You know you're a language nerd when…

General discussion about learning languages
garyb
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby garyb » Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:25 pm

While we're on spell checkers, the Google Docs one is pretty bad and I must count as a language nerd because I've told it numerous times that its suggestions for Italian (not to mention English) are wrong. But other times it's actually suggested more natural ways to phrase sentences, so it's hit-or-miss.
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby golyplot » Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:09 am

I'm just annoyed by how prescriptive and pedantic the Google Docs checker is when it comes to grammar style. It constantly wants to rephrase sentences that are already correct IMO. On the other hand, it also catches a lot of legitimate mistakes, so it's hard to forgo either. It also occasionally makes really baffling mistakes. Applying the spellchecker is a time consuming process, since you have to manually verify every suggestion, as it's 50:50 whether it actually makes sense or not. And it still doesn't catch even obvious mistakes sometimes.

It also really hates when you use a mixture of American and British spellings. E.g. it will insist on changing "defence" to "defense".
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby luke » Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:52 am

golyplot wrote:It also really hates when you use a mixture of American and British spellings. E.g. it will insist on changing "defence" to "defense".

You mean like incompatible overdefense? Such as, when you come in and pat a bull, you better get over da fence. ;)
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Gaoling97 » Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:19 am

you feel guilty for reading a book or watching a TV show in your native language instead of your target language.
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golyplot
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby golyplot » Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:45 am

Just tried using Google Docs spellcheck again, and literally the second suggestion was messing up something that is already correct.

It took five minutes for my router to come back online. This happened near the end of my Magic game, and I was surprised that my opponent actually waited around for the five minutes.


Google wants to change the last part to "for five minutes".

It seems like the spellcheck tends to fixate really hard on grammar patterns that are common, even if it isn't actually what you want in the particular circumstance in question.

Edit: Maybe I should liveblog dubious spellcheck suggestions. Here it wants to change "smushed" to "squashed". But there are so many bad suggestions like this that if I tried to list them, I'd be here all night.

It's interesting how readings can be smushed together even across kanji boundaries.


Another good example. It wants to change "in" to "on" here, even though it is already correct.

My next Sherlock Holmes letter came in Tuesday, but I haven't opened it yet, since I assume it contains the solution to the first month's mystery.


Here's one that's really dumb. It wants to change "HSA" to "FSA"!

I signed up for the HDP with employer HSA contributions promised, but I forgot to actually create an HSA with HSABank.


Anyway, I think that's enough examples for now.

Edit: Just one more, since this is a perfect illustration of how it goes based on what word patterns are most common rather than what makes sense in context.

(Talking about buying used headphones) "It's an outdated model, so I had to get them used." -> "It's an outdated model, so I had to get used to them."
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Raconteur » Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:46 pm

You know you're a language nerd when: this is your type of humor:
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Le Baron » Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:02 pm

I don't learn languages to pick up girls; I pick up girls to learn languages.


Luca Lampariello. He really said this in a video I saw. Language nerd with a twist. 8-)
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Cainntear » Mon Mar 27, 2023 8:37 pm

Le Baron wrote:
I don't learn languages to pick up girls; I pick up girls to learn languages.


Luca Lampariello. He really said this in a video I saw. Language nerd with a twist. 8-)

Yeah, but a twist of misogyny really doesn't help the flavour of the drink...
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Le Baron
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Le Baron » Mon Mar 27, 2023 8:47 pm

Cainntear wrote:
Le Baron wrote:
I don't learn languages to pick up girls; I pick up girls to learn languages.


Luca Lampariello. He really said this in a video I saw. Language nerd with a twist. 8-)

Yeah, but a twist of misogyny really doesn't help the flavour of the drink...

I'll advise him he'd better pick up men instead to avoid your admonishment.
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Cainntear
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Re: You know you're a language nerd when…

Postby Cainntear » Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:01 am

Le Baron wrote:
Cainntear wrote:
Le Baron wrote:
I don't learn languages to pick up girls; I pick up girls to learn languages.


Luca Lampariello. He really said this in a video I saw. Language nerd with a twist. 8-)

Yeah, but a twist of misogyny really doesn't help the flavour of the drink...

I'll advise him he'd better pick up men instead to avoid your admonishment.

He wouldn't avoid my admonishment -- he'd just change the word I used.
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