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Life of Riley

Living the life of Riley!  Just who is this Riley guy who lives such a great life?

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  1. lividemerald on August 19th, 2008 10:55 pm

    I know a 12-year-old girl who wants to lead the Life of Miley.

  2. lividemerald on August 19th, 2008 10:54 pm

    So now that you’re famous, are you having headaches?

  3. parthenophilast on August 18th, 2008 10:17 am

    My “life of Riley” would include trophy women and trips to exotic destinations, such as Borneo or the Seychelles.

  4. metahotforwords on August 17th, 2008 9:55 am

    Greetings, all. In my homework from the “Repair” lesson, I asked a question about the roots of a phrase, and I repeatedly got biblical answers.

    Marina, when investigating words, how much do you consider including or excluding biblical sources, or do you just skip words that end up having sources in religious work? I am just curious.

    Thanks, and I really love your brain, your work, your looks, and the show. Please keep it up!

  5. socaljr on August 15th, 2008 11:01 pm

    I would find out where you live and sweep you off your feet so we could both live the life of REILLY (not Riley)!!!!

    That would be great!!!!!! Joe Reilly

  6. mittfh on August 15th, 2008 12:11 am

    If I struck it rich (if only!)…

    Buy a house - with the credit crunch in full swing, I wouldn’t need a mortgage.
    Buy a replacement car - mine’s a little old and creaky.
    Donate some to family - obviously!
    Donate some to charity - show I have a philanthropic side.
    Put the rest in a high-interest bank account :)

  7. master_john2005 on August 14th, 2008 2:19 pm

    (I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments below) Did you know that there was a “sit com” in the 1950s in the US entitled, “The Life of Riley”? It starred William Bexdix as I recall… a rotund fellow who played a bit of a loveable buffoon (not unlike Jim Belucci’s character today). I remember that my mother would not allow us to watch it because it cast the father of the family in such a light… :neutral: so we had to sneak a peek. :smile: I recall that it was a funny show.

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 2:52 pm:

    master_john2005 my favorite nipple model

    master_john2005 replied on August 15th, 2008 11:29 am:

    “Model”… :?: … Naaa…. “Aficionado” perhaps! :grin:

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 15th, 2008 11:50 am:

    my mistake

  8. trinity on August 14th, 2008 2:06 pm

    Living the “Life of Riley”, to most people is simply living in a dream world. OMG we are in the Matrix…..
    trinity

  9. lostinhere on August 14th, 2008 1:42 pm

    Let’s see, if I struck it rich, I would help family members, once. Then I would see how conspicuous consumption feels.

  10. kasparesky on August 14th, 2008 1:26 pm

    Please, ou please can you investigate the origin of the word “Deify” :smile: , HUGE thanks in advance :wink:

  11. huggawood on August 14th, 2008 11:11 am

    Why do they call cloudberry CLOUDberry? I have always wondered that, PLEASE, do me do my word :P
    /Huggawood from Sweden

    foxbow15 replied on August 14th, 2008 11:27 am:

    aaaaaaaaaaahaha i’m like addicted to those :grin: :grin: :mrgreen: In finland we call them lakka in swedish it’s something like hjorton or something right?
    ..i duno wy they’re called cloudberry, maybe becaude of the shape..
    Do you have a lot of them im sweden?

    huggawood replied on August 17th, 2008 8:03 am:

    yeah in the northen part we got alot of them, at marshlands. and yes we call them hjotron :) cloudberryjam on waffles *argh* ;P

  12. cocolim on August 14th, 2008 11:03 am

    Hi! I love your videos, their very original and intelligent.
    I wonder if it wouldn’t be any problem if you search the meaning of my name :arrow: Catarina.
    I’m portuguese so it isn’t a name that is regular for you to ear.
    But I would be very happy if you do that,
    Thank you and congrast for your website.

    aLx replied on August 14th, 2008 11:08 am:

    pure.

  13. stokesjrj1 on August 14th, 2008 10:45 am

    Question, If a ray of light was traveling through the void and no one was there to hear it , when would it make any noise? answer when it struck a molecule of water.

    Bob replied on August 14th, 2008 11:01 am:

    I suppose the noise it would make would be a rainbow? Or maybe a Peacock’s tail? :lol:

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 11:07 am:

    No in this case it would be a Peter Sellers.

