[~JACQUI~]

Um, some American bloke tried telling me there was no such country as Great Britain, USA was the only country in the world, and GB is there purely to be America's slaves...Also he told me that there is exactly 50 states in America, no more or less, but I am sure there are a couple more, and that the American's invented the English Language...

Discuss

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Its all true.

[Loudmouthed_Cutie]

did he also tell you that Blair is Bush's bitch?

[~JACQUI~]

No, if he had said that, I would have believed everything else he had said. He couldn't even name Blair

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

No thats weeks in a year you are thinking of.

[~JACQUI~]

I thought there were more than 50

[SAV1OUR]

Hence the Liverpudian film starring Robbie Carlysle and L Jackson

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Yeah the 53rd State

[kendra k]

you all make me sad.

there are only 50 states. then there are outlying territories, but they're not states. look at the flags.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

booo i wanted a lecture on the origins of the English Language.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

No mention of Germany.... Kendra come on educate them.

[kendra k]

you guys are all so far, it's sad. of course gaspode's used to my ranting.

germanic is a branch of indoeuropean, as is italic, which you'd call romantic.

english is part of the west germanic branch, along with frisian, dutch, and modern german.

english is a total hodge podge of germanic roots with french, latin, celtic, germanic, and lots of other roots. it's very fluid in that respect. it's not a romance language, it's germanic. GERMANIC!!!!!

[MK Chris]

And there was me thinking italic was when you slant text slightly..

[foot-loose]

not the language spoken in Italy?

[kendra k]

italian is a descendent of italic. it used to be called romantic, but the indeuropean people changed it.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

So what you are saying is The Queen's English is actually German? That must have come as a shock to Frau Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg er I mean Betty Windsor.

[kendra k]

quite.

[Yudster]

I want to learn Italian.

[Sidders]

I want to year Yiddish.

[Sidders]

*learn

I'm hungover.

[Nicola_Red]

jacqui, don't blame your American acquaintance for being so stupid. Americans are raised to believe that they're the best and most important people in the universe and that their country is responsible for everything great that has ever happened to the developed world, so it's not his fault he believes all that stuff, it's just the result of his upbringing.

[kendra k]

nicola, if you seriously believe that you're either stupid of suffering from a huge inferiority complex. i guess that's to be expected from an island that lost its empire. zing!

oh, never mind. i forgot the rule that it's ok for ignorant brits to make gross generalizations about americans, but not the reverse.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Yeah but the stuff about the South is true right?

Kendra this country does have an inferiority complex and even worse it is made up of smaller countries which have inferiority complexes (Scotland and Wales). We like to believe we are still a significant force in the world but the fact is we need to focus on our own crap at home more.

[Sidders]

Nicely put 'spode.

[Quincy]

it does say something when people from up t'north say i am rich