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Less so with globalization Tom Send a noteboard - 15/12/2015 10:09:57 PM

I doubt the Romance languages would have developed if telecommunications existed in the later Roman Empire. It's isolation that creates divergence, and whereas in the past an ocean could really do that, it's less likely these days. There are a few odd terms for new technologies that might get local divergences (cell phone vs. mobile phone), but the fact that people exchange information on Facebook, and sites like this and other social media with lightning speed means that even when two variants exist most people will have heard both (though how many have heard the German "handy" for a cell phone shows that inter-language barriers are more resilient even when borrowing words from another language; similarly, less educated Russians started using the word "drive" as an adjective meaning "cool" for some reason I don't understand, but Russians who know English avoid it like educated Americans avoid words like "caddywhompus" or "hunky-dory" ...but I digress).

Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
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not specifically but then again I could never tell a joke *NM* - 14/12/2015 07:08:19 PM 210 Views
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Yes, especially on a predominantly non-US site *NM* - 15/12/2015 02:59:54 PM 235 Views
You mean Americans genuinely don't recognize that word? That does surprise me. *NM* - 15/12/2015 07:17:56 PM 176 Views
I never heard it in America growing up. Not once. - 15/12/2015 07:45:49 PM 456 Views
Huh. - 15/12/2015 07:58:59 PM 476 Views
Right. What Tom said. - 15/12/2015 08:58:48 PM 460 Views
Divided by a common language. - 15/12/2015 08:10:37 PM 478 Views
Less so with globalization - 15/12/2015 10:09:57 PM 434 Views
I think it is killing accents - 17/12/2015 02:34:50 PM 434 Views
Much less so in the UK / Europe, I think. - 17/12/2015 08:04:29 PM 446 Views
I just thought that no one nose the answer. *NM* - 29/12/2015 11:40:17 AM 206 Views

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