Pyramids Discussion *Spoilers*

[Tonyblack]

Actually Jan, you're not alone. I've had a couple of PMs from members who'd rather a change of topic for the next discussion and the more I think of it, the more I'm inclined to agree.

So on balance, I think we'll stick to Wyrd Sisters for the next discussion.

[Who's Wee Dug]

Pteppic looking for his mummy,

[raisindot]

Cheers and Frasier were my 2 must see progs on Friday nights

Okay, continuing to go lead this discussion away from Pyramids, but I was going to get all smarmy and say that Cheers and Frasier were NEVER on Friday nights (they were the centerpieces of the once-magnificent NBC Thursday night comedy cycle), but then I realized that you're talking about when they were broadcast o'er the pond.

Did they really put these on on Friday? In the states, Friday night was traditionally a graveyard night for the networks, where they put limited audience shows (like ABC's awful line up of kid-centered comedies that ran for years and that no one remembers at all) because they figured the attractive demographics they wanted were going out. Cable and an again, stay at home boomer demographic changed this all, of course.

J-I-B

[Jan Van Quirm]

What's in a day? In the UK they were both on around 10:30/11pm slot on Friday on Channel 4. We did have VCRs back then too - we're not entirely behind the times!

So what you did was go to the pub of a Friday night (straight from work if you lived near there) - celebrated the end of the week in the time-honoured way, got kicked out of the pub and into the local chippy/curry house and then either got a takeaway or annoyed the waiters mixing up your order until you got kicked out of there too and THEN you went home and watched the recorded Cheers/Roseanne or whatever That was in the SE TV regions anyway - the day may have varied elsewhere although I think not as it was a network show.

Or if you were a stay at home you woke up around 10 and watched the funnies as broadcast and then a nice gory film (or video rental).

I'm gonna talk about You Bastard and maths next (why do you call it math over there BTW?)

[poohcarrot]

Actually on reflection, Wyrd Sisters is a better choice for the next book, and Small Gods at Christmas is quite appropriate.

Plus there's Twonkey starting soon.

[Jan Van Quirm]

Actually on reflection, Wyrd Sisters is a better choice for the next book, and Small Gods at Christmas is quite appropriate.

I knew you'd latch onto that eventually

[raisindot]

What's in a day? In the UK they were both on around 10:30/11pm slot on Friday on Channel 4. We did have VCRs back then too - we're not entirely behind the times!
Or if you were a stay at home you woke up around 10 and watched the funnies as broadcast and then a nice gory film (or video rental).

I'm gonna talk about You Bastard and maths next (why do you call it math over there BTW?)

I forgot that you Brits had a predominantly socialistic programming system where the gummint runs everything and therefore ratings didn't matter (which explains all those documentaries about sheep-shearing in Leicester), save for those weird independent networks like ITV that used to produce the really cool programs (like The Prisoner and The Thunderbirds). I always loved the ITV intro with the spinning logo and that brass fanfare--ta ta ta ta--ta ta ta ta taa--taaaaaa!!!!!

But here in the capitalistic U.S., the Nielsen people who used to run the ratings system (and, therefore, network programming) before Tivo and cable screwed everything up, didn't count VCR and Tivo users. Until the niche cable channels declared that a show with 200,000 viewers was a hit, Lower ratings here = lower commercial revenue = cancellation. Since Friday night ratings were always lower here in the U.S., the networks didn't put their prime programs either on Friday or Saturday night (and mostly still don't).

Not sure why we call it 'math' here only that it's easier to say. Now, can you tell me why you Brits don't use the definite article when you're talking about where people are going, i.e., "After got hit by a lorry, they sent her to hospital."



J-I-B

[poohcarrot]

Not sure why we call it 'math' here only that it's easier to say. Now, can you tell me why you Brits don't use the definite article when you're talking about where people are going, i.e., "After got hit by a lorry, they sent her to hospital."

Because the definite article implies that the speaker and the listener both know which hospital.

I look after children = Any children
I look after the children = My own children, or the children I've just been talking about.

And;
I'm going to the bank = My bank.

PS Math is much easier to say than maths, especially for Japanese people who don't have a "th" sound. Do Americans also say physic not physics?

[Jan Van Quirm]

It's only the BBC that doesn't have to take too much notice of ratings - they do take some notice of certain governmental vigilance on sensitive political issues and occasionally capitulate to pressure when Whitehall doesn't want them banging on too much about something embarassing (like Iraq). But what usually happens then is they phone up their mates in the more upright broadsheets and they bang on about it until the BBC has to cover it .

