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The Cambridge Chat Thread - it's over 90,000!

OP

I just don't bother. If people want to invest time learning languages, good for them. But nobody's going to know ALL the languages, and if you try and say foreign words authentically (for which there isn't an English translation) then you're bound to get it wrong, so best not to even try and just say the English version.
I've even stopped correcting people who say 'rooibush' or 'redbush' or 'rooibosch' :p:

To English people its redbush, and that's fine.

Most of my friends who drink rooibos started drinking it in Russia, where they call it roibosh so that's how they say it. I started drinking it before that though so I call it rooibos as that's how I've always seen it spelt!

I also don't say jalapeños right when I'm talking to English people. I feel like a dick if I slip into a Spanish accent halfway through a sentence, so I just say it like 'halapenyos' or 'halapeenos' if I'm clearly not being understood. Sometimes we must accept anglicisations of words like that - there are plenty of words that have entered into common parlance from other languages and that are now said a different way, so if we tried to say everything right we would sound very strange.

However, I maintain that you shouldn't use cyrillic script to approximate English lettering. That is just bad and wrong :p:

Reply 8321

Craghyrax

17

Original post by Zoedotdot

Most of my friends who drink rooibos started drinking it in Russia, where they call it roibosh so that's how they say it. I started drinking it before that though so I call it rooibos as that's how I've always seen it spelt!

All rooibos is grown in South African and exported, and they drank it for centuries before it became popular elsewhere. So I have a stubborn defensiveness of 'rooibos' over the other terms, but I know I'm just being silly and should let people call it what they want.

I also don't say jalapeños right when I'm talking to English people. I feel like a dick if I slip into a Spanish accent halfway through a sentence, so I just say it like 'halapenyos' or 'halapeenos' if I'm clearly not being understood. Sometimes we must accept anglicisations of words like that - there are plenty of words that have entered into common parlance from other languages and that are now said a different way, so if we tried to say everything right we would sound very strange.

Exactly!
I mean I think it would be nice if everybody pronounced foreign words correctly, but it just isn't pragmatic. And I think I prefer people just giving the English pronunciation to something than trying to pronounce it correctly and then coming across as very pretentious :p:

I tried to make my fiance pronounce Bobotie correctly (a South African curry I occasionally make) but he's useless :lol:

Still it sounds so funny when he says it the English way 'Bob (as in Bob the Builder) otie (like the o in otter)'. Makes it sound like a Noddy character! The Afrikaans pronunciation is 'Bo (like book)- Bo (like 'booah') - tie'.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8322

The Mr Z

13

Library Whispers has closed down due to a high number of "abusive" posts.

I don't really recall seeing abusive messages. Lots of what would be termed "laddish banter" (horrid word) but I can't recall anything intentionally offensive.

Reply 8323

ArchedEdge

15

Original post by The Mr Z

Library Whispers has closed down due to a high number of "abusive" posts.

I don't really recall seeing abusive messages. Lots of what would be termed "laddish banter" (horrid word) but I can't recall anything intentionally offensive.

There were a lot of in-jokes being passed around I think, and a lot of open naming of individuals and embarrassing situations

Reply 8324

The Mr Z

13

Original post by ArchedEdge

There were a lot of in-jokes being passed around I think, and a lot of open naming of individuals and embarrassing situations

Is that what really got it shut down? I knew the people involved in one of those and it was complete fiction (you could have guessed reading it)

also, no worse than the college gossip machine.

Reply 8325

Zoedotdot

OP

18

It sounds like Gossip Girl :eek:

Have the scandals of the Upper East Side relocated to Cambridge??

Reply 8326

blueletter

What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? No, it's rain. ****.

Reply 8327

alex_hk90

19

Original post by blueletter

What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? No, it's rain. ****.

Back home as well? I got absolutely soaked walking home today. :sigh:

Reply 8328

blueletter

Original post by alex_hk90

Back home as well? I got absolutely soaked walking home today. :sigh:

Unfortunately for most of this thread's participants, I'm in Cambridge. It's wet.

Reply 8329

Y__

13

Just bought tickets for the Footlights main show in June :smile:

Also, college want to kick me out of my room on Saturday evening, just after graduation. I'm hoping to convince them to let me stay till Monday morning, that's when I leave Cambridge...

Reply 8330

BigFudamental

13

Original post by blueletter

Unfortunately for most of this thread's participants, I'm in Cambridge.

I think this town is big enough for the both of us.

Reply 8331

Zoedotdot

OP

18

Original post by Y__

Just bought tickets for the Footlights main show in June :smile:

Also, college want to kick me out of my room on Saturday evening, just after graduation. I'm hoping to convince them to let me stay till Monday morning, that's when I leave Cambridge...

Yeah same (well, Friday, which is when we graduate). I'm going to try to pay for an extra night and go home on the Saturday instead.

Reply 8332

lp386

12

Problem: convincing people to come to your grace reading just before exams start.
Solution: demand RSVP via elaborate poem.

Reply 8333

ukdragon37

14

Original post by lp386

Problem: convincing people to come to your grace reading just before exams start.

Join the club :sad:

Reply 8334

ArchedEdge

15

Eurgh it's ridiculous, my paper is all about modern societies and globalisation, yet they can't even provide a reading list which has anything from within the past 10 years... :/

Reply 8335

Craghyrax

17

Original post by ArchedEdge

Eurgh it's ridiculous, my paper is all about modern societies and globalisation, yet they can't even provide a reading list which has anything from within the past 10 years... :/

Castells.
Mind you if you're doing the Therborn stuff, my advice is don't :p:

Reply 8336

alex_hk90

19

Original post by ArchedEdge

Eurgh it's ridiculous, my paper is all about modern societies and globalisation, yet they can't even provide a reading list which has anything from within the past 10 years... :/

I found that the Cambridge Tripos is a bit like that. In first year one of my reading lists had a suggested essay title: "Should the UK introduce a national minimum wage?" :biggrin:

Reply 8337

Topaz_eyes

12

Original post by blueletter

What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? No, it's rain. ****.

I see your rain, and raise you a rather large amount of hail...

Reply 8338

ukebert

13

Which vanished amazingly quickly.

Reply 8339

ArchedEdge

15

Original post by Craghyrax

Castells.
Mind you if you're doing the Therborn stuff, my advice is don't :p:

Information society? I'm not really doing the media module, focussing on economic/political transformation, globalisation and global health (so's the plan at least...). Also no Therborn on the course this year... :p:

Original post by alex_hk90

I found that the Cambridge Tripos is a bit like that. In first year one of my reading lists had a suggested essay title: "Should the UK introduce a national minimum wage?" :biggrin:

Not sure whether I should be focussing on the set texts even if they're largely out of date or not...just seems pointless/ridiculous :rolleyes:

The Cambridge Chat Thread - it's over 90,000!

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