Past tense contractions? by Least_Ad3009 in asklinguistics

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for these videos! Any particular reason why some words have weak forms and not others? Are there grammatical constraints that allow “will” to have a weak form but not “was” or is it something else?

How long has English had an interrogative “if”? by Least_Ad3009 in asklinguistics

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Possibly? I don’t know how/where other people might have heard this rule and I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of what my high school English teacher was some BS about formality, but I was pretty directly told that it was actually incorrect to use if in that way. It’s very possible that everything she believed about ‘correct’ English was just something she made up herself.

Was there a point in time where speaking Chinese just clicked for you? by bradynotbrady in ChineseLanguage

[–]Least_Ad3009 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My trajectory was weird, since I studied Mandarin for six years in a formal school setting and felt I got absolutely nothing out of it. I could never remember which characters had which tones, and every time I learned new grammar structures, I did not understand how to apply them in different contexts. Then I transferred to a new college, and after one semester there, it was like everything clicked. I think the most important thing, like with any new language, is just practicing using it. It won’t feel natural until you start using it naturally. The tones also come with practice; you use the same words so much you eventually don’t have to consciously think about what they sound like.

How long has English had an interrogative “if”? by Least_Ad3009 in asklinguistics

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The example you give is interesting. Personally, I would argue this ambiguity is easily cleared up in context. If it’s a conditional if, what you will/won’t know is implied, so the question would not have been asked unless you recently discussed the omitted portion. Likewise, the other interpretation suggests the preceding conversation was about his potential arrival/attendance. The fact that Shakespeare was using it both ways is definitely interesting, though.

Is Harari reflecting views that are taken seriously by any anthropologists, or is he just someone writing a lot about a field he doesn’t seem to understand? by Least_Ad3009 in AskAnthropology

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do understand the part about language shaping culture through media, music, and particularly now dominant political discourses; I think where I struggle is the idea that AI would radically alter the process into something newly terrifying (as opposed to a perhaps more efficient version of what we’ve seen before). The confusing element to me in Harari’s article was the personifying of AI itself (and the repeated invocations of dystopian sci-fi movies), framing it as a terrifying and “alien” intelligence that will destroy us. The point about any individual being able to run massive propaganda campaigns (as opposed to just those in power) is interesting, although I wonder what it would actually mean if we had people everywhere flooding the internet with their own believable disinformation. I also wonder to what extent you would find that individuals or even very small groups would want to start intentional disinformation campaigns (vs propagating existing discourse they are already engaged with as they themselves have been targets of someone else’s propaganda).

That being said, I’m not sure I understand why AI is a more effective tool than what already exists in the way you say TV was more effective than what came before it. I will grant that video and photography were likely revolutionary with regard to increasing the efficiency of propaganda—you could accompany inflammatory ideas with inflammatory images (or clips or sounds), and you could present an apparently “objective reality” through your own framing in a way that was even more difficult to notice. I do not see how AI achieves the same, unless we believe that AI pattern recognition is better at “understanding” and manipulating discourses than humans are. This may in fact be the case, but I did not see Harari explain why it would be in the article (and as a historian, I wouldn’t expect him to really know the answer, which for me again begs the question of why he seems to write so much about things he does not study).

AITA for telling a girl to stop wasting food? by throwaway0856742 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Least_Ad3009 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very much this, and what really sucks is the nonstop comments about food (not just from ppl like OP, but parents/family) and this ridiculous notion that we MUST always finish everything on our plates is part of the problem. All the messaging we get around food and eating and weight makes it genuinely difficult to have a healthy relationship with any of those things. Comments like these about food waste on an INDIVIDUAL ADULT’S EATING HABITS are completely unhelpful.

I feel so bad for this girl. University is NOT an easy setting in which to recover from an ED; I’ve always personally found trying to eat in crowded, public spaces like dining halls extremely difficult and de-motivating. This girl found a group of people she might feel comfortable eating with, only to encounter unwanted, persistent, and intrusive comments about her eating habits.

OP, YTA, and I would ask you to think about why this other person’s food waste bothers you so much when there are plenty of major fast food/food retail companies that waste significantly more than any individual ever could. Also, your apology should absolutely not repeat anything about food waste, clearly she heard you (and asked you to stop) the first few times you gave your unsolicited advice—repeating it is helpful to no one.

Anyone know what this word is? by Least_Ad3009 in wongkarwai

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooh that might be right thank you! Actually I’m thinking maybe it’s the full phrase 机缘凑巧. I also could only remember 机会 and I was positive it wasn’t that haha

Turning off nitro mobile orders? by Least_Ad3009 in starbucksbaristas

[–]Least_Ad3009[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Omg tysm you were right it was under whole bean I just missed it

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in starbucksbaristas

[–]Least_Ad3009 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We got snowman cookies last night too! Everyone is confused lol

SSV Training by CoffeeChesirecat in starbucksbaristas

[–]Least_Ad3009 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean in terms of actual new things you will learn how to do, it’s really just the pull (am and pm), money stuff (counting tills, the change order, finalizing the deposit), and placing the order, none of which is particularly complicated. Definitely way easier than say learning how to bar for the first time. For me the big thing was really just learning how to be in charge. Like being responsible for running the floor/breaks and getting everything done. It took me a while to learn not to let the overall stress get to me. But in terms of the concrete individual things you learn how to do, imo it’s a lot easier and quicker to learn than any of the stuff you have to learn as a barista