this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The Chinese language has different articles depending on what noun it is for. So 一杯可乐 versus 一双筷子.

In German there are three genders of articles that are basically randomly assigned to each noun.

Sometimes these make sense, but not always, and with languages you have to learn arbitrary information.

It feels like the original post is disparaging American English for not using arbitrary nouns for collections of things. As with most differences between American and British English, the American version is simpler and loses very little. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] [email protected] 5 points 23 hours ago

English (traditional) versus English (simplified)

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 day ago

We have fun collective names. A group of white men is called a podcast, for example.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Bunch of coconuts. A lovely one at that.

[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My favorite is a complaint of Karens.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

They are called "Americans" in Europe

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

An Americans of Karens?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm partial to "fuckton."

A fuckton of geese. A fuckton of sheep. A fuckton of ice cream.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (6 children)

The only time Americans will use metric /s

[–] [email protected] 4 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Fun fact, in America, a ton is 2000 pounds, which is slightly less than a metric ton. In America if you order a ton of bricks, you'd get less bricks than you would if you ordered it in France.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 22 hours ago

Damn shrinkflation

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

A fuckton is 2000 fucking pounds. A fucktonne (note the spelling.. metric) is 1000 fucking kilograms.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

English fuckton, not metric

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Metric fuckton has more punch though.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Nah, that’s a « fuck-tonne »

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Nah, Americans use metric for selling drugs at the very least.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

You can't buy a cup of crack in the US?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Volumetric measurements aren't really good for drugs, the density of the drug may vary depending on quality, origin or manufacturer, in the case of crack and meth. Weight is always better, but then you measure with half, quarter, eighth and sixteenths of ounces. See, we do have to use fractions after all.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 23 hours ago

I guess I have a lot to learn before launching my drug cartel.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Drugs, not even ounce

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Also for gun calibers (is that the right word?)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Too true! ( Yep, that's the right word)

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (4 children)

It's even easier than that with most people I know

They just describe multiples of individual animals, objects, places or things collectively as just ..... stuff

Flock of geese? .... stuff

A stack of books? ... stuff

group of cars? .... stuff

A planet? .... stuff

A solar system? ... stuff

A galaxy? ... stuff

A galactic neighbourhood? ... stuff

The universe? .... stuff

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The universe? … stuff

I think George Carlin would say that the universe is a place for your stuff.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

No, it's my stuff, your shit. Whenever it's mine, it's stuff. Whenever it's yours, it's shit. ie. "Get your shit off the counter so I can put my stuff down."

Source: ol Gorgie Boy

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Where else would I put my stuff?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I never disagree with ol' Georgie

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Sounds like German

plane - flying stuff

Lighter - fire stuff

Vehicle - driving stuff

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

lol ... I'm Indigenous Canadian and I speak my language Ojibway/Cree

This made me realize that the modern things we named with our old language sounds like what you describe

Aircraft -> kah-mee-nah-mee-kook .... 'the thing that flies'

Helicopter -> kah-kee-noo-kah-wah-nas-kee-pee-nik ... 'the thing that turns fast'

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

When the stuff hits your stuff like a very stuff stuff, that's stuff.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Yeah I know ... like stuff ... I dunno ... shrugs shoulders and walks away

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I once knew a person that ended almost every sentence they could with, “and stuff”. I don’t think I’ve ever used the phrase since.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Thus "phenomenology" means αποφαινεσθαι τα φαινομενα – to let that which shows itself be seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself. And stuff”

― Martin Heidegger

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago

A "fuck that" of humans

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Fun fact: The English collective noun for multiple Americans is a "volume".

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

Buncha time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Wicked cools