Editor's Blog0 min ago
Fascinating!
25 Answers
following a q on university challenge yesterday, i have been looking up the order of adjectives - a grammar rule that native english speakers always follow even if they don't know it. the rule is that multiple adjectives are always ranked accordingly: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose.
so you would never say the little poor dog - only the poor little dog. Another example, you would never say the leather brown walking scruffy shoes, you would say the scruffy brown leather walking shoes.
that led me (via an article) to the rule of ablaut reduplication, which the vowels have to come in a certain order (I then A then O) so you wouldnt say zag zig or raff riff, but zig zag and riff raff.
this isnt a question, but, as i said fascinating (to me at least!)
so you would never say the little poor dog - only the poor little dog. Another example, you would never say the leather brown walking scruffy shoes, you would say the scruffy brown leather walking shoes.
that led me (via an article) to the rule of ablaut reduplication, which the vowels have to come in a certain order (I then A then O) so you wouldnt say zag zig or raff riff, but zig zag and riff raff.
this isnt a question, but, as i said fascinating (to me at least!)
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TheWinner - that reminds me of a language joke....
What do you call someone who speaks three languages?
Answer - Trilingual or 'trilingue' in French.
What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
Answer - Bilingual or 'bilingue' in French.
What do you call someone who speaks only one language?
Monolingual?
No -
.
.
Answer - American or English.
What do you call someone who speaks three languages?
Answer - Trilingual or 'trilingue' in French.
What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
Answer - Bilingual or 'bilingue' in French.
What do you call someone who speaks only one language?
Monolingual?
No -
.
.
Answer - American or English.
Also happens in German (and no doubt other languages, too):
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