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English is weird (lemmy.world)

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 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

🏆 Award for well thought out and educational answer!

[-] UndercoverGranny@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

I can't find the clitic.

[-] rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social 7 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

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

[-] jasondj@ttrpg.network 9 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Jhogenbaum@leminal.space 33 points 8 months ago

You've mail!

[-] Sendpicsofsandwiches@sh.itjust.works 21 points 8 months ago

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

[-] crypticthree@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yeah, I've definitely heard Brits say similar phrases

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 21 points 8 months ago
[-] MorrisonMotel6@lemm.ee 11 points 8 months ago
[-] kamenlady@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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 32 points 8 months ago

‘Bough’ and ‘bow’ are pronounced the same

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

[-] MisterMcBolt@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

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

[-] teft@startrek.website 4 points 8 months ago

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

[-] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

'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 8 months ago

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

[-] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Globulart@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

What does leigh pronounced lay mean...?

[-] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 4 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

I've got all but the use/use one. What's the other usecase if one is "to consume"?

[-] frosty99c@midwest.social 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It has utility = it has use

To consume = to use

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

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

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[-] triclops6@lemmy.ca 13 points 8 months ago

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 8 months ago

'uve problm bruv?

[-] Stretch2m@lemm.ee 13 points 8 months ago

Tom Scott has a great video on contractions.

https://youtu.be/CkZyZFa5qO0

[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 8 months ago

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[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months 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 8 months ago
[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 5 points 8 months ago

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[-] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months 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 8 months ago

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

[-] intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 points 8 months ago

You’ve got mail!

Goodbye!

[-] Lmaydev@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago

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

[-] Bunnylux@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

People do say that though.

[-] helmet91@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

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

[-] linux2647 1 points 8 months 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 8 months ago

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 8 months ago
[-] lupec@lemm.ee 2 points 8 months ago

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 8 months ago

Jes!

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

[-] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 2 points 8 months ago
[-] senloke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 8 months ago

Saluton, kiel vi?

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this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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