tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post920778745312900236..comments2024-03-28T16:11:36.465+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: me (n)either / nor (do) Ilynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90915927318968237472008-04-18T00:32:00.000+01:002008-04-18T00:32:00.000+01:00Your second sentence there has a problem. A native...Your second sentence there has a problem. A native English speaker would not say 'I don't like neither X nor Y' because of the double negative (don't + neither/nor). You'd have to say 'I don't like pizza or pie' or 'I like neither pizza nor pie'.<BR/><BR/>The answer to your question in the previous comment is kind of in the blog post--it's a matter of opinion whether it's correct or not, and the opinion will probably differ according to whether the person who has it is English or American.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55895991441179636662008-04-17T23:59:00.000+01:002008-04-17T23:59:00.000+01:00FOR GEMINI:the right is:'either...or' and 'neither...FOR GEMINI:<BR/>the right is:'either...or' and 'neither...nor'<BR/><BR/>-'You can choose either pie or pizza'<BR/><BR/>-'I don't like neither pie nor pizza'jessica.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15704582523375277045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4054766334534513842008-04-17T23:55:00.000+01:002008-04-17T23:55:00.000+01:00I have a question...Is grammatically correct to sa...I have a question...<BR/>Is grammatically correct to say: 'Me neither?'.<BR/>a friend raised me this question today and I said that the right is 'Me either'.<BR/>so tonight i've been searching for some answers but some people say that 'me neither' it's informal English,other people say that the wrong one is 'me either'.Now I'm completely in doubt.<BR/>Can anyone help me?jessica.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15704582523375277045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11277223338745383922007-12-12T02:21:00.000+00:002007-12-12T02:21:00.000+00:00hey, just have a question...slightly related to t...hey, <BR/>just have a question...slightly related to the topic...can one use "either...nor" or "neither...or"??? with my indian mind i cannot think of any example...can u???Saeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111622840604352177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25052814253087166492007-06-05T16:06:00.000+01:002007-06-05T16:06:00.000+01:00Although the "me" as in "Nor me" or "Me neither" s...Although the "me" as in "Nor me" or "Me neither" sound ungrammatical I believe it's used in these phrases as an emphatic form of the first person singular pronoun, rather than the object or indirect obect. One could compare it with the French "Moi non plus". John Wood (BrE)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-17324376743327952752007-05-17T23:28:00.000+01:002007-05-17T23:28:00.000+01:00Update: I joined a queue/ line in a ladies' toile...Update: I joined a <B>queue</B>/<B> line</B> in a <B>ladies' toilet</B>/<B>restroom</B> today, and the (English)woman beside me said something like "A queue!" and I replied, "I've never seen a queue in this loo before", and she replied "me neither"! Except she pronounced the first syllable of <I>neither</I> like <I>nigh</I> rather than <I>knee</I>. I tried not to betray my shock--will the phrase become popular in BrE but with a different pronunciation?lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10625266107995907872007-04-25T18:13:00.000+01:002007-04-25T18:13:00.000+01:00A late contribution, but I (BrE speaker) use "aith...A late contribution, but I (BrE speaker) use "<I>ai</I>ther/n<I>ai</I>ther" almost all the time, and so have no problem saying "me n<I>ai</I>ther". "Me <I>ai</I>ther" might be a stage too far, not because of sound, but just because I don't think I'd say it, and I actually came upon this wonderful site while looking for comment on the status of "me either" (especially whether it had positive or negative sense). I remember getting very up-tight first time I heard a Canadian friend using the phrase "you (n) me both" (the <I>and</I> was there but hardly), but very quickly learned to like it as quirkily irregular. Maybe I'll relax into "me either" at some stage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67406880137813419332007-02-28T20:00:00.000+00:002007-02-28T20:00:00.000+00:00People often find it hard to understand me when I ...People often find it hard to understand me when I say "milk" out of context ("What would you like to drink?" "Milk, please." "What?"), but not because I'm vocalizing it, it's just that it's <I>so</I> dark as to swallow the following /k/ altogether.