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 11:04 am:

    Did you miss your clonazepam today? :shock:

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 11:10 am:

    Go Check male versus female again

    Bob replied on August 14th, 2008 12:00 pm:

    It certainly is a strange love you are purveying, but stop worrying - even though your rantings are bombing, you’ve got to love them. :smile:

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 2:15 pm:

    Hey bob did you know Sunlight he had a little brother his name was evaporation. I am not ranting your just in denial.

    master_john2005 replied on August 14th, 2008 2:23 pm:

    The “sound” of one hand clapping? :wink:

    kaibanator replied on August 14th, 2008 8:21 pm:

    that question reminds me of the age old question, “if a tree falls down and noone is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

    I usually just say “Yeah, it sure does, you just won’t hear it because you’re too far away” :lol:

    school_dean_hot4.u replied on August 14th, 2008 10:52 pm:

    Did you know the tree fell if you didn’t see it?

  14. cherrybomb on August 14th, 2008 10:42 am

    Wrong, Marina! Riley is a generic shiftless Irishman. Living “the life of Riley” means drinking whiskey on the porch while your shack falls down around you.”Riley” has no ambition but to sit comfortably. He has no cares, so that is maybe why the phrase has come to mean a life of plenty. I know whereof I speak; my English grandmother used to point out which farms in the neighborhood were run by Irish, and how they were not kept up properly. She married an Irishman, tho :)

    Marina replied on August 14th, 2008 10:52 am:

    cherrybomb, there is no written example of the expression “Life of Riley” prior to the 1918 song I mentioned. So.. even though people may have used the expression… there really is no evidence showing where it came from exactly. So perhaps your grandmother is the missing link :-)

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 11:00 am:

    Hee hee, you just called his grandma the missing link. Take that monkey boy! :lol: :lol: :lol:

    roadrunrnch replied on August 14th, 2008 11:55 am:

    That does ring true I remember when the phase was ” life of O’Riley ”
    But my memory is not all that great but there is some credence to his post.
    The Irish where treated like the ” Blacks ” and all other minority’s . :eschewed: :lol:

  15. babyboy on August 14th, 2008 10:24 am

    what is breastmilk? and what do they give it to? and is it good for someone? and Is it part of woman’s tits?

    roadrunrnch replied on August 14th, 2008 12:06 pm:

    melikadothechacha replied on August 14th, 2008 12:12 pm:

    So many questions - goodness!
    and all centered around babies!
    When did your series come online
    and who is your programmer? :mrgreen:

    CaptainJack replied on August 14th, 2008 1:25 pm:

    I wonder why your questions sound suspicious to me? You know the word tits and milk, but don’t know breastmilk? Very odd. :???: Or your just trying to play us. :wink:

  16. stokesjrj1 on August 14th, 2008 9:52 am

    Words Request: Pumapard

    foxbow15 replied on August 14th, 2008 10:14 am:

    puma+leopard=pumapard

  17. babyboy on August 14th, 2008 9:39 am

    What is the word milky means?

    foxbow15 replied on August 14th, 2008 10:12 am:

    something that shows similarities to milk…..?

  18. ragabashmoon on August 14th, 2008 9:36 am

    I’ve never actually heard that saying heh.

    But, first I’d buy a 1967 Shelby Cobra GT500. Then, I’d get a new computer that was like 100 times better than anything I could normally afford. Probably a Macintosh, and I’d “dual-boot” Windows XP (not Vista) on it for those rare programs that don’t run on a Mac now.

  19. friend on August 14th, 2008 9:28 am

    Marina,

    I would to know what is the origin of “XOXO” meaning hugs and kisses often signed at the end of cards and letters.

    -Friend XOXO

  20. funuzi on August 14th, 2008 9:22 am

    The word blitzkrieg comes from the german words blitz(lightning) and krieg(war), so blitzkrieg in German means a very fast war

    ragabashmoon replied on August 14th, 2008 9:37 am:

    It’s generally frowned upon for us to give word origins, as it takes away from Marina’s reason to make more videos.

    gabiz replied on August 14th, 2008 9:45 am:

    Gracias

  21. stokesjrj1 on August 14th, 2008 9:13 am

    Mountain Lions native of the americas

    Bob replied on August 14th, 2008 12:32 pm:

    Any Pink Panthers there too?

