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Old 11-29-2015, 09:26 AM   #1161
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Why not just call a city what its inhabitants call it?
City? Heck, whole countries get mangled names. I had a rental car in Germany (aka Deutschland) many years ago and got very lost looking for a town in Bavaria (aka Bayern). I'm not very smart, but when I saw the "Welcommen to Osterreich" (aka Austria) sign, I figured I was probably headed in the wrong direction.

Oh--other (esoteric, but related) pet peeves about German roads/driving:
- No right turns on red lights (generally)
- Use of only white lines to mark roads. I never appreciated the US use of yellow lines to separate opposing traffic and white lines for same-way lanes until I drove in Germany. It's usually not a problem, but it can get confusing in airports and other places with lanes that switch back or have access roads.
- On the Autobahn, there are no signs telling which cardinal direction a road goes. In the US, you can get on I10 Eastbound or Westbound. In Germany you are offered the chance get on the A9 to Beyruth or Nurnberg. If you know you want to go north, but don't know where those towns are, you are SOL.
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Old 11-29-2015, 10:24 AM   #1162
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Why not just call a city what its inhabitants call it?
Fair enough. I'll remember that the next time I go to
Llanfairwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch.
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Old 11-29-2015, 10:58 AM   #1163
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Well, the above long name spelling is actually easy to remember once you realize that it is just like how it is pronounced.

See: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch (or Llanfair PG for short) - Pronunciation.
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Old 11-29-2015, 11:04 AM   #1164
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I learned to read and write English long before I had anybody to converse with. I think that must be the reason grammatical errors and mispellings, particularly my own when I later spot them, bother the hell out of me.
My parents spoke a dialect version of Italian that often left off the last vowel in a word. For example Provolone cheese was "Provolon". The first thing I had to do when I started learning it on my own was to un-learn my parents pronunciation. For some reason, my grandmother loved to pronounce the 'h' in front of Italian words where it was supposed to be silent. Sometimes she even added an 'h' sound where there was no 'h' at all. It must have been revenge for English words like knife.

Among other Italian quirks I have found are:

Pasticceria can be a pastry shop or a small bite size pastry. Be careful what you order or you might be buying the entire place!

Italians also have similar words that vary only because the middle letter is or is not repeated, such as anno and ano. If you don't emphasize the double n's in anno (meaning a year), you pronounce the another word that is not quite as nice.

And, of course, Italian often uses what seems like a double negative to an English speaker.
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Old 11-29-2015, 11:06 AM   #1165
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One night at the Hyatt Regency in Austin... Hotel was practically empty. 1/3 of the hotel is being remodeled so the hotel gladly offered upgrades of a view that didn't overlook construction...only $30 more.

$19 to self park. Every time the doorman opened the door for you they seemed to expect a tip.

Self-inflicted frustration.. I should have booked a value hotel. Room price would have been the same, but parking would be free and you wouldn't see staff with their hands out at every corner.
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Old 11-29-2015, 12:43 PM   #1166
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Incorrect pronunciation is not limited to names of foreign cities. My relatives call the US capital "Warshington". Someday they may look closely and see there is no "r" in that name.
That's just the Pennsylvania accent, where on an warm day one might "warsh your car".

Somehow I picked it up from either my father or visiting PA relatives frequently and got teased about it at school.
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Old 11-29-2015, 02:12 PM   #1167
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That's just the Pennsylvania accent, where on an warm day one might "warsh your car".

Somehow I picked it up from either my father or visiting PA relatives frequently and got teased about it at school.
Not just Pennsylvania and goes back quite some time to early English/Irish settlers, like the word "arse".
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Old 11-29-2015, 02:17 PM   #1168
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One night at the Hyatt Regency in Austin... Hotel was practically empty. 1/3 of the hotel is being remodeled so the hotel gladly offered upgrades of a view that didn't overlook construction...only $30 more.

$19 to self park. Every time the doorman opened the door for you they seemed to expect a tip.
Yes. I had a similar experience a big name hotel. A cheap room rate but $10 to park the car and NO in-and-out privileges. The only restaurant within walking distance was the hotel restaurant and they new it ($$$$) . $15 for internet access. And the room was that just that - a room, decently sized, ok furnishings, and with the smell of cleaner that never goes away and no window that can be opened to air it out. Not so good.

Fool me once.......
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Old 11-29-2015, 02:25 PM   #1169
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...Almost as bad as using the term tread when referencing a thread on the forum....
I assumed that it was just a typo.
I wonder why people think that when they are online searching the Internet that "online" is two words.
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Old 11-29-2015, 02:27 PM   #1170
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I used to say "warsh" instead of "wash." (DW says I still slip into the old habit from time to time.) Years ago, a buddy would give me a load of crap for it. He was relentless, teasing and making fun of me whenever I'd slip up. One day he had an urgent need to borrow my pickup to haul something and came running over to get the keys. "Sorry," I said, "I'll be using the truck this afternoon. I'm going to 'warsh' it." And I stuck to my guns even though it put him in a jam.

