Wordy Blog Archive 2012-04

somehow, i kept reading clitoris in this passage.

Falsetto:

The modal voice, or modal register, and falsetto register differ primarily in the action of the vocal cords. Production of the normal voice involves vibration of the entire vocal cord, with the glottis opening first at the bottom and then at the top. Production of falsetto, on the other hand, vibrates only the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds while leaving each fold's body relatively relaxed.[8] Transition from modal voice to falsetto occurs when each vocal cord's main body, or vocalis muscle, relaxes, enabling the cricothyroid muscles to stretch the vocal ligaments.[6] William Vennard describes this process as follows: …

搞笑 大陆人说英语 Humor: Multilingual Chinese Accent 📺

English Accent: Indian

Chinese pun: 程序员 (My name is gineer, En-gineer.)

From twitter [2012-06-04 @franky_xhl ] ( https://twitter.com/franky_xhl ):

English Accent: New Orleans 📺

update: How to do an American Accent 📺

Words: compleat, connexion

learned today that “compleat” is alternative spelling for “complete”, and “connexion” for “connection”. Here's quotes from American Heritage Dictionary:

American Heritage Dictionary: com·pleat

adj.

Of or characterized by a highly developed or wide-ranging skill or proficiency: “The compleat speechwriter … comes to anonymity from Harvard Law” (Israel Shenker).

Being an outstanding example of a kind; quintessential: “Here was the compleat modern misfit: the very air appeared to poison him; his every step looked treacherous and hard won” (Stephen Schiff).

[Variant of COMPLETE.]

American Heritage Dictionary: con·nex·ion

(kə-nĕk'shən) pronunciation

n. Chiefly British

Variant of connection.

Am adding these words to my arsenal to annoy ignorant hotshot Tech Geekers.

thanks to Brennan Young [ https://plus.google.com/116734026890423292032/posts ]

Also note, “programing” is alternative spelling for “programming”.

See also: The Writing Style of Xah Lee

Etymology of Virgo: Are You Still a Virgo?

Got this joke online, in Chinese:

你是什么座?
处女。
现在还是么?
……

Translation:

What sign are you?
Virgo.
Are your still?
…

Note, the joke does not work so well in English. It works better if the word “Virgo” is replaced by “virgin”. Of course, by word history, virgo means virgin, but American Heritage Dictionary is more direct, quote: «n. In all senses also called Virgin.».

Note the word “virgin” itself came from Latin “virgo”. First recorded ~1200.

English Vocabulary: Noun Things

The Writing Style of Xah Lee