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 2:22 pm:

    Peter Sellers Women on birth control

  22. gabiz on August 14th, 2008 9:11 am

    Marina I want to ask you, where comes the word “blitzkrieg”? and the exprecion “dog fight” or “dog fighter”?, I know that exprecion is uses in the air combat
    I’m from Argentina, south america, my english, to write is not very good, but I can understand.
    I hope you can answer me, plis Marina.
    Why I can’t have a english teacher beautiful like you. :mrgreen:
    Bye

    melikadothechacha replied on August 14th, 2008 12:19 pm:

    blitz krieg is German for lightning war
    (krieg der stern means Star War)

    Snoopy vs The Red Baron :mrgreen:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNremK0cBEg&feature =related

  23. gelyon on August 14th, 2008 9:08 am

    I stil have two words that haven’t been investigated already:

    Contingency

    and

    Naughty
    (guess it is time to clarify this word by our naughty teacher!) :cool:

    Cheers,
    Gelyon

  24. niq on August 14th, 2008 8:53 am

    What is the origin of the word “boycott”?

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 9:21 am:

    AND girlcott, don’t be such a sexist. :lol:

  25. elliott610 on August 14th, 2008 7:06 am

    Funny you should mention this. Josh Riley is one of the characters in my latest novel, The Shaman and the Rose. I’m awaiting a call back from a Hollywood director on the novel. So you might say The life of Riley might finally get me where i’ve always wanted to go.
    bill

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 9:31 am:

    I went to your web site. I have never heard anyone assert that the devil and Satin are two different people. The bible very clearly states that they are one and the same. The names mean Opposer and Slanderer. Oh well it doesn’t really matter for your book.

    ragabashmoon replied on August 14th, 2008 9:41 am:

    Really? I never heard anyone assert they are one and the same myself. God, Jesus, and The Holy Ghost most say are the same, but not Satan. Satan was Lucifer, the Morning Star. He sat at God’s left hand. But then he betrayed God, and was cast out. Read The Book of Job, it in no way says God and Satan are the same, they are making bets that Satan can’t get Job to turn away from God. So, if they ARE the same person, then God is insane and is making bets with his other personality. Somehow I don’t think that’s the case.

    ragabashmoon replied on August 14th, 2008 9:43 am:

    OH DEVIL and SATAN roflmao oh man I am tired rofl.

    ragabashmoon replied on August 14th, 2008 9:45 am:

    Just ignore me today LOL I’m on drugs or something. Can’t read. LOL. And, actually… there is one book that says that Lucifier, Beezulbub, Mephisto, and all them are different, but it’s fiction. Piers Anthony’s “For Love of Evil”

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 9:56 am:

    You didn’t I got you and Tayjim mixed up for some reason. I looked up and seen hat so I thought it was you. :oops:

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 9:57 am:

    It must be a prerequisite for philologist from Russia :cool: .

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 10:11 am:

    Yeah raga: drink some coffee first then comment. :lol: I use to read all Piers Anthony’s books, but not that one. I started off with ‘juxtaposition’.

    I think there is a pretty argument that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Ghost are not the same, but we probably shouldn’t get into that here.

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 1:31 pm:

    Well Geronimo I have always been taught that God was the supreme being and Jesus was his son. You received the Holy Ghost by being caught up in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ by believing in him that he died on the cross for our sins. Only through Jesus did you go to the Father=God. This thread is for this discussion only. If someone doesn’t want to participate then let them not comment here. I do not mean any harm by my last statement, but this thread is as good as any. We are not trying to change or preach to anyone only bring up facts that we think are relevant. :smile:

    elliott610 replied on August 15th, 2008 9:09 am:

    There is a supposition being debated by divinity students and theologians that the “devil” who tempted Jesus was one of the fallen angels and that Satan wasn’t ever an angel but a being cast from Paradise by the angel, Michael. According to this hypothesis, it was Satan who caused some angels to be expelled from heaven for refusing to recant Satan’s evil ways. This information was what I based my novel on.

