this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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Showerthoughts

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English is weird (lemmy.world)
submitted 11 months ago by Anonymouse@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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I got hung up on contractions this morning regarding the word "you've". Normally, I'd say "you've got a problem", which expands to "you have got a problem", which isn't wrong, but I normally wouldn't say. Not contracting, I'd say "you have a problem", so then should I just say "you've a problem"? That sounds weird in my head. Is this just a US English problem?

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[–] guy@lemmy.world 74 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

In the sentence "you have a problem", "have" is the main verb. When reduced to the clitic "'ve", it becomes a weak form and is only expected to be used as an auxiliary verb. These types of verbs must be followed by the main verb. "a" is not a verb. Thus, we insert "got".

If we do not insert "got", the stress in the sentence moves and it sounds overly affected.

I'm not too sure, but I think "be" ("is", "are") is the only verb that can be contracted and still remain a main verb. I'm not too sure why.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

πŸ† Award for well thought out and educational answer!

[–] UndercoverGranny@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

I can't find the clitic.

[–] rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social 6 points 11 months ago

To add to this, "have got" is perfect tense. "You're a man" is different because "are" isn't an auxiliary verb here, it is just added to "you" as a contraction. That phrase would probably be an existential clause.

I miss World Wide Words!

[–] AnExerciseInFalling@programming.dev 35 points 11 months ago (1 children)

English is weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though

[–] jasondj@ttrpg.network 8 points 11 months ago

My god it’s a tongue twister for my internal monologue.

[–] Jhogenbaum@leminal.space 27 points 11 months ago

You've mail!

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've a solution!

[–] MorrisonMotel6@lemm.ee 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What's it?

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

It seems that i'm. The solution's me.

[–] Sendpicsofsandwiches@sh.itjust.works 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"You've a problem" actually still works, but it's an older way of saying it

[–] crypticthree@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Yeah, I've definitely heard Brits say similar phrases

[–] Transcendant@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Yes, English is weird.

'Bough' and 'cough' are not pronounced the same. 'Bough' and 'bow' are pronounced the same. 'Knee' and 'Leigh' are pronounced the same. 'Neigh' and 'nay' are pronounced the same. 'Polish' (the nationality) and 'polish' (as in what you do to a metal object) are not pronounced the same. 'Tear' (as in to rip) and 'tear' (as in to cry) are spelled the same, but not pronounced the same. Other words which are spelled the same, but pronounced differently:

resume / resume present / present record / record close / close use / use live / live

[–] TeaHands@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

β€˜Bough’ and β€˜bow’ are pronounced the same

Except, of course, when "bow" is pronounced "bow" instead.

[–] MisterMcBolt@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I shot the boughs with my bow and then gave a bow to my beau!

[–] teft@startrek.website 2 points 11 months ago

The last one should be spelled beau if you mean your special guy.

[–] Illecors@lemmy.cafe 2 points 11 months ago (4 children)

I've got all but the use/use one. What's the other usecase if one is "to consume"?

[–] frosty99c@midwest.social 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It has utility = it has use

To consume = to use

[–] MurrayL@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

The noun 'use', as in 'this has a specific use'

[–] mick@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

What’s the use of giving you the answer when you can look it up on the internet?

[–] Illecors@lemmy.cafe 3 points 11 months ago

To have a brief conversation. I can look everything up myself, but it's nice not being a basement dweller every now and then.

[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 2 points 11 months ago

Leigh put the Polish bough over his knee but couldn’t polish it. β€œWhat’s the use!” he coughed.

[–] triclops6@lemmy.ca 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You've a problem is proper English as well, albeit more often used in the UK than in NA, feel free to use it!

[–] answersplease77@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

'uve problm bruv?

[–] Stretch2m@lemm.ee 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Tom Scott has a great video on contractions.

https://youtu.be/CkZyZFa5qO0

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 11 months ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://piped.video/CkZyZFa5qO0

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

Yeah but that’s not English only. Try saying β€œde el” in Spanish and it sounds super wrong, for similar reasons. Sometimes contractions kill what they replace

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 7 points 11 months ago

No, this is a problem with the language in general.

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Tom Scott recently did a video about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZyZFa5qO0

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 4 points 11 months ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://www.piped.video/watch?v=CkZyZFa5qO0

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

[–] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It depends on your emphasis. "You HAVE got a problem there," doesn't sound weird when you emphasize the have. You've a problem doesn't sound weird, just a bit British.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

You’ve got mail!

Goodbye!

[–] Lmaydev@programming.dev 1 points 11 months ago

It also has secret rules look up adjectives ordering and vowel ordering.

[–] CarlsIII@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

People do say that though.

[–] RTRedreovic@feddit.ch 0 points 11 months ago (3 children)

English has quite many problems in a lot of components. It is not phonemic and is very complex. That is one of the main reasons I got interested in learning Esperanto. It is simple, phonemic and planned to be good.

Bonan tagon al Δ‰iuj esperantistoj Δ‰i tie.

[–] TeaHands@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Saluton, mia amiko πŸ‘‹

[–] lupec@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It says a lot that I don't know a lick of Esperanto yet even without the emote I'd have known for sure what you were saying. Working as intended!

[–] TeaHands@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

Jes!

(That's Esperanto for "yes". It's pronounced "yes" πŸ˜„)

[–] senloke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 11 months ago

Saluton, kiel vi?