The person after me game (2)

[france-eesti]

There's still room for more dessert in the stomach of the person after me.

Well of course since I didn't even have dinner (I'm cooking a fig pie for my husband and a spinach pie for my daughter - yes, she loves it!)

The person after me has had lice at least once in their childhood.

[Osias]

I think so.

There's no way for me to believe the person after me is a billionaire.

[france-eesti]

Me thinks you ought to make an effort...

The person after me picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been.

[Osias]

I only ever saw this kind of thing on TV.

I've been following the next person in several social media since last January.

[dEhiN]

I've been following the next person in several social media since last January.

I would say "on several social media platforms". The preposition "in" sounds off to my ears, and although "social media" is a noun, I've only ever heard it used like a mass noun. Even if you can use it as a countable noun, you would need to say "several social medias".

[Osias]

But but but... "medias"!

It sounds too Brazilian.

[dEhiN]

But but but... "medias"!

It sounds too Brazilian.

That's why I said "if"; like above with "bread" and "flour", to me all 3 words are mass nouns, so I'm not used to pluralizing them. But since that's happening now with "bread" and "flour", I see no justifiable reason it can't happen with "media".

I've been following the next person in several social media since last January.

Considering I only have 5 social media accounts, it's quite possible.

Has the person after me ever read literature in their native language from 50 or 100 years ago and been surprised by some of the language use differences between then and now?

[Osias]

Not surprised. It was expected. What shocks me is the literature and songs from these days using archaic language. It's mostly translations, however.

I've already googled, binged, bribed a government agent, the person after me and a U2 member, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

[linguoboy]

But since that's happening now with "bread" and "flour", I see no justifiable reason it can't happen with "media".

"Now" in this case meaning "since at least the 16th century". This is not some weird recent innovation; this is a standard property of mass nouns in English. You really might want to read an article on them sometime.

It may be jarring, Osias, but googling demonstrates that "social medias" is an accepted usage in English. I even found it in the title of an academic paper, to wit "Human behaviour in different social medias". Granted, the authors appear to be non-native speakers, but the language of their paper otherwise conforms to the formal written standard.

[dEhiN]

But since that's happening now with "bread" and "flour", I see no justifiable reason it can't happen with "media".

"Now" in this case meaning "since at least the 16th century". This is not some weird recent innovation; this is a standard property of mass nouns in English. You really might want to read an article on them sometime.

I'm aware of how mass nouns can after a while become countable ones. What I meant by "now" was specifically the usage of "bread" and "flour" as countable. Perhaps even those two being used in a countable sense isn't that recent. However, there are still dialectal areas where those two aren't really used in a countable sense. That's why, for example, I was surprised by it and miscorrected france-eesti. I know that among my social circles, "bread" and "flour" are still generally considered mass nouns, and the countable usage hasn't taken off.

[linguoboy]

I'm aware of how mass nouns can after a while become countable ones. What I meant by "now" was specifically the usage of "bread" and "flour" as countable. Perhaps even those two being used in a countable sense isn't that recent. However, there are still dialectal areas where those two aren't really used in a countable sense.

[citation needed]

That's why, for example, I was surprised by it and miscorrected france-eesti. I know that among my social circles, "bread" and "flour" are still generally considered mass nouns, and the countable usage hasn't taken off.

This is honestly getting embarrassing. Please read a grammatical description on mass nouns before you share any more opinions on them.

(Incidentally, the countable use of "bread" in the sense of "loaf or piece of bread" was found in Middle English. This is completely independent from the phenomenon of pluralising mass nouns to express the concept of multiple varieties or types.)

[tiuwiu]

I've already googled, binged, bribed a government agent, the person after me and a U2 member, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Well, good luck for your search ... besides, I haven't got the money yet

The person after me once tried to hypnotise their younger siblings.

[Osias]

My younger brother was once learning hypnosis and doing it with the neighborhood kids, but I wasn't interested.

If the person after me was Brazilian, they would vote for Corporal Daciolo.

[dEhiN]

I'm aware of how mass nouns can after a while become countable ones. What I meant by "now" was specifically the usage of "bread" and "flour" as countable. Perhaps even those two being used in a countable sense isn't that recent. However, there are still dialectal areas where those two aren't really used in a countable sense.

[citation needed]

Alright, perhaps dialectal areas isn't the correct phrase, since I've never done a survey of any kind. But considering that my personal experiences speak to those two words being used mostly in an uncountable sense, my whole point was that there are some native speakers who aren't used to those words being countable, and would consider it incorrect on first blush if they saw it being used that way.

That's why, for example, I was surprised by it and miscorrected france-eesti. I know that among my social circles, "bread" and "flour" are still generally considered mass nouns, and the countable usage hasn't taken off.

This is honestly getting embarrassing. Please read a grammatical description on mass nouns before you share any more opinions on them.

(Incidentally, the countable use of "bread" in the sense of "loaf or piece of bread" was found in Middle English. This is completely independent from the phenomenon of pluralising mass nouns to express the concept of multiple varieties or types.)

What is so embarrassing about the fact that another native speaker has had a different experience with language usage? Do you honestly think I don't know what a mass or uncountable noun is? I'm not the only person who considers bread to be uncountable, as witnessed here, in which one commentator states:

Normally, bread is an uncountable noun. Having said that, searching Google for "three breads" does give many hits. Specifically:

"Three breads" may be used to mean "three types of bread", e.g.:
Salmon and Scrambled Egg with three breads here
BLT choice of three breads, mine was a baguette here
The term is used biblically and in sermons, etc., e.g.:
“Three Breads” - John 6:24-35 here
There appears to be a place in New Zealand, named "Three Breads & 2 Fishes"

This person doesn't say bread cannot be uncountable, but they do say that normally bread is uncountable. So does it not stand to reason that there would be some native speakers for whom bread is only considered uncountable due to perhaps them either never or rarely having come across the countable usage? I honestly don't see what the big deal about all of this is, and why you insist on responding with incredulity that I miscorrected france-eesti and incorrectly believed that bread is solely an uncountable, or mass noun.

[linguoboy]

Do you honestly think I don't know what a mass or uncountable noun is?

You know the terms, but you've demonstrated repeatedly by your comments that you don't understand the morphosyntactic characteristics of these nominal subclasses.

What's embarrassing is that even after being told that an analysis of them based solely on your own very limited personal experience is flawed, you continue to defend it and resist any suggestion that you educate yourself on the subject. That would be a disappointing reaction even from someone who wasn't being paid to instruct others in English usage.

I'm done with this unproductive metadiscussion. Would any of the learners be interested in a separate thread on mass nouns and their usage?

[Naava]

Would any of the learners be interested in a separate thread on mass nouns and their usage?

I would! I'm sure this is something that I need to explain to my possible-future-maybe-one-day-if-i-ever-graduate students at some point, so the more sources I have the better.

[tiuwiu]

If the person after me was Brazilian, they would vote for Corporal Daciolo.

Honestly, I don't know who I'd vote for if I were Brazilian.


The person after me believes that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

[Osias]

There was, once, but the LGBT community used it to fund their militancy.

The cat of the person after me is playing this same game right now in the 'dog language' subforum.

[Antea]

I neither have cats, nor dogs.

The person after me is a vegan.

[Osias]

I like meat a lot, I dislike most vegetables.

The person after me game never made it as a wise man.