    BillyB replied on August 16th, 2008 1:01 am:

    What was Satan’s downfall (sin)… why was he cast out of God’s presence? ” How you have fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of the dawn!
    You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations! ” From the book of Isaiah.
    Interesting questions,(to me) with real scripture answers. Satan & demons being active & with seats of authority in the world system, are ultimately defeated.
    Jude 6 ” And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, ”
    is very mysterious & I don’t know, who could these angelic beings have been… possibly these guys “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” From the book of the Genesis.
    We are warned to be very careful & don’t treat foolishly this subject…Jude 1:9
    But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
    Jude 1:8-10 (in Context)
    Capman no need to sound apologetic in your post, makes you sound like a Canadian… I’m sorry :smile:

    geronimo replied on August 17th, 2008 5:50 pm:

    I have been on a backpacking trip for the last 4 days so this response is kinda late. I can’t believe that there is even any debate as to Satan the Devil. Rev. 20:2 removes all question and plainly states that they are one and the same. As for the Nephilim, I always understood them to be the offspring of materialized angels who had forsaken their natural position in heaven and had relations with human women. I see that that one sentence “and also afterward” could cast some doubt on this assertion. Either way this account shows that there were many angels who decided that they wanted what Satan wanted and followed him in his rebellion.

    elliott610 replied on August 17th, 2008 10:12 pm:

    Dear Geronimo,

    Satan and the devil as seperate entities was just a debate among divinity students and teachers that I read online. I took that idea one step further by asserting that the “devil” was one of the fallen angels who followed Satan in the great war in heaven. My book pits the devil against Satan as this fallen angel seeks his redemption in the eyes of God. It’s a fantasy adventure with a moral, that even someone tainted by pure evil can reclaim their faith if they truly repent. It was never my intent to offend anyone’s beliefs.
    bill

    geronimo replied on August 17th, 2008 10:27 pm:

    Billy I am not offended. I don’t have a problem at all with someone making a fantasy book, I just have a problem with such debates because it just adds to further convolute the truth. The only reason I originally commented was because I was under the impression that YOU believed that Satan and the Devil were two different beings. Your story is certainly an interesting concept and sounds like a good read.

  26. dr.infinity on August 14th, 2008 6:54 am

    hey hotforwords. i really love ur vids, i learn so much from them all especially the one on antidisestablishmentarianism. i just wanted to know where the word masturbation came from and how it ended up meaning wat it means. :roll:
    Thanx! :wink:

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:32 am:

    Here is the where you will find the tru meaning of masturbation, http://www.hotforwords.com/2007/08/17/female-vs-ma le/…….thankx is properly spelled thanks.

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:32 am:

    tru=true

    stokesjrj1 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:35 am:

  27. interpretty on August 14th, 2008 6:44 am

    F..k, please!
    Marina, do you agree it comes from the ancient or is it primitive or traditional England where a person could not have sex unless he or she had consent of the king in those days (unless that person was in the Royal Family). It is said that when anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard they hung on their door while they were having sex. The pacard had F.U.C.K (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it.
    Would you agree with this version?
    (You and I have much in common - Russian, philologist, 27 year-old, blonde, love words and wordplay. It’s a great idea to create such a website - accept my compliments. Cheers!)

    tayljim replied on August 14th, 2008 7:51 am:

    orion_ss1 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:08 am:

    I had heard that it came from the Puritans ( hard to believe ) who would put that sign on the pillory for those found guilty of adultery as an abbreviation of “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”.

    There are also claims that the roots are from the Latin “fucere” (sp?) meaning to screw; and a similar German word I won’t even try to spell meaning to plow.

    Personnally, I enjoy the idea that the word generally accepted as the most foul came from the Puritans.

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:34 am:

    Hi Interpretty, Welcome to Marina’s Hot For Words site. I think she did that word on a Maxim Radio show, but I couldn’t find it for you. But one of her students here named James has done the entomology of the word. This is the site to watch for it. I hope your not offended by the use of the whole word in the videos that have been supplied for you from Geronimo and myself. If that is you on your site you have a very impressive resume. Very pretty too like you site name. :smile:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVthSNUBre4

    Mike

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 9:39 am:

    Mike when did I present a video with the whole word? Yes she is very pretty. Is that a prerequisite to be philologist in Russia?

    CaptainJack replied on August 14th, 2008 12:43 pm:

    Greetings Interpretty, I too would like to welcome you to HFW site. I hope you find Marina’s site interesting.
    At first I almost misinterpreted your request for “F..k, please!” I thought you where asking for something else. LOL. As you can see we joke around here a bit here. :mrgreen:
    I see from your website that your are a little bit of a philologist (Ok maybe a philology expert) :mrgreen: Im glad you stopped by and I hope you stick around.
    About your word request, The link that Capman gave you of James video of the word F#©|< should answer you questions. It think the word will remain forever in mystery. Too bad, for that word is so commonly used. :neutral:

    Captain Jack

    aLx replied on August 17th, 2008 5:12 am:

    hi,

    i have a question regarding foreign words in russian. buzzword linked to a great site, here’s a picture from that site. now, it says “джекпот” there, i was wondering for how long words like that have been around in russia. it’s kinda hard to tell if they’ve been around a long time or if they entered russian after, say, 1990. also “бизнес” and the like (not sure about the spelling).
    uh, so my question is if they started to just put foreign words into cyrillic just recently. those terms seem to center on business-related or technical matters, which would explain it, i guess. most anglicisms we got over here (i.e. germany) are from that field, of course.

    thank you.

