, because everyone does it, right? Yeah, it is the same as "could of". If that is how language is supposed to develop then I guess stupidity reigns. | ||
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Slydie
1923 Posts
On May 10 2023 03:02 Simberto wrote: I am pretty sure "I could care less" has simply evolved out of a mobination of laziness and not-thinking. People are lazy, so they pronounce the "n't" less and less. Then people don't hear the "n't" at all, don't think about it, and repeat what they think they heard. If enough people do this, you get people saying "I could care less" clearly meaning "I couldn't care less", and getting confused when people tell them that that is idiotic, because everyone does it, right? I looked into it, yes, this is correct. Sorry for that far-reaching theory. The are interchangeable opposites with the same meaning lol. I am also mad that English spelling has not been reformed. A lot of people must really like that it is complicated and makes no sense, maybe because correct English spelling is a great intellectual gatekeeper? | ||
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Acrofales
Spain18050 Posts
On May 10 2023 02:33 Slydie wrote: Language quirks are so funny! Both English and Spanish use double negatives in weird ways. -Did you hear they are anouncing a huge new SC2 tournament? -I didn't hear nothing about that. -So if you didn't hear nothing, you heard something about it, right? -No, didn't hear nothing about it... "I could care less" is underplaying things we DO care about. Admitting love or passion might leave us vulnerable. I didn't know "hold (down) the fort" could mean anything except "take care of business (while I am gone/for a while)". "I didn't hear nothing" is not grammatically correct English. It might be New York English, but the correct way to say that you heard nothing about it is "I didn't hear anything about that" (or, less common "I heard nothing". In Spanish (and other Latin languages) the double negative is correct, as in "no me han dicho nada", and a single negative would be ungrammatical. "I could care less about you" isn't meant as underplaying love. It means "you are thoroughly uninteresting to me", and should therefore be "I couldn't care less about you" to convey that meaning emphatically, as Kwark (and others) have tried to point out for a few pages now. | ||
micronesia
United States24701 Posts
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ChristianS
United States3188 Posts
On May 10 2023 07:25 micronesia wrote: So if I'm following the conversation, the choice is to either say, "I'll hold the fort," confusing my American brethren who aren't familiar with that historically accurate expression, or say, "I'll hold down the fort," clearly communicating my intentions to my American brethren but frustrating speakers of British origin? The part I'm unclear on is if the intent of language is to clearly communicate your intentions or rather to make British expats happy. I don’t think Americans will get confused with the former. That said, my suspicion is that Kwark will be happiest if he gets to complain about the latter, so “hold down the fort” is a win-win. | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States44599 Posts
On May 10 2023 07:12 Acrofales wrote: "I didn't hear nothing" is not grammatically correct English. It might be New York English, but the correct way to say that you heard nothing about it is "I didn't hear anything about that" (or, less common "I heard nothing". In Spanish (and other Latin languages) the double negative is correct, as in "no me han dicho nada", and a single negative would be ungrammatical. "I could care less about you" isn't meant as underplaying love. It means "you are thoroughly uninteresting to me", and should therefore be "I couldn't care less about you" to convey that meaning emphatically, as Kwark (and others) have tried to point out for a few pages now. Arguably, the double-negative is "grammatically correct" if you meant to use the double-negative, implying the affirmative that you heard something, which (as you pointed out) would mean the opposite of languages that may use two negative words together to mean a single negation  | ||
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NewSunshine
United States5938 Posts
On May 10 2023 03:50 Dan HH wrote: Pretty much every word we use has undergone that mechanism to reach its current form. They all would have been wrong at some point in the past, but whatever is easier to say wins in the end. It's like desire paths. Since you mentioned "drive thru" in previous comment, it's the opposite that I find the most strange about English. That abominations like "through" where you use 7 letters to convey 3 sounds have survived for so long. I probably find that equally as strange about the French language as you do about English. Or like how the German language makes new words by just sticking existing words together like Lego. That one's awesome though. | ||
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EnDeR_
Spain2718 Posts
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Biff The Understudy
France7903 Posts
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gobbledydook
Australia2605 Posts
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Harris1st
Germany6951 Posts
On May 10 2023 10:56 NewSunshine wrote: I probably find that equally as strange about the French language as you do about English. Or like how the German language makes new words by just sticking existing words together like Lego. That one's awesome though. + Show Spoiler + I am going to Imma use that if it's okay with you. German language is like Lego. Love it | ||
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Gorsameth
Netherlands21789 Posts
On May 10 2023 16:08 EnDeR_ wrote: That ship sailed in 2016 after the "grab em by the pussy" tape and talking about walking in on underaged beauty pageants to see them naked.So, what's the feeling in the room. Is Trump more or less likely to become US president now that he's been branded legally as a sexual predator? Or did it change nothing? | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States44599 Posts
On May 10 2023 16:08 EnDeR_ wrote: So, what's the feeling in the room. Is Trump more or less likely to become US president now that he's been branded legally as a sexual predator? Or did it change nothing? Everyone already knew he was a sexual predator, and Trump supporters aren't going to suddenly be dissuaded from voting for him in 2023 if they still love him despite everything he's done up through his presidency. I don't think any of the court cases will significantly increase or decrease support for him, whether they're about sexual harassment, stealing confidential documents, or trying to steal votes to rig the election. | ||
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Harris1st
Germany6951 Posts
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States44599 Posts
On May 10 2023 18:21 Harris1st wrote: This sounds more like a Netflix drama than a real life president candidate... Sadly, Donald Trump is worse than even the combination of real-life Kevin Spacey + HoC Frank Underwood. | ||
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Gorsameth
Netherlands21789 Posts
On May 10 2023 18:21 Harris1st wrote: Reality is stranger then fiction. This sounds more like a Netflix drama than a real life president candidate... If someone made a documentary of everything about the Trump Presidency and aftermath up to now and aired it in 2015 we would all consider it ludicrously unrealistic. | ||
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