<BR/><BR/>Postvocalic /l/ and /w/ move about considerably in various British dialects: "Bristol", for example, is spelled that way to match the local pronunciation of its original name, "Bridgestow".John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69407802050552716822007-02-28T17:33:00.000+00:002007-02-28T17:33:00.000+00:00Regarding n/i:/ther ~ n/aj/ther - I have absolutel...Regarding n/i:/ther ~ n/aj/ther - I have absolutely no idea which pronunciation I use. A fact which makes me incredibly skeptical about other people's intuitions about their pronunciations. <BR/>All reminds me of a rather amusing incident in my kitchen a few weeks ago when a few international students were interrogating a native English speaker about which was better for n/i:/ther ~ n/aj/ther. I entered the kitchen, and suddenly their prayers were answered - an actual linguist (I don't know what people suppose we syntacticians do all day but I think most people guess I read a dictionary: Peter, You're A Linguist, What Does Pedagogical Mean? Well, I Know But That's Not Because Of What I Study). I told them I didn't know about n[i:]ther ~ n[aj]ther, and asked another English student who was there what he said. He answered n[oI]ther (sorry about the IPA, think 'boy'), in his usual Brummie (Birmingham) accent. GeniusAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15091878725089200945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7123863229497434572007-02-28T17:30:00.000+00:002007-02-28T17:30:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15091878725089200945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86877175507989935882007-02-23T02:46:00.000+00:002007-02-23T02:46:00.000+00:00When I (an American) was living and working in Lon...When I (an American) was living and working in London, I frequently heard "nor me" where I would say "neither do I." <BR/><BR/>Unrelated: sometime in my teens, I think, I figured out that my pronunciation of "me neither" didn't match my pronunciation of "neither" (with the eye sound) in all other contexts, and it caused me such cognitive dissonance that I began making a conscious attempt not to use the phrase at all. I still (unconsciously now) avoid it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02957612115313355854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20211212327681164012007-02-22T03:06:00.000+00:002007-02-22T03:06:00.000+00:00I think there is a general notion amongst us Ameri...I think there is a general notion amongst us Americans that the British have a more proper, hoity-toity, and cultured way of speaking. Though, this only applies to certain types of British accents and dialects.<BR/><BR/>As for parsnips - thanks for the advice. I may try some eventually, though I'm not very brave when it comes to trying new vegetables :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74549940507574633202007-02-21T15:45:00.000+00:002007-02-21T15:45:00.000+00:00You folks have been nipping the parse quite thorou...You folks have been nipping the parse quite thoroughly here, and I've been enjoying it! <BR/><BR/>Lynn, you wrote,<BR/><I>But Americans mostly wouldn't think of saying that the British do anything "wrong" in speech. Well, this American might.</I><BR/> <BR/>For what it's worth, I'd like to add that I have many times heard an American say of the British, in an admiring fashion, "Well, it <I>is</I> their language, after all."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69183496378070591662007-02-21T09:43:00.000+00:002007-02-21T09:43:00.000+00:00Like carrots, they have a sweetness to them, but t...Like carrots, they have a sweetness to them, but they're not as sweet and have a different character of flavo(u)r. <BR/><BR/>I typed "what do parsnips taste like" into Google and found <A HREF="http://www.dallasareamoms.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8477" REL="nofollow">this</A>. I don't agree with most of the answers, though...<BR/><BR/>I suggest: get a small parsnip (smaller = tenderer), cut it into sticks, put in an ovenproof dish tossed with olive oil and a good <A HREF="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/12/slosh.html" REL="nofollow">slosh</A> of balsamic vinegar and bake in a medium-hot oven till tender. Or stick them in the pan with a roast (as you would onions, potatoes, carrots, etc.) and skip the balsamic.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60014812350931560702007-02-20T23:15:00.000+00:002007-02-20T23:15:00.000+00:00Do they taste similar to carrots? (I admit that I ...Do they taste similar to carrots? (I admit that I don't like carrots very much unless they've been really well cooked and smothered in butter.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46107797107970806032007-02-20T19:19:00.000+00:002007-02-20T19:19:00.000+00:00I do a lovely roasted parsnip salad. Parsnip rost...I do a lovely roasted parsnip salad. Parsnip rosti (another words Americans rarely know--it's like hash browns) is lovely too.<BR/><BR/>I'd say that parsnips are one of the great things about living in the UK, except that you can get (and cook/eat) parsnips easily in the US, so it's not quite right to count them as a great thing about the UK. I guess they're more of a great practice (i.e. the regular cooking and eating of them) than a great thing of the UK.