Pygmalion

Uriel   Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:31 am GMT
I vaguely remember seeing "My Fair Lady" as a kid, but it didn't leave much of an impression.
Guest   Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:47 am GMT
Are you aware that there are people in this world that have a severe medical condition which causes them to be that way? My mother for instance is one of those people. She is a truck driver who has bad knees and a bad back from driving the truck but you probably do not care about that case either. Oh well, I am not one of those people, I am 5'11" 250lbs and I exercise in Manila, Philippines every day. I would love to see you say something like to my mother in front of me. Probably never happen though you are probably just an internet tough gal. I doubt very seriously you would say that to someones face. Just my thought. What do you think? Oh I am sorry, you probably do not have a brain. I on the other hand will be happy to buy you a plane ticket to come here and see if you have the nerve to say that to this Hispanic Asian.
Liz   Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:46 am GMT
GUEST:

Are you sure that you wanted to post this for this particular thread? Whom are you talking to? Did anyone say something offensive here?

DAMIAN:

<<Effing and blinding is now practically "de rigueur" on the stage, let alone TV.>>

Exactly. The whole thing started with the "In-Yer-Face Theatre" in the nineties, didn't it?

Still, I think "verbal aggression" (for want of a better word) is becoming more and more prevalent in the media. Not always taboo words but CDM areas in general are the norm in TV shows. One famous showman, when being asked why he is obsessed with topics concerning sex or bodily functions, said that if he hadn't brought up topics that are a bit risqé, no-one would have watched his shows.

However, I don't think it is entirely true. I'm sure that a lot of people are bored by these topics, which could be exciting if they hadn't been discussed ad nauseam. Quite the same problem do I have with swear words. I have nothin against them if they are used in the right context, but you shouldn't overindulge in them. Nowadays hearing "fuck" and suchlike are almost like hearing someone say "I'm going shopping". These words have completely lost their original function. You become blasé about the whole thing, and it shouldn't be that way.
Liz   Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:58 pm GMT
<<Nowadays hearing "fuck" and suchlike are almost like...>>

are ---> is
Uriel   Sat Apr 21, 2007 4:49 am GMT
Aha! A Brit who uses "blasé"!

So I'm not crazy!
Liz   Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:23 am GMT
Uriel: :-)
Liz   Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:25 am GMT
Why not? :-)


I'm not a Brit by origin, anyway.
Liz   Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:14 pm GMT
As for "blasé"...Looking through the messages I have posted in this thread, I notice that I used more foreignisms than I probably did all my life up till now. That's serious... :-)

Not that I want to show off... I have other good reasons for that. It seems like I'm running out of my basic Anglo-Saxon vocab.
Uriel   Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:47 pm GMT
I had an English boy tell me that he had no idea what I meant by "blase". I thought it was a pretty basic, everyday word, but he seemed pretty mystified by it.

I try to keep track of who everyone is and where they're from, but forgive me if I flubbed it on you -- I've always thought you were British, Liz.
Liz   Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:20 am GMT
Uriel:

I don't know why your friend didn't know that word. It's widely used in Britain. However, it isn't heard as frequently as the f-word! :-)

I'm a British speaker since I have spent considerable time in the UK but English is not my first language. Most people I meet (even in Britain) tend to think I'm British at first but after a few minutes or so my Eastern/Central-European intonation patterns start to creep in.
Lazar   Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:29 am GMT
I also thought you were a native Briton.
Liz   Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:02 am GMT
That's quite flattering. :-)

I noticed that many people assumed I was a native Briton. Quite frankly I was flabbergasted at remarks like "Liz is British" etc. I know I have contributed a lot to topics concerning British culture and dialects, for these are the areas I am more or less acquinted with. I'm not very conversant with American accents and dialects, to say the least. Having seen those comments, I deliberately refused to answer most of them, waiting for someone to notice that I'm not a native speaker in fact. I have always thought there were "giveaways" in my writing style that obviously marked me as a non-native English speaker.
Guest   Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:41 am GMT
Liz Darling, who gives a toss to your writing skills when you can speak the language with a mellifluous voice.
LizI hate spam   Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:36 pm GMT
<<I have contributed a lot to topics>>

I have contributed to a lot of topics
Liz   Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:46 pm GMT
Damn, what did I wrote there instead of my name!