is change in language always a good thing?
can a language get less precise, less beautiful, worse?
this word is falling out of use so fast I feel semi-literate still using it
is change in language always a good thing?
can a language get less precise, less beautiful, worse?
English is declining because too many people speak it. They're transliterating the grammar and semantics from their native languages to English. Alot of languages only have a word for "this" and don't have a word for "that."
As somebody who at least tries to speak the language correctly, what's the difference? When do I use "that" and when "this"?
My English teacher didn't find a way to properly explain it, she was like "THIS" (and pointing to something in her hands) and "THAT" (and pointing to something across the room).
“That” is for things far away and “this” is for things close to you.
Your teacher was not wrong, she just did not convey the principle well. In this respect, ''this'' is generally something well secured or at least in close proximity [note use of ''this'' to indicate the conversation that we share right now, in the current time, not referencing the past or future]. ''That'' indicates a lack of possession and distance in either physical location or time. German speakers often invert these principles when conversing in English. I have trouble communicating in German without being able to make use of this literary feature. This seems to be the primary problem that foreigners have with ''that''. Perhaps this subject deserves a treatment like Harry Frankfurter gave to ''bullshit'' in ''On Bullshit''. If one wants some insight into subtlety within the English language, I recommend this treatise. Yes, it is comedic, but that does not detract from its delicate exploration of nuance.
Better question is when should should I use "it" instead of "that" ? Both seem interchangable most of the time, is there some trick or knowledge that only native speakers know?
>is there some trick or knowledge that only native speakers know?
I do not believe in this principle. I believe only that such things are only easier for the native speaker, not impossible to the foreigner.
>Both seem interchangeable most of the time
One needs to master the underlying abstract concept in order to naturally make use of the surface level polish of perfect selection of words. Given your specific query -
>when should I use "it" instead of "that"?
I am not fond of Stephen King, but the title of ''It'' delves into this a bit. ''It'' is a bit foreign, unknown, and abstract. ''It'' can also apply to things that are well understood, but only once the subtleties are accounted for. ''That'' will always carry the nuance of being foreign, or distant in time or possession. ''That'' never becomes intimate. It must necessarily become ''this'' first. Applied to anything with a soul or personality ''it'' is considered an insult. Calling someone ''it'' dehumanizes them and establishes that every detail of their existence is up for inspection and question. Someone may even refrain from use of ''it'' to refer to a baby of unknown gender. One cannot confidently call it a boy or a girl, yet ''it'' dehumanizes. One is probably better in such a case to completely phrase the subject as ''the child''. I would like to point to narration from Charles Dickens and also of Alan Harrington [for more modern polish] for examples of text that will serve as a foundation. Keep in mind that this is for narration only and not dialogue. There may be a subtlety of ''it'' that I missed. If it seems so, then give a specific set of examples.
Why is it "That's right" and not "This is right"? It has nothing to do with possession yet "that" sounds and probably is the correct word to use.
>It has nothing to do with possession
Possession, location, position in time, abstractedness, and a host of other concepts all share a common thread of relation. If one is confirming ''that's right'', then one is also confirming that there was a question as to the rightness and, therefore, a distance between what is known and what is. ''That is right'' does not just sound more correct. It is more correct. The nuance is subtle, such that many native speakers may not comprehend it, only getting it perfect by rote. Most English teachers will not teach to this level of detail. I was never taught this. I only determined it through analysis of accurate speakers. One can get in trouble by inferring too much from an inaccurate native English speaker, though. They may be operating in rote and not even be aware of what they have implied by their inaccuracy.
>sitting on a sofa with my friend, watching TV
>an advertisement for a sofa appears on the TV
"this couch sucks"--the couch my friend and I are sitting on sucks
"that couch sucks"--the couch in the ad is the one that's not good.
case 1: this = something near you. that = something far. Native speakers can still use this to imply something far away as close to you or the other way around with that ("Look at THAT" when I show you something in my hands to underline how alien, weird, and separate it is. "Look at THIS to show you lightning or a hurricane far away but to make someone feel it's really close)
case 2: comparisons. This hand, that hand, That person, this other person
In what sense is it falling out use?
Do you mean in its optional use in constructions like:
>I sensed [that] something was wrong.
My boss at my copy-editing job bemoans journalists always cutting it in situations like that, apparently because newspapers strive to reduce word counts wherever possible. But of course it is optional, and would seem clunky if, for example, it intruded after 'think' in this line from Keats:
>Until they think warm days will never cease,
One usage that does seem conspicuously archaic is:
>That something was wrong was immediately apparent.
But it comes in handy sometimes. I like the way Beckett often uses that construction to comedic effect in 'Watt', although I think the comma here instead of a colon would no longer be thought good grammar:
>And the reason for that was perhaps this, that the breach ceased to be below.
Very 18th-century vibe.
Maybe OP is saying that "that" has merged with "which."
using "that" for restrictive clauses and "which" otherwise makes a great deal of sense. i am in favor of this convention instead of pretending to be british by replacing every "that" with "which"
>pretending to be british by replacing every "that" with "which"
Is this the convention in the UK? I haven't even noticed. Then again I don't pay much attention to British media.
>Until they think warm days will never cease,
I might perhaps agree that this reads linguistically more clunkily with the ''that'' inserted as you indicate, but that it reads logically more smoothly with the ''that'' inserted. One might ensure that this nuance was accounted when considering best construction.
people don't use that anymore? it's a basic word lmao
They are specifically referencing the distinction between ''this'' and ''that'', not the other applications of ''that''. Whether or not the case is even true is up for debate.
It seems that that is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity and that OP is a gay.
Even that that is having a resurgence but we have a long ways to go.
ah the glory that that days of the late 1820s, right before the great that that crash
the world will never be the same
such a shame that that that that catastrophe had to happen
That that and had had are both revolting
I think they're beautiful
this guy knows;
and that guy
blows
I hope that that word does not fall put of use
I had had a fear that that might have been the case, but it seems that that fear had been unfounded
As a hater of english, I appreciate the downfall of this shitty language and I can only hope the british rats will fall soon.
You don't hate english, you were probably raised on american culture and the english-speaking side of the internet, you owe your entire identity to it. Don't switch gears now because Twitter told you to.
This is something that belongs to you or is something you have knowledge of. That is something you don't own and/or have less knowledge of
In the end that's what happened to Latin, it breaking into constituent parts and developing differently all over the former empire.
In the age of easy communication things of both more together and apart, with micro community's springing up who may as well be speaking German for all I can tell. Like what the frick is rizz?