The Absurd Amount of English Words

**Yaroslav** · 02-17-2014, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by McCauley

I'm not really a fan of loan words; "cliche", "rendezvous", "shadenfreude" etc., I'm a little bit of a linguistic purist (if there is such a thing for English).

I enjoy using archaic Old English/Anglo-Saxon derived words, like you would find in Tolkien books.

Savoir faire, carte blanche, avant-garde, vis-a-vis, per se, ad naseum, ad infinitum, ad hoc.

**Nurzat** · 02-17-2014, 10:18 PM

despite the large vocabulary, english has few synonyms and all in all is quite inexpressive. but it is the best language for scientific papers.

best language for swearing: german
best sounding language: finnish
best language for science: english
best language overall: russian

**~~McCauley~~** · 02-17-2014, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by tschort

despite the large vocabulary, english has few synonyms and all in all is quite inexpressive. but it is the best language for scientific papers.

best language for swearing: german
best sounding language: finnish
best language for science: english

best language overall: russian

Inexpressive? No, I would make a bet that I can describe in more detail anything, in English, better than you could in your native tongue.

**Yaroslav** · 02-17-2014, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by tschort

despite the large vocabulary, english has few synonyms and all in all is quite inexpressive. but it is the best language for scientific papers.

best language for swearing: german
best sounding language: finnish
best language for science: english
best language overall: russian

I thought Latin is the official science language? Agree about Russian.

**Yaroslav** · 02-17-2014, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by McCauley

Inexpressive? No, I would make a bet that I can describe in more detail anything, in English, better than you could in your native tongue.

You can make very short sentences in English due to its incisive cache of words.

**oh-nahhh** · 02-17-2014, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by Yehiel

IM ON A HEBREW KEYBOARD AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE COPS LOCK ON TO TYPE IN ENGLISH, IM GONNA CHANGE IT THOUGH

**Yehiel** · 02-17-2014, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by Godzilla

**oh-nahhh** · 02-17-2014, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by Melonhead

English people also like to make tons of slang, even just among friends. So made up regional and even personal idiosyncracies are very common. English people must be the most verbal in the world.

"Idiosyncracies" is not a word. I would kindly refer you to the word "idiosyncrasies" in your lexicon and ask with bewilderment how one could possibly mistake the two.