Why do Americans say "anyways"

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What's wrong with "anyway"? What on earth does the final "s" add?

― george matthews, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

shut ups

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

do they???

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

i'm not american

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

anyways

― gbx (skowly), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

whatevers

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

Thread hall of fames

― Dan (And So Ons) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

Why do English people say "aluminium?" That's just stupid.

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

oh noes

― jody, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:10 (nineteen years ago)

See? Someone "oh noes" is funnier with the -es; I laugh every time.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:11 (nineteen years ago)

WTF, "someone"?? S/b "somehow".

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

It's kinda late 90s.

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

Why do English people say "aluminium?"

Um, because it's the correct way to say it. People were saying it like that way before Americans unlaterally invented the dumb-sounding "aloominum". It's derived from the Latin and all the romance languages have it spelt with the last "i".

― george matthews, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

What about "anyhoo"? Was that invented by Homer Simpson?

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:13 (nineteen years ago)

(trying to think of a way to work "irregardless" into this)

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

why do britishes/australians say 'maths'

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

why do britishes/australians say 'maths'

Because it's an abbreviation of "mathematics". Do Americans say "mathematic"?

― george matthews, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

I hate it when people say they needs the "moneys" when they are referring to one check or one specific source of income. "Moneys" is a term which I thought was intended to mean various sources of money. My employer currently says both "irregardless" and "moneys". I was sure she was wrong when I heard her use the word "disinvite," but I'm glad I kept my mouth shut because it turns out she's right about that.

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

how come britishes call redheads "ginger?"
Ginger is tan in colo(u)r, dickss.

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

Because it's an abbreviation of "mathematics". Do Americans say "mathematic"?

No, we say "math." Like "science" and "art."

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:21 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure george will have an explanation for that as well. xpost

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:21 (nineteen years ago)

how come britishes call redheads "ginger?"

South Park does it too!

― Lars and Jagger (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

blame canada

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:23 (nineteen years ago)

why do britishes/australians say 'maths'
Because it's an abbreviation of "mathematics". Do Americans say "mathematic"?

-- george matthews (georgematthew...) (webmail), Today 10:17 AM. (later)

they dont say Mathsematics

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:24 (nineteen years ago)

why do australians call redheads 'blue'?

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:25 (nineteen years ago)

There is also "arithmatic." Do you say "arithmatics?"

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:25 (nineteen years ago)

how come britishes call redheads "ginger?"

This man pwns both this thread and the "First names" thread.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

Happy New Years!

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

And why "sport" rather than "sports?" Huh?

― phil d. (Phil D.), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:28 (nineteen years ago)

I guess it is spelled with an e: arithmetic. But, do Europeans say "arithmetics?"

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:28 (nineteen years ago)

Happy New Years!

I always thought this meant "Happy New Year's [Eve]" because it seems people say "Happy New Year" after January 1st.

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

I said (and wrote) "anyways" until I was 15 and my English teacher informed me it was improper.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

I hate it when people say they needs the "moneys"

when obv. it should be "benjamins"

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

If you're gonna pluralize it, doensn't it look better to spell it "monies"?

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

Why do English people say "aluminium?"
Um, because it's the correct way to say it. People were saying it like that way before Americans unlaterally invented the dumb-sounding "aloominum". It's derived from the Latin and all the romance languages have it spelt with the last "i".

So I've been saying it right all along. I didn't realize there were different ways of saying it.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

When did English become a romance languages?

― Dan (Wonderings) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

Why do English people say "aluminium?"
Um, because it's the correct way to say it.

Um, not really.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Spelling

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

Um, I think it was about the time of the Norman Conquest, Dan.

(No Tom Conti images, please)

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

Oh snap! xpost

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, I agree with Dan.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:04 (nineteen years ago)

Al-oo-min-um rolls off the tongue and should therefore take precedence over the clumsy al-U-min-I-um. Survival of the smoothest.

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure there's some joke I'm missing, but English is a Germanic language. Not that anyone was necessarily saying otherwise.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

For reals.

― Je4nn3 ƒur¥ (Je4nne Fury), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:07 (nineteen years ago)

al-U-min-I-um

isn't it aa-loo-MIN-ee-um? anyway, who wants that minium stuff in their aloo?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:08 (nineteen years ago)

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/n/-/bush_internets.jpg

― Je4nn3 ƒur¥ (Je4nne Fury), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't say English was a romance language. I said 'aluminium' was derived from Latin, and romance languages, also derived from Latin, take the final 'i' from the Latin, as does English, except in America where they seemingly found the word too challenging to pronouce.

