[Annoy] What's something small that really annoys you?

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#2895314 1-Apr-2022 13:34

The famously-inconsistent rules of English. I was writing about something the other day in a fantasy setting, and I wanted to refer to the language spoken by elves.

In English, the various types of people (British, German, Japanese, etc.) all get a capital letter. By extension the languages also do. However, non-humans like cats and dogs don't get the capital. Even the 'clever' species like dolphins don't get a capital; it seems to only be humans (although the word "humans" itself doesn't get one).

So, presumably, elves don't get a capital E. What about their language? Elvish or elvish? I did some searching and there doesn't seem to be an accepted rule for this sort of thing; apparently even Tolkien switches back and forth in his books, seemingly at random!

I ended up deciding on "elvish" with a small E, because it isn't a name... and was then able to forget all about it until I was just reminded by someone talking about addressing rats in another thread :)

Rikkitic

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#2895323 1-Apr-2022 14:01

Behodar:

The famously-inconsistent rules of English. I was writing about something the other day in a fantasy setting, and I wanted to refer to the language spoken by elves.

In English, the various types of people (British, German, Japanese, etc.) all get a capital letter. By extension the languages also do. However, non-humans like cats and dogs don't get the capital. Even the 'clever' species like dolphins don't get a capital; it seems to only be humans (although the word "humans" itself doesn't get one).

So, presumably, elves don't get a capital E. What about their language? Elvish or elvish? I did some searching and there doesn't seem to be an accepted rule for this sort of thing; apparently even Tolkien switches back and forth in his books, seemingly at random!

I ended up deciding on "elvish" with a small E, because it isn't a name... and was then able to forget all about it until I was just reminded by someone talking about addressing rats in another thread :)

'Elvish' actually means 'elf language'. If 'elf' isn't capitalised, neither should 'elf language' be. 'English language' demonstrates the opposite. It seems completely consistent to me.

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Behodar

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#2895324 1-Apr-2022 14:06

Rikkitic:

'Elvish' actually means 'elf language'. If 'elf' isn't capitalised, neither should 'elf language' be. 'English language' demonstrates the opposite. It seems completely consistent to me.

I think the problem I had was that every other language gets capitalised, so it felt strange to not capitalise "elvish".

Rikkitic

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#2895328 1-Apr-2022 14:16

A not so minor annoyance is 'one size fits all' thinking, especially in government. I live on a farm. Our water comes from a spring, which is wonderful. The spring also feeds livestock watering troughs and a single cottage that is rented out.

I just heard on the news that the new rules regarding water require everyone who supplies water to anyone else must be registered as a water supplier. That water must then be chlorinated. I don't know if this is accurate, but if it is we aren't the only ones who will be caught out by it. This kind of hamfisted regulation is not the way to fix things. I do not live far from Havelock North, where contaminated drinking water set off the chain of events that have led to this. But our water has never sickened anyone over many generations. It is probably some of the best water in the country, certainly a lot better than any mains water. There is an exemption in the new rules for people who are only providing water for themselves. Did it occur to anyone that there may also be rural people 'providing' water to just one or two other families? How is this supposed to work?

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Behodar

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#2895385 1-Apr-2022 14:39

Rikkitic:

Did it occur to anyone that there may also be rural people 'providing' water to just one or two other families? How is this supposed to work?

Well since you're apparently also not allowed to increase rent these days to cover your costs, I guess you're supposed to cut them off and tell them to fend for themselves? Sigh.

It seems to be the Water Services Act, which of course isn't as easy to read as it could be.

Edit: With that said, the words "chlorine" and "chlorination" do not appear in that document. There is a single reference to fluoride.

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#2895388 1-Apr-2022 14:49

Behodar:

Rikkitic:

Did it occur to anyone that there may also be rural people 'providing' water to just one or two other families? How is this supposed to work?

Well since you're apparently also not allowed to increase rent these days to cover your costs, I guess you're supposed to cut them off and tell them to fend for themselves? Sigh.

It seems to be the Water Services Act, which of course isn't as easy to read as it could be.

Edit: With that said, the words "chlorine" and "chlorination" do not appear in that document. There is a single reference to fluoride.

I haven't read that. Just going by the news report. The emphasis seems to be on chlorination as a response to the Havelock North incident.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

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#2895402 1-Apr-2022 15:23

MadEngineer: No, it’s not iso, and showed me a refill bottle that uses butyl cellosolve. If I use iso I’ll void my warranty, apparently.

Purchased a cleaning kit and what’s the ingredient? ISO.

Do any glasses actually need these exotic duck's-tears-harvested-under-a-full-moon-by-dancing-virgins cleaners, or can you just use a drop of detergent in warm water like I've been doing forever?

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#2895407 1-Apr-2022 15:29

Rikkitic:
How is this supposed to work?

By you not drawing attention to it from officialdom and continuing as before?

If I had a penny for every time a builder or plumber has told me "technically you need to do $this but that's really only for $other-situation-that-doesn't-apply and we can just do $that instead and save you three months of pointless paperwork and application filing and thousands of dollars unnecessary work", I'd have... I'd have $1.29.