  28. sabooru on August 14th, 2008 6:33 am

    I thought of the best word, miss.
    Persnickety. My new school librarian is so persnickety, and some kiss-arses at my work are massively persnickety. The word sounds so bizarre though and I knew I had to come to you.

    Persnickety: Giving too much attention to small unimportant details in a way that annoys other people.

  29. kaibanator on August 14th, 2008 6:06 am

    Hey fellas,

    I was stoked when I received the email notification about the ‘Life of Riley’ video, mainly because Riley is my sister’s name :smile:

    I feel honoured now that I noticed that my name was amongst the requested :mrgreen: Thank you for making this video Marina, you’re awesome :cool:

    Bit ‘O’ Trivia: There is also a “Life of Riley” lyric in a song called “Farewell to the Crown” by the band Chumbawumba. I used to own the cd years ago :smile:

    6 stars for the video :mrgreen:

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:37 am:

    Congrats kaibanator, you have two thumbs up one for being mentioned and one for your sister’s name in there also. :wink:

    kaibanator replied on August 14th, 2008 9:02 am:

    Thanks Capman911, a congratz is in order for you as well :grin:

    pennsyltucky9 replied on August 14th, 2008 10:08 am:

    Aw, now quit pattin’ each other on the back, you both know you’re great anyway. Nice work! Keep it up, guys.

    melikadothechacha replied on August 14th, 2008 12:31 pm:

    Chumbawumba? I love that song! :mrgreen:
    tubthumpin’ w/ lyrics
    http://www.hotforwords.com/2008/08/13/life-of-rile y/?wpc=all#comment-49961

  30. gahwings1 on August 14th, 2008 6:03 am

    Now that we are in full swing with the Presidential elections, I would love to know the origin of the word “shenanigan” or to “declare shenanigans”. Thanks!

  31. wetsuit5 on August 14th, 2008 4:53 am

    Marina,

    We joked about Julia Child a little while ago. :wink:

    Check this out: :eek: :eek:
    http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/spies.revealed.ap  /index.html

    Looks like she was cooking Moose and Squirel with Boris and Natasha for real. :eek: :eek:
    And nobody knew. :razz: :razz:
    She held her sauce well. :grin: :grin:

  32. leonard on August 14th, 2008 4:47 am

    Give back the link? Mexican food and fry some life into your money. :eek:

    leonard replied on August 14th, 2008 4:48 am:

  33. Warren on August 14th, 2008 4:36 am

    Hello Marina,
    I remember reading somewhere that O’Reilly was a large land owning family that minted their own money sometime around 1500-1600 in Ireland. They were most likely the most influencial people at that time in the area so maybe that’s where the origin started even though it wasn’t documented.
    The lack of money is the root of all evil. Mark Twain
    Thank you

    orion_ss1 replied on August 14th, 2008 4:42 am:

    But, be careful what you wish for; you might get it!

    Warren replied on August 14th, 2008 5:01 am:

    “Tis easy to resign a toilsome place,
    But not to manage liesure with grace,
    Abscence of occupation is not rest,
    A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.
    William Cowper
    To be able to fill leisure intelllgently is the last product of civilization.
    Bertrand Russell
    Can you tell that I’m dusting off my reference books?

    melikadothechacha replied on August 14th, 2008 12:42 pm:

    Don’t tell fish stories where the people
    know you; but particularly, don’t tell them
    where they know the fish. - Mark Twain

  34. bastion on August 14th, 2008 4:35 am

    Marina, as an etymologist you investigates the history, development, and origin of words. I would think this also gives you the ability to make an educated guess on the future evolution of our language.

    Do you believe, (god forbid) that computer/text message terms like “ur”, “coz”, “kewl” and other similar bastardisations of the english language, could eventually replace the words they represent?

    aLx replied on August 14th, 2008 4:50 am:

    words are not represented. words represent.

