Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 May 31

= May 31 =

squameus, omnisciens ac benevolus
What does "squameus, omnisciens ac benevolus" mean?68.148.164.166 (talk) 04:33, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
 * "squamous, omniscient, and kind". It's a reference to Rupert Brooke's poem "Heaven":
 * "Immense, of fishy form and mind,
 * Squamous, omnipotent, and kind;"
 * See the discussion here. ---Sluzzelin talk  05:42, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Quelle collection
In the book after the article describing the wine there are words in italics "Quelle collection". Is it the name of some French magazine, book or what? Thank you.--88.84.200.1 (talk) 06:21, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Which article is that? --Lambiam 08:48, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I tried several wikis, but didn't find that article either, nor did I find a wine journal by the name of Quelle Collection or anything related.
 * In French, "quelle collection" could mean "which collection" and "Quelle collection!" translates to "What a collection!". Since you seem to be referring to sources:, "Quelle" means "source" in German, and a German footnote reference might start with "Quelle: Collection XYZ" ("Source: Collection XYZ"). Example: "Quelle: Collection Gremaud" in the German article on Niederernen which has nothing to do with wine though. ---Sluzzelin talk  12:13, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The French is more likely, of course, although without any context I'm not sure why they would use "collection". Adam Bishop (talk) 12:27, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

English, "bother", meanings
Hello. If I am to say that "I am a bit skint, I hope nobody bothers.", will the meaning change in an undesirable way if I pronounce "Bothers" with a very lazy-like substitution of "-th-" with "-vw-" or "-fw-"? I can't help but think that "don't bother" is something one might tell someone else with its meaning unambiguous, while a much more informal "bofwah" (as it would be pronounced) would hint that oneself is not going to bother. An expression of own laziness and intent on not bothering. Am I derailing? 81.93.102.185 (talk) 11:39, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The sentence doesn't make sense to me as it stands. I would replace "I hope nobody bothers" by either "I hope nobody is bothered" or "I hope nobody minds". To many British listeners, "bothered" - with any pronunciation - would immediately bring to mind Catherine Tate's catchphrase "Am I bovvered?". AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:40, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The sentence seems fine as it is, but I would discourage people using the debased Cockney form with "-vv-" or "-fw-" as it does sound very impudent, hence the usage by Catherine Tate's hellish schoolgirl character that makes you want to make sure she is definitley 'bovvered'.--ChokinBako (talk) 18:54, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Voiced '-th-' (/ð/) is often pronounced /v/ by many people from London and surrounding areas, though this is frowned on by the sort of people who choose to frown on other people's speech. (I find its application too general in the future 'Mokni' in Will Self's novel  Dave's Book The Book of Dave, however). I don't recognise a pronunciation with '-fw-' at all, unless you are trying to use that to indicate /v/ somehow. However, with the word 'bother' there are two particular connotations which have arisen for the pronunciation /'bɔvə/: one is the catch-phrase ChokinBako mentions above; the other is the word 'bovver', first recorded in 1969 according to the OED, which means, roughly, 'violence'. --ColinFine (talk) 20:10, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The Self novel is called The Book of Dave. Algebraist 09:54, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
 * True. Corrected above. --ColinFine (talk) 21:32, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Noun phrases without a determiner
What is the grammatical term, if there is one, for a noun phrase without a determiner, like the one in the example below?
 * The house has a deck built of pressure-treated timber.

In the example, "pressure-treated timber" refers generically to a type of material. Is it just an indefinite noun phrase with a mass noun as the based noun, or is there a special term for it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.78.237.206 (talk) 23:13, 31 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm not aware of a special term for it, and the lack of answers up to now suggests that nobody else is either.


 * Humorists have been known to use this construction for comic effect: I'm particularly thinking of the line in The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber, describing the Todal: "It's made of lip". --ColinFine (talk) 21:38, 1 June 2008 (UTC)