― george matthews, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

The guy who invented it "ALUMINUM" was Cornish. He was born in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom. That's what he called it: aluminum. What happened later was the result of two sets of popular opinion: in Europe, people were used to -ium endings and pronounced it wrong intentionally because they thought they were "right." In America, people became used to the -um ending. Like "platinum." Not so odd. And not wrong. So, I say, if the guy who originally coined the phrase called it "aluminum" and he was English, than the rest of you are wrong for saying "aluminium."

― Lazy Dog, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

and you appear to be wrong about the Latin, if you follow the wikipedia link (xpost)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, so, not that Wikipedia is the world's most accurate authority or anything, but their entry on Romance languages makes no mention of Ingles at all. I would investigate further but a) IANAL(inguist) and b) I have shit to do at work.

We do have an awful lot of cognates among languages in the Romance group.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 36 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

It was the French! The French themselves! They gassed the Saxons with stinky cheese and took over the place!

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:21 (nineteen years ago)

I totally misread Laurel up there, sorry.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:24 (nineteen years ago)

Also, more generally, can someone explain the point of these threads where someone whines that x pronounces y differently than they do and proceeds to make inferences about laziness, stupidity, etc.? ALL languages change over time, and the idea that anyone speaks some kind of "pure" version preserved in amber since time immemorial is absurds.

― etc., Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:25 (nineteen years ago)

Erm, etc, I was thinking more along the lines of Latin: pretty much the grand-daddy of all Romance languages, ever. So if any of it passed into Ye Olde English at the time, it would bypass the Normans completely. But nevermind! Forget it! I'm feeling completely unexpectedly sunny today and I'M NOT ARGUING ABOUT FRENCH ON THE INTERNET.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:29 (nineteen years ago)

Why do british classified ads say WHY? For intance, "1968 Austin Healy, for sale or WHY? Devonshire" what the fuck does that mean?

― andy ---, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

Etc OTM, you wouldn't believe how bastardized Klingon has gotten in common usage. The kids today say "glarthAAK!" What kind of verb conjugation is that?

― naabikhtor (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

WHY = "what have you" ??? Meaning barter??? Offhand guess.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

Excuse me, etc., but when I speak, I speak only in olde english, ok??? Just typing, it seems cumbersome.

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

Also, more generally, can someone explain the point of these threads where someone whines that x pronounces y differently than they do and proceeds to make inferences about laziness, stupidity, etc.?

I think it's to teach Americans that a British sense of superiority is not to be feared as is most clearly displayed in people who haven't got a clue what they're on about. And to give us all a laugh.

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

Muttons, beeves and porkers, oh my!

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

Oh and:

Why do british classified ads say WHY? For intance, "1968 Austin Healy, for sale or WHY? Devonshire" what the fuck does that mean?

???

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

Laurel, I know. I was saying there wasn't much overlap between the Roman conquest of Britain and the Anglo-Saxon settlement -- not sure about the exact dates, but less than a full century I think, so not enough time for the Latin to have rubbed off much on Anglo-Saxon/proto-English/whatever.

Not trying to fight with you...my second post was directed at george, and others who have started similar threads in the past...

― etc., Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

(xposts)

― etc., Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

Am I invisible? I think no one reads anything I post (unless it can somehow be misconstrued as something that would be funny to a 7th grader in which case someone will immediately make a stupid crack about it). I said, up-thread somewhere, "...or were the Romans never settled enough to affect the language of daily life (as opposed to that of the military)?" Nice to know I was guessing in the right direction, I suppose.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

Sunny, Laurel! Big smile! (I misread you too, sorry.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:46 (nineteen years ago)

― GET EQUIPPED WITH BUBBLE LEAD (ex machina), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:55 (nineteen years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/elysesewell/IMG_3560.jpg

― GET EQUIPPED WITH BUBBLE LEAD (ex machina), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 18:56 (nineteen years ago)

Speaking of 7th graders...(thbhth)

All right, I may have been kind of trying to start a fight there. Is it too late to blame hormones and/or low blood sugar and withdraw um -- let's not say "gracefully".

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

DIE PRESCRIPTIVISTS DIE

― The Milkmaid (of Human Kindness) (The Milkmaid), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

I don't want to get in a gygax!-like fight with nabisco or anyone else, I just was pointing out that there were academic refinements to the commonly held wisdom (which apparently was first presented by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe), even if they seem to be mere nitpicking.

Ahh, Brooklyn. Or, you know, Americans everywhere.
Yeah, dictionary (MW10) actually says "pe-tee," but everybody else says "pet-it."

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

I keep thinking of that Monty Python song w/ the lyrics "by the time of the Norman Conquest/the rural framework was complete."

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, dictionary (MW10) actually says "pe-tee," but everybody else says "pet-it."

lots of people say "petty," but i have never in my life heard "pet. it."