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4377157081628212712007-02-20T14:24:00.000+00:002007-02-20T14:24:00.000+00:00er, there should be 'ml' on the end of that url. S...er, there should be 'ml' on the end of that url. Sorry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81228784107443068552007-02-20T14:23:00.000+00:002007-02-20T14:23:00.000+00:00Again on parsnips (sorry): they can be used (i sup...Again on parsnips (sorry): they can be used (i suppose also like carrots) in cake. I made a yummy ginger cake with parsnips from a recipe in the Guardian weekend magazine a while ago. Yum. Might be time for another one of those!<BR/><BR/>(recipe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1607614,00.html)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60161494218768965392007-02-20T06:36:00.000+00:002007-02-20T06:36:00.000+00:00But Jack, parsnips are wonderful!You cook 'em like...But Jack, parsnips are wonderful!<BR/>You cook 'em like you'd cook carrots. Boiled, then with a knock of honey, a touch of butter and a grind of pepper. Fantastic.<BR/>They're also really good roasted in winter, but I'm in the wrong hemisphere to be talking about comfort food.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46606869424018994882007-02-20T02:03:00.000+00:002007-02-20T02:03:00.000+00:00I found that I also pronounce the vowels in neithe...I found that I also pronounce the vowels in neither/either with both an "ee" sound as well as an "eye" sound. For me the pronunciation seems to depend on where the word falls in the sentence. For instance I would say:<BR/><BR/>"Neither do I" with the "eye" pronunciation<BR/>"Me neither" with the "ee" pronunciation<BR/><BR/>So "eye" if the word is the first in the sentence, and "ee" if it is not.<BR/><BR/>I would never say "me either," would usually say "me neither," and would maybe sometimes say "neither do I."<BR/><BR/>And working at a grocery store, I have encountered people buying parsnips. I haven't the slightest idea what people use them for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14822491142160062492007-02-19T22:21:00.000+00:002007-02-19T22:21:00.000+00:00The tjuna-toona issue has already been covered her...The <I>tjuna-toona</I> issue has already been covered <A HREF="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/11/missing-js.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for all the other comments. I think David's about using non-standard language humorously is apt. The thing is...it's hard to recogni{s/z}e in another culture. Many times I've heard BrE speakers misunderstand educated AmE use of non-standard forms as serious usage--causing them to declare that AmE speakers don't know what's 'right'. But if I say something like <I>He done got took</I> when I mean <I>He got taken</I> ('duped'), I'm making a comment on the situation through my use of a non-standard language.<BR/><BR/>The same thing goes on in BrE, I'm sure--though possibly not to the same extent. But Americans mostly wouldn't think of saying that the British do anything "wrong" in speech. Well, this American might.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44386939699347299392007-02-19T20:32:00.000+00:002007-02-19T20:32:00.000+00:00Thanks go you-wards, Lynne.Thanks go you-wards, Lynne.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-9374148707147192152007-02-19T17:52:00.000+00:002007-02-19T17:52:00.000+00:00Off the original subject, I grew up in eastern Nor...Off the original subject, I grew up in eastern North Carolina and we said dyook for Duke (the university) and dyoo for due and nyooz for news. So the forms are not unknown in America. My mother and sister use them, for example.<BR/><BR/>On the original subject, I think I'm more likely do say "I don't either" (with /i/ not /aj/) than "Me either" or "Me neither" or "Neither do I" if somebody says "I don't like Brussels sprouts." And I do think I pronounce the final -s of Brussels as well as the initial s- of sprouts.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89951313133780920062007-02-19T17:39:00.000+00:002007-02-19T17:39:00.000+00:00My BrE husband has never said anything but 'brusse...My BrE husband has never said anything but 'brussel sprouts, though I wouldn't count on him for correct capitalization. I'm AmE--and I've never heard it any other way here in the US either. This is just sloppiness, right?---because who can manage to squeeze in that extra 's' in normal speech, after those 2 s's in the middle of 'brussel'? I'd bet not even those subtle folks who can slide in a shadow of a 'd' in Wednesday. <BR/><BR/>Have you chewed over the matter of dYukes (AmE dooke)and chtYuna (AmE toona)? A great source of amusement around this mixed-English household.... Still, there seems to be something truly sacred about that YOO vs OO thing in several words for my husband. Our child must learn the proper way.vegosapienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15419873022731681576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-59693601436488819952007-02-19T14:32:00.000+00:002007-02-19T14:32:00.000+00:00Straw, I was teasing you. I added the 's' (I thin...Straw, I was teasing you. I added the 's' (I think I did--it's been a crazy day--will check later) and the B/b alteration came from checking dictionaries. I'm always grateful for queries about my own faulty writing!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.com