Hee... hee... Our relationship is still a bit strained even though many years have passed! But I got the truck "warshed" and he got to strap a couch to the roof of his sedan. We both won!
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Old 11-29-2015, 02:31 PM   #1171
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Almost as bad as using the term tread when referencing a thread on the forum.
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Originally Posted by Walt34 View Post
That's just the Pennsylvania accent, where on an warm day one might "warsh your car".
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I assumed that it was just a typo.
I think Walt may have nailed it.
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Old 11-29-2015, 04:10 PM   #1172
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Computer generated oh so sincere happy birthday email greetings. What programmers bright idea was that?

A few days ago had deleted a bunch of them.
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Old 11-29-2015, 04:13 PM   #1173
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Computer generated oh so sincere happy birthday email greetings.
I'll expand that to spam and junk email in general.
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Old 11-29-2015, 05:59 PM   #1174
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Here's something more than a pet peeve, in fact it got me fairly upset until I calmed down and decided not to let it ruin an occasion.

In a recent dinner cruise in Hawaii, it took a long time to board, and the line hardly moved. It turned out that passengers had to run through a gauntlet where their photo was taken, to be sold to them for $20 when they disembarked later.

I know there were people whose vacation was to commemorate an anniversary, and they would appreciate a photo of the occasion. But for others, heck, if I bought every of these expensive photos, I would run out of wall space to display them. I don't know how many of these photos got purchased, but every guest went through the motion in order to be polite. There was no way to cut through the line, skip this photo op, and get quickly to the deck to enjoy what we paid money for.

And then, next day the same thing happened with a raft expedition to go snorkeling. Luckily, the ritual did not take as long with only 20 passengers.

Good grief! What's next? Will they make us pose for photos before letting us into a museum, a castle, a national park?
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Old 11-29-2015, 07:44 PM   #1175
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What's next? Will they make us pose for photos before letting us into a museum, a castle, a national park?
It's already more common than you might think.
Last year we had the same experience simply entering a museum. Bought our tickets, went through the turnstile and found ourselves unable to proceed into the actual exhibits without going through the photo routine.

I got a bit grumpy and refused to let them take my picture, which seemed to unsettle them but they let us pass. On the way out we passed through the wall of photos they were selling people as they left.

This was a large and popular attraction in the USA. My thought was someone figured it wouldn't hurt to bring in a little extra cash. It's bad enough you can't exit any museum or similar attraction these days without being routed through the gift shop!
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Old 11-29-2015, 07:54 PM   #1176
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That's just the Pennsylvania accent, where on an warm day one might "warsh your car".

Somehow I picked it up from either my father or visiting PA relatives frequently and got teased about it at school.

My dad grew up in rural California and he always said "warsh". Funny, I heard John Kerry speaking, I guess in 2004 when he was running for President, and he said the word the same way.


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Old 11-29-2015, 08:54 PM   #1177
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It's already more common than you might think.
Last year we had the same experience simply entering a museum. Bought our tickets, went through the turnstile and found ourselves unable to proceed into the actual exhibits without going through the photo routine...
Darn! I was joking. It already happened. Oh my gosh! I will have to be homebound.
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Old 11-29-2015, 09:15 PM   #1178
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Lack of basic manners in some of my peers, relatives, and their kids:

1. No thank you notes or acknowledgments of gifts sent at Christmas or birthdays.

2. Lack of acknowledgement (like standing up, walking across the room, and greeting with a hello/hug/or handshake) when I pay them a visit (especially after traveling, sometimes, hundreds or thousands of miles). (And it's not like I'm unwelcome. I've been invited!)

3. Not standing or walking a guest to the door to say goodbye. Just staying seated, glued to the TV, and saying "Bye."

4. Pointing out all the "stuff" I don't have. (Usually electronic in nature. I could buy any of that stuff if I wanted it, but am happy with my relatively simple life.)

5. So many folks' eye contact glued to their phones. Much less eye contact during conversations.

6. Adolescent relatives' critiques of my vocabulary, wardrobe, and electronic skills. No interest in anything I might have to offer the human race. (Same kids who acknowledge no gifts.....)


Guess I've simply joined the realm of "old fart-dom." Though there seem to be plenty of people who don't relegate me to that land......

Actually, one thing seems clear. My favorite friends and relatives are the ones who, for whatever reason, have none of those behaviors, 1-6. They may not even like me.........but that might be hidden by their good manners!

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Old 11-30-2015, 03:33 AM   #1179
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Litgal,

Why do you go visit people like that even if you are invited? I don't think I would. I don't think it's just a matter of lack of manners.


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Old 11-30-2015, 06:51 AM   #1180
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Lack of basic manners in some of my peers, relatives, and their kids:

1. No thank you notes or acknowledgments of gifts sent at Christmas or birthdays..........
All good ones, but #1 really bugs me. I think it is the associated sense of entitlement that it confers that grinds me.
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