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:11 (nineteen years ago)

I have heard "pa-TIT," pronounced like Parappa the Rappa might be pronounced if it were a pornographic game called Patit the Tit.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:15 (nineteen years ago)

"Tweak, rub, it's all in the mind..."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:15 (nineteen years ago)

??? Surely you're lying.

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:17 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.dropline.net/optical/periodic_table.gif

― GET EQUIPPED WITH BUBBLE LEAD (ex machina), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:31 (nineteen years ago)

TOWARDS

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 19:34 (nineteen years ago)

I like the way that everyone is ignoring the bit of the Wikipedia article that says that 'aluminium' was used EVERYWHERE, and 'aluminum' presumably marked as an archaic form, for 70-80 years until the guy who invented a more efficient way of producing it misspelt the word on his advertising.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 13:51 (nineteen years ago)

Was that in the article last week? Irregardless of that, there is a long, drawn-out fite on the TalkAluminiumSpelling page.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

ha ha. "Russian Bigamist"

― kingfish pibb Xtra (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

Was that in the article last week? Irregardless of that, there is a long, drawn-out fite on the TalkAluminiumSpelling page.

Why do Americans say "irregardless"?

― george matthews, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

Because it's not really a word? Because it was mentioned upthread? To deliberately sound ignorant? As a joke- having a bit of a laugh?

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

Why do people GIVE A SHIT if someone says something? Jesus fucking christ, will you get a goddamned life.

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

I always give a shit if someone says something. ALUMINIUM TO YOU TOO

― george matthews, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

good thread

― gershy, Saturday, 17 May 2008 22:06 (seventeen years ago)

I typically hate these discussions but 100% redeemed by babybj.jpg

― RabiesAngentleman, Sunday, 18 May 2008 00:27 (seventeen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recurring_human_characters_from_Futurama#Sal

― grebtesthit, Sunday, 18 May 2008 00:36 (seventeen years ago)

good thread

Good, but weird. Good because it's weird. I always thought there was no right and wrong in these situations. Excuse the pun, but it's a kind of "when in Rome" thing -- I was raised in England and said "aluminium" (and "speciality"); now I'm Canadian I say "aluminum" (and "specialty"). It's not a conscious decision, it just evolves over time. I no longer pronounce the words "squirrel" or "mirror" as if they had two syllables, either.

― Lostandfound, Sunday, 18 May 2008 00:44 (seventeen years ago)

"Anyways" was of course made classic by Al Swearengen in 1876.

― rogermexico., Sunday, 18 May 2008 01:59 (seventeen years ago)

I no longer pronounce the words "squirrel" or "mirror" as if they had two syllables, either.

I feel as though I am physically incapable of making them into two syllables.

― Abbott, Sunday, 18 May 2008 17:34 (seventeen years ago)

I say "Anyways" all the time. I really have to stop.

― Z S, Sunday, 18 May 2008 17:43 (seventeen years ago)

The other thing I don't really understand is why they don't cut wages for waiters in Britain and let them make more by tips instead. Front of house labor costs are quintuple what they need to be - and restaurants have to make up the tip out that goes to hosts/bussers/bar staff as well. And all because people can't figure out how to divide by five in their head?

Final cost to the patron is probably the same, at the moment it helps some waiters (bad ones, or unlucky ones) and hurts some good waiters (who make more by virtue of bigger sections, better tips).

― 24 Unagi Plaza, Sunday, 18 May 2008 17:55 (seventeen years ago)

And can anyone explain why British people always seem to say Hungary when it quite clearly should be pronounced Magyarország?

― 24 Unagi Plaza, Sunday, 18 May 2008 18:02 (seventeen years ago)

And why don't they go more often to the Dentist? Is it so expensive that they couldn't go more than once a year?

― 24 Unagi Plaza, Sunday, 18 May 2008 18:03 (seventeen years ago)

I love life!

― Abbott, Sunday, 18 May 2008 18:31 (seventeen years ago)

You know...this thread has got me thinking about Portugal. Isn't it funny that some of Portugal is actually further west than some of Brazil?

― 24 Unagi Plaza, Sunday, 18 May 2008 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

i never understood AW SHUCKS. someone explained it to me once but i still don't get it. :-(

― stevienixed, Sunday, 18 May 2008 19:03 (seventeen years ago)

It is a colloquial way to express modest appreciation of a flattery or compliment. It just makes me think of Disney's Goofy.

― Abbott, Sunday, 18 May 2008 19:23 (seventeen years ago)

I say "anyways" all the time. I like it.

― Casuistry, Sunday, 18 May 2008 19:30 (seventeen years ago)

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