The independent commercial channels have always had ratings which is why we have so much tat like X factor and celebrity beanfeasts like Strictly Come Dancing etc etc and yes videos etc have had an effect but by and large 'failure' to pull the viewers will get a show cancelled - which is why thank the gods Big Brother will finally sink without trace this year

"After [she] got hit by a lorry, they sent her to hospital." ?
Because it saves time to leave it out? - it's hardly vital is it? It's optional and we could say 'the' hospital or 'a' hospital' but that's where injured people get sent so do we really need any article in there?

We do use them of course and would never say 'they put in the luggage in back' which seems quite popular in your neck of the woods - we'd say 'they put in the luggage in the back'. Grammar is elective obviously when it's verbal and if you're being specific with a place then do you absolutely need to be precise as in
'they drove to the city' (unspecific) and 'they drove to London' (specific) - just a question of style in the end - like satire

Anyway this is boring now and pooh's done the 'academic' reasoning so not wasting any more time on this - need to think about camels and precision targetting...

Except... it's mathematics which is why it's logically maths and the Japanese can call it what they like in their language

[raisindot]

Because the definite article implies that the speaker and the listener both know which hospital.

I look after children = Any children
I look after the children = My own children, or the children I've just been talking about.

And;
I'm going to the bank = My bank.

PS Math is much easier to say than maths, especially for Japanese people who don't have a "th" sound. Do Americans also say physic not physics?

But I've never heard definite articles ever used by Brits. Even on the news it's always, "On his way to university, the prime minister got hit in the face by a lemon pie cast by the village idiot, and was taken to hospital." Do they assume everyone knows which hospital? Or which university, for that matter?

As for "physics," doesn't it stand for "physical sciences," which would require it to be plural. Technically, the abbreviated form of mathematics should be plural, too, but as you've concurred, when one tries to say "maths" one ends up sounding like Daffy Duck.

Then again, we thrifty, time-saving Yanks ended up removing the letter 'u' from words like colour, which, as an anglophile, I find most regrettable. Still haven't figured out why we spell the color of an elephant "gray" rather than "grey."

Which, I'm glad to say, continues to lead this discussion on a tangent away from 'Pyramids.'



J-I-B

[Jan Van Quirm]

Horses can be gray - grey is a colour, albeit a neutral one. I've practised saying maths all my life so I find it far easier say to than 'math' - plus anyway it sounds completely pretentious, and looks even more so when it's written

Camel's can also be gray BTW and camels are what we are going to talk about tomorrow - how well they can aim their spit in particular and other interesting trivia on the evil-tempered brutes.

BTW - we always say 'we're going the gym'

[poohcarrot]

But I've never heard definite articles ever used by Brits. Even on the news it's always, "On his way to university, the prime minister got hit in the face by a lemon pie cast by the village idiot, and was taken to hospital."[/b] Do they assume everyone knows which hospital? Or which university, for that matter?

In this example you used three definite articles.

In each instance there is only one, hence the "the". (although it could be argued that the Prime Minister is two-faced).

The indefinite article is used because it is referring to something for the first time (lemon pie), of which there are many.

On his way to university implies that the Prime Minister is a student.
The headline would be "On his way to (insert university name) university".

Certain words like countries, cities, magazines, airports, languages, meals etc don't use "the".
Also places like home, work, school, hospital, bed etc don't use "the"

[Dotsie]

BTW - we always say 'we're going the gym'

Good for you! I never say that

[kakaze]

Small Gods at Christmas is quite appropriate.

To long to wait! How about Easter?

Do they assume everyone knows which hospital? Or which university, for that matter?

England's only got two, Oxford and Cambridge, right? It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out.

But I've never heard definite articles ever used by Brits. Even on the news it's always, "On his way to university, the prime minister got hit in the face by a lemon pie cast by the village idiot, and was taken to hospital."[/b] Do they assume everyone knows which hospital? Or which university, for that matter?

In this example you used three definite articles.

In each instance there is only one, hence the "the". (although it could be argued that the Prime Minister is two-faced).

The indefinite article is used because it is referring to something for the first time (lemon pie), of which there are many.

On his way to university implies that the Prime Minister is a student.
The headline would be "On his way to (insert university name) university".

Certain words like countries, cities, magazines, airports, languages, meals etc don't use "the".
Also places like home, work, school, hospital, bed etc don't use "the"

Attack of the English teacher!



I'm looking forward to talking about camels, since I've ridden them before.

[Penfold]

Do they assume everyone knows which hospital? Or which university, for that matter?

England's only got two, Oxford and Cambridge, right? It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out.

Isn't that like saying America's only got two;- Harvard and Yale

I'm also looking forward to talking about camels having encountered them in Egypt. I think the names Terry gave them are too mild. From my experience something far stronger and less suitable for young ears would be more apt!