    Bastion replied on August 14th, 2008 4:55 am:

    Hence my use of the word “represent” ;-)

    aLx replied on August 14th, 2008 6:15 am:

    your so called “bastardisations” are words, too. words represent entities. a word is a representation of something. like “2″ represents the notion of the abstract entity, the idea of “2″ we have in mind.

    nothing represents a word. and one word can’t represent another one.

    prospero811 replied on August 14th, 2008 8:54 am:

    I have to disagree with you there. It is possible for letters or symbols to represent a word. For example, the word “you too” an be represented by the symbol “u2.” That doesn’t mean that “u2″ is a word. It might be. But, it doesn’t have to be. Not all symbols used in communication are words.

    aLx replied on August 14th, 2008 9:20 am:

    beg to differ.

    it’s just another sign for the entity that you’re directing your speech to. it’s like saying that “книга” is a representation of “book”.

    we’re talking about linguistic signs (cf. de saussure on this one).

    and, again: consider spoken language.

    prospero811 replied on August 14th, 2008 9:35 am:

    Not every symbol representing meaning is a word. For example, the “x” or a “dot” in a mathematical expression mean things, but they aren’t words. Also, abbreviations are not words. They are representations of words. The “ampersand” is a symbol conveying meaning, but it isn’t a word.

    To use your language, yes, it is “just another sign for the entity that you’re directing your speech to.” I’ll agree with that. However, not every “sign” is a word.

    And, the original post involved written language (text page shorthand).

    aLx replied on August 14th, 2008 9:47 am:

    Not every symbol representing meaning is a word

    never said that.

    not every “sign” is a word

    never said that.

    i was talking about linguistic signs, not about mathematical expressions.

    prospero811 replied on August 14th, 2008 10:00 am:

    Yes, but bastion was talking about words not “signs.” You referred to the bastardizations mentioned by bastion as “just another sign…” - yes, all words are signs, but not all signs are words. Bastion pointed out that “coz” (for example) was a bastardization of the word “because” (which it is) and that it “represented” the word “because.”

    You disagreed - stated that “coz” was a word like any other (or that’s what I got from your post), and that it couldn’t represent another word. I disagreed with that statement, since clearly “coz” does represent “because” in text lingo, just like “w” represents “with” and “wo” represents “without.” They aren’t themselves words, they are symbols for or abbreviations of words.

    And above you “begged to differ” with my post where I said that not all symbols used in communication are words.

    So, I am now confused as to what you’re agreeing with or disagreeing with relative to this matter. If you’ve changed the discussion to whether “coz” or other text message symbols are “linguistic signs”, then o.k. - sure, they’re linguistic signs. But, not every “sign” is a word and you appear to agree with that. Bastion was referring to words.

    buzzword replied on August 14th, 2008 6:58 am:

    have you considered the origins of the alphabet? is the letter, “a” a bastardization of a symbol of an ox. every word you used is the bastardization of another. this eugenic approach to grammar is an arrogant attempt to create an ideal or perfect grammar. it is ridiculous. those bastardizations as you called them are just as valid as any other word. cultures may distinguish between appropriate settings for their use, but this is culturally relative. any word is acceptable as long as it functions as a means of communication.

    prospero811 replied on August 14th, 2008 9:08 am:

    In these discussions, I think sometimes people have ended up arguing past each other.

    I don’t think the bastion said they were “invalid” or “unacceptable.” What he called them were “bastardizations,” which would mean that the shorthand text lingo is, in his opinion, a debasement of the English language. My guess is that he sees the reduction in the importance of spelling and standard structure as a debasement.

    That doesn’t mean debased usages are “invalid” and “unacceptable.” The word “ain’t” is often viewed as debased or incorrect English - however, its validity or acceptability depend on context. Are we writing a business letter? Or are we writing a country song, or speaking informally?

    In text messaging many incorrect English usages, and debased forms are plenty valid and acceptable. I text a lot, for example, and have become quite skilled at packing a lot of information into those precious 160 available characters. I’ll use “bc” for because, and “wtf” for “what the f$#k” and “w” for “with,” etc. Does that mean that “w” is equivalent to using the word “with” in other contexts? Of course not.

