this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

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English is weird (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years 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 103 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

🏆 Award for well thought out and educational answer!

[–] UndercoverGranny@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

I can't find the clitic.

[–] rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social 7 points 2 years 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 40 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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

[–] jasondj@ttrpg.network 9 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Jhogenbaum@leminal.space 33 points 2 years ago

You've mail!

[–] Sendpicsofsandwiches@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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

[–] crypticthree@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah, I've definitely heard Brits say similar phrases

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I've a solution!

[–] MorrisonMotel6@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

What's it?

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Transcendant@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 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 33 points 2 years ago (1 children)

‘Bough’ and ‘bow’ are pronounced the same

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

[–] MisterMcBolt@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

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

[–] teft@startrek.website 4 points 2 years ago

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

[–] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

'Knee' and 'Leigh' are pronounced the same.

Well they rhyme, but I wouldn't go as far as to say they're pronounced the same

[–] Transcendant@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Leigh can be pronounced like 'Lee' or 'Lay'

[–] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

No I know that, but knee isn't pronounced like Lee :P

[–] Globulart@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

What does leigh pronounced lay mean...?

[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 4 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Illecors@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 years ago (7 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 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It has utility = it has use

To consume = to use

[–] Transcendant@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

You can have a use for something, and you can also use something (first one is pronounced the same as the end of 'papoose', second one is pronounced the same as 'ooze')

[–] MurrayL@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

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

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[–] triclops6@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 years 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 2 years ago

'uve problm bruv?

[–] Stretch2m@lemm.ee 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Tom Scott has a great video on contractions.

https://youtu.be/CkZyZFa5qO0

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 2 years ago

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 5 points 2 years ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

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

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

[–] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 years ago

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

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

You’ve got mail!

Goodbye!

[–] Lmaydev@programming.dev 3 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Bunnylux@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I actually think that 'you have a problem's and 'you have got/you've got a problem' are subtely different in meaning. If someone has something, they may have had it all along. It sort of has an ongoing ontological quality. If someone has got something, it implies that they got it at some point in time. I think.

[–] CarlsIII@kbin.social 3 points 2 years ago

People do say that though.

[–] helmet91@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

"you have got a problem", which isn't wrong

Can someone explain to me, why isn't it "you have gotten a problem"?

[–] Anonymouse@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Y'all crack me up with many of these comments!

[–] linux2647 1 points 2 years ago

I recently learned these contractions are called “clitics”. Tom Scott did a video on it recently: https://youtu.be/CkZyZFa5qO0

[–] RTRedreovic@feddit.ch 1 points 2 years 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 ĉiuj esperantistoj ĉi tie.

[–] TeaHands@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Saluton, mia amiko 👋

[–] lupec@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years 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 2 years ago

Jes!

(That's Esperanto for "yes". It's pronounced "yes" 😄)

[–] senloke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 years ago

Saluton, kiel vi?

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