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VF Static
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Postby VF Static » 2004-01-04, 2:57

Hmm, at least from the American English standpoint, to call a university professor a "teacher" would be somewhat rude. You'd certainly still use the verb "to teach" in describing a professor's job (the verb "to profess" is far too archaic) but, despite professors essentially being teachers of sorts, there's simply a specific distinguishment between the teachers at required school institutions and the professors at post-secondary universities.

It could be because of the major differences between the two teaching environments, but I just never hear profs being referred to as "teachers". That'd be a bit strange. They're different jobs with different teaching skill levels.

Oh, and as for "lecturer", I'd only use that for someone who tours various schools with lectures, not one who teaches the class regularly.

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Postby bender » 2004-01-04, 6:08

Random House Webster's College Dictionary:
ar•range
v., -ranged, -rang•ing
- v.t.1. to place in proper, desired, or convenient order.
2. to come to an agreement or understanding regarding.
3. to prepare or plan.
4. a. to adapt (a musical work) for particular instrumentation. b. ORCHESTRATE.
- v.i.5. to make plans or preparations: They arranged for a conference on Wednesday.
6. to make a settlement; come to an agreement: to arrange for regular service.

[1325–75; ME arayngen < MF arangier = a- A-5 + rangier to RANGE]— ar•range‚a•ble adj.— ar•rang‚er n.


Random House College Thesaurus:
arrange
v.
1. She arranged the flowers beautifully. The books were arranged in alphabetical order: group, array, set out, range, pose; order, set in order, organize, sort, assort, assign places to, file, classify, marshal, rank, line up, systematize, methodize.
2. The travel agent arranged the trip with a stopover in Rome: plan, schedule, map out, lay out, prepare, devise, contrive, plot, provide, design, fix up; settle, agree to.
3. The musician arranged the symphony so it could be performed without violins by a marching band: orchestrate, score, adapt.

— Antonyms 1 disorganize, disarrange, jumble, disturb, mess up; scatter, disperse.
Please correct me whenever I make a mistake. / Corrigez-moi toujours quand je ne parle pas bien. / Me corrijan siempre cuando hable mal.

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teachers vs. professors

Postby tomak » 2004-01-04, 10:24

I concur with VF Static.

In the U.S., we call the people who have posts at Universities or Colleges, and who teach, and who have tenure, "professors". To use the noun "teacher" would be somewhat rude.

The students may often not know or care who actually has tenure. If there are some who do not have tenure, then I suppose they might be termed "lecturers". I've heard that use once, but it was by a person who learned English abroad, so I don't know if it was really American usage.

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Postby Zoroa » 2004-01-04, 13:10

You forgot the special word "a don" which is an Oxbridge teacher :P

Zoroa ;)
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Postby Zoroa » 2004-01-04, 13:12

You forgot the special word "a don" who is an Oxbridge teacher (or I must say preofessor !!!) :P

Zoroa ;)
Deviens qui tu es !

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Postby VF Static » 2004-01-07, 2:01

Just taking a little survey.

Do you say the "United States is" or the "United States are"?

Grammatically of course a state is and the states are, but is the United States not one country? Or, excuse me, are the United States not one country? :D

Carl Sandburg once said our civil war was fought over this verb.

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poll response: United States is xxx

Postby tomak » 2004-01-07, 2:18

Responding to poll.

I say "The United States is xxx". The other version ("the United States are xxx") sounds (& looks) odd to me.


(U.S. English native)

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Postby Ozymandias » 2004-01-07, 22:44

I normally say "The United States is...", but in a more elevated (and slightly archaic) style, I think "The United States are..." wouldn't be too uncommon.

As a matter of fact, I thought that "The United States are..." was how it is said in England. I'm sure Daniel knows much more about the speech of the Barbarians to the South :twisted: than I do...

Ozy

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Postby Blake » 2004-01-17, 16:05

Geographical names in the plural behave like normal plural nouns, but some names of countries (e.g.: the United States, the Netherlands) are more often found with the singular system.

Both are correct, but the singular form is more common.