    What he’s asking Marina is if she thinks that these new usages that are becoming more common, like “coz” for “because,” will become standard usage in general. It’s a good question.

    geronimo replied on August 14th, 2008 9:55 am:

    Prospero I am always amazed at the clarity of your thought and your ability to make such solid arguments. I wish I could do that. I don’t seem able to put down in words what I am thinking in such an argument because as I am typing, more ideas come to mind, and I start mixing them in before I finished the original idea. It usually makes a jumbled mess. Even when I get it right, I obviously don’t think as deep as you do either. Always glad to see your comments.

    prospero811 replied on August 14th, 2008 10:07 am:

    Thank you, geronimo. Your ability to recognize genius when you see it is uncanny. :grin:

    buzzword replied on August 14th, 2008 7:19 pm:

    prospero, the dude said, “god forbid” i think that is kinda like saying unacceptable. i would argue that these are not examples of a “reduction in the importance of spelling”. you stated yourself that you use text messaging and you are aware of the rules and follow them. they guide your selection of spellings.

    if some of these words come into vernacular usage so be it. what harm can possible come since this is basically how written language has been developing anyway. have you ever heard anyone pronounce asap as a word? it means quickly it also means as soon as possible. how about the word stat, abbreviation for the latin word statim meaning immediately.

    however i do believe that the majority of these words will be limited to casual use and to these particular contexts, text messaging etc… by the way here is a link you ass pain.

    word tech and language.

    prospero811 replied on August 15th, 2008 5:33 am:

    Yeah - I use text messaging but I did not say that I was “aware of the rules” - there aren’t many rules. You do whatever it takes to get the message across in the least number of characters.

    It’s not a question of “harm” - and nobody has ever said that language doesn’t change over time. Some new words are always entering and leaving common and standard usages.

    I don’t even get what you’re arguing. You apparently don’t disagree with what I said.

    buzzword replied on August 15th, 2008 5:59 am:

    okay, i’ll try and make a clear statement. the poster implied that the words used in such communications as txt messaging are not appropriate enough to be included in the standard english vocabulary. i stated originally that as in the example of the letter “a” it is not unusual for a symbol or abbreviation to become included into the standard english vocabulary. and that their inclusion sets a precedent for the inclusion of other symbols and abbreviations. i add that many of the words used in txt messaging will not by popularity become included into the standard english vocabulary.

    as a side note, you are one of the few people on this site that i enjoy discussing these types of issues with. admittedly you cause me great aggravation at times (piss me off). it is nonetheless correspondence that has provided a great deal of thought. stick around you bastard.

    prospero811 replied on August 15th, 2008 10:19 am:

    Well, I think we both agree on what you just said. New words are created all the time. However, in your initial response to bastion, you claimed, basically, that “any word as long as it functions as a means of communication,” implying that all this “ur” and “coz” terms are “words.”

    They aren’t English words. They’re shorthand terms for English words, which was my whole point. Sometimes those things develop into words, when they become pervasive enough.

    Bastion was saying that he doesn’t like them getting into standard English usage. I can tell you that I share his opinion. When I’m at work, I don’t want to get emails from professionals saying - “o.k. - I like ur idea coz it solves our problemz.”

    There is effective communication under the circumstances, and there is standard English. Both have a place.

    aLx replied on August 15th, 2008 10:37 am:

    p11, you blasmolic noud!

    what if some dude only knows “coz”, not “because”? would you still say that he’s not using a word?

    prospero811 replied on August 15th, 2008 10:46 am:

    No, I’d say he’s using a word incorrectly. Lot’s of people have no idea they are speaking incorrect or nonstandard English.

    In my opinion, “coz” is a shorthand term for the word “because.” It may be growing, or already have grown, to become a slang or informal word synonymous with “because.” I don’t think it’s there yet. I think it’s still generally considered to be just a shorthand term for because - more like an abbreviation.

    What if someone only knows “&%)” and not “because?” Would you still say that he is using a word?

    prospero811 replied on August 16th, 2008 6:06 am:

    Oh, and buzzword, calling me a pain and a bastard are terms of endearment. :lol:

    Just face it, buzz, I’m right….about everything….all the time…. :grin:

    buzzword replied on August 16th, 2008 6:19 pm:

    a short hand term is still a word. just because somebody else may uses different symbols for a word doesn’t mean its not a word. how are those symbols any different than the symbols in the alphabet?

    my son uses the word, “gaboomba” he uses specifically to describe someone being silly, “he is a gaboomba”. our family knows how to use this word, the whole extended family knows how to use this word, he tells me gaboomba begins with the letter “g”. now why in the hell isn’t this a word? it fulfills all the requirements of a word.

    lividemerald replied on August 19th, 2008 11:09 pm:

    This is complicating my existenz.

    melikadothechacha replied on August 14th, 2008 12:45 pm:

    What’s with theses guys??
    Sounded like a yes or no question!
    Ummmm….no? LOL :mrgreen:

  35. master_john2005 on August 14th, 2008 3:10 am

    I’ve always been fascinated with how we have preserved the names of the Norse gods in our days of the week. Maybe even more interesting is the fact that these are the “corresponding” gods to the Roman gods that survive in the “Romance” languages… which in turn appear to be associated with the Babylonian understanding of the nearest “heavenly bodies”…i.e., in French; Lundi and Mardi etc. This might take a bit too long to develop in a short segment… but I thought that folks might be interested.

  36. raven62 on August 14th, 2008 2:47 am

    Well for my home work, I would have a house in the woods with lots of land around me so I wouldn’t be disturbed by the any one. And maybe one on a sandy beach of an tropical island so my girl and I can realax in the sun and swim in the ocean. Both places would be self reliant for power and maybe water. :smile:

  37. Bob on August 14th, 2008 1:44 am

    Coincidentally, the quote of the day from my namesake, Bob Proctor, tells how to live the Life of Riley:-

    “The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is
    that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put
    your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural
    ability you have.”
    - John D. Rockefeller
    1839-1937, Industrialist and Philanthropist

  38. labbatt78 on August 14th, 2008 12:54 am

    Riley? As in Pat Riley. Why he was the basketball coach of the Lakers,Knicks and the heat?

  39. chat2ian on August 14th, 2008 12:53 am

    Dear Marina,

    Why do we use the word “up” so often where it doesn’t seem to make sense?

    We “look things up”, “fold things up”, “size things up”, do something “up front”, “match things up”, “mess things up” -

    It seems like things are always “up” and never “down”.

    For the sake of my sanity, please investigate!

    Your loyal student,

    Chat2ian

    Bob replied on August 14th, 2008 1:47 am:

    Get on down, down on the farm, down south.
    When you’re down, the only way is up. :smile:

    chat2ian replied on August 14th, 2008 2:00 am:

    :smile: Yes, but those things make sense. South is “down” and when you’re “down” or “low” you feel sad. Also, people interchange “I’ll come down to see you” and “I’ll come up to see you”, but we always fold things “up”.

    Bob replied on August 14th, 2008 2:27 am:

    Interesting question … Do they still say, “Down South” and “Up North” in the southern hemisphere? If so, then it’s referring to the way a map is used , and not to the value of Latitude.

    Capman911 replied on August 14th, 2008 7:45 am:

    We still do Bob, we even say going down town or going up town. Why I don’t know unless it’s something carried over from our parents and grandparents generation of slang terms.

    orion_ss1 replied on August 14th, 2008 4:41 am:

    You can look down on someone ( but its not nice ) you could ( try to ) stare down a cat. You could get down off a horse ( but its easier to get down off a duck :lol: ; sorry ). If you want the truth you can get the low down.

    chat2ian replied on August 14th, 2008 6:01 am:

    Thx orion_ss1, but I still think that “staring down” or “looking down” make sense, because it implies that you are higher than the other person. You are right about the “low down” though, why not the “high up”? :smile:

  40. sxxkyuubixxs on August 13th, 2008 11:40 pm

    Dear Marina,
    After watching my Taiwanese singers’ music videos. I found the abbreviation ft.
    Do you know what the ft stands for.

    ilikesexytime replied on August 14th, 2008 1:20 am:

    u watch taiwanese singers? have u heard of The Beast?

  41. azereal on August 13th, 2008 10:57 pm

    Dear, Marina id like too know what the origins of these words are.
    Gotham/Gothic, Cataclysms, Frequancy, Diversity, spearectual.

  42. ace on August 13th, 2008 10:51 pm

    Hey, I love your show. I would like to know more about the word SEX.

    lividemerald replied on August 19th, 2008 11:06 pm:

    As in sextuplets?

  43. shawnmnorris on August 13th, 2008 9:27 pm

    Yur hilarious, Marina.

    Homework:if I was leading the life of the Riley I knew I’d be deceased soon after because he’s very old.