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Postby Axystos » 2004-01-25, 20:09

I was wondering if anyone could help me with this: Is it in english ONline (with the stress on the first syllable) or onLINE (with the stress on the second syllable)?

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Postby VF Static » 2004-01-25, 20:44

The stress falls on the second syllable.

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Postby Axystos » 2004-01-26, 22:50

So 'on<i>line</i>'. Ok, thank you.

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Postby Hamhocks » 2004-01-26, 23:27

Daniel wrote:I also say "The United Kingdom is..." although it is made up of four countries. :wink:


It would sound stranger if you said "The United Kingdom are..." since Kingdom isn't plural.

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Postby Raza » 2004-01-27, 1:30

Axystos wrote:I was wondering if anyone could help me with this: Is it in english ONline (with the stress on the first syllable) or onLINE (with the stress on the second syllable)?

Axystos.


I don't think it matters that much in that particular case you described. I'd say it's just a matter of personal linguistic choice whether a person wants to pronunce it as ONline or onLINE. Even though I'm not a native speaker, I'd use both.

But in some words, stress really plays a key/critical role in differentiating the meaning of words. Eg. REcord and reCORD. In that case, if you got the stress pattern in the wrong place, then you would completely change the meaning of the word.

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Postby VF Static » 2004-01-27, 2:50

It's true you'd be understood either way, but it sounds funny with stress on the first syllable.

The only situation where it wouldn't sound a bit awkward to me is if you're saying that a user or system is back online as opposed to being offline; that is, it had been offline for an extended period of time and now it's back on. Otherwise, no.

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New Zealand

Postby Patricia » 2004-01-27, 12:50

Nothing to do with syllable stress.

Yesterday, I spoke to a New Zealander for the first time in my life. I must say, it's a funny accent alright, at least to my ears. I also had some problems in understanding him, because the call was from New Zealand, via the USA and then directly to Buenos Aires: lots of noise in the line.
All in all, it was the funniest pronunciation of "AT&T" I've ever heard. :) Nice one though.

NO offence intended to our "Kiwi" members. :D

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Postby leppie » 2004-01-28, 15:23

It's the same in Italian...
It's because the thuth is (or well... in a plain philosophical world is) just one.
Everything else is a lie, so there's more than one lie... and you choose.


In Italian we also say "this is a Truth". That's mean things are
not so plain as in the worlds above, and what looks like the truth
maybe is not....

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Postby Blake » 2004-01-28, 16:46

Daniel wrote:People have been asking me recently about why we say "to tell the truth" but "to tell a lie".

I think it's because when you ask someone to tell the truth, we want the truth, the truth that he/she knows but is hiding from you. To tell a lie is where the statement is random and is not the we should be seeking...

What do you think?



I think it's because there is only one truth (obviously), but there can be many lies about a particular situation. The truth is therefore definite, a lie indefinite.

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onLINE and ONline

Postby tomak » 2004-01-28, 17:55

I believe that we (in English, at least in the U.S.) have two words, onLINE and ONline; that is, online with the accent on the first syllable, and online with the accent on the second syllable.

"I couldn't remember how to spell it, so I searched online." [Adverb, accent on second syllable]

"They have an online database which we can search; lets go hit it." [Adjective, accent on first syllable]

"Well, is their online database online right now?"
[First occurrence is the adjective with accent on first syllable, and second occurrence is the adverb with accent on second syllable.]

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Postby Cécile » 2004-01-28, 20:44

Daniel wrote:People have been asking me recently about why we say "to tell the truth" but "to tell a lie".

I think it's because when you ask someone to tell the truth, we want the truth, the truth that he/she knows but is hiding from you. To tell a lie is where the statement is random and is not the we should be seeking...

What do you think?


Yes, I think you're right.
There's the same thing in french (dire la vérité/dire un mensonge)...because it's supposed THE truth does exist.... but is there only one truth? I don't know...
"Aimer le vrai parce qu'il est vrai et non juger vrai ce que disent ceux que l'on aime."
George Steiner.
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