4 ms·

I'd never seen the word "subvention" before. Today I learned it's another way to say "subsidy".

zeroq 1y ago
here's a list of words that will help you communicate better with Elbonians: sympathetic - pleasent pathetic - exalted eventually - alternatively actually - currently lecture - reading fabric - factory
ml_basics 1y ago
It's a europeanism. In both French and German (and probably other EU languages) the word for "subsidy" is something like "subvention" so native speakers of these language often reach for an unnatural word in English. Btw other examples include "actually" which is used to mean "currently", and "eventually" which is used to mean "maybe". Personally I'm torn whether to consider this incorrect use of the language as it is quite widespread. Maybe it would be better to consider this as the emergence of a new dialect.
- zeroq 1y ago
  You are correct. I actually double checked the word "subvention" on google to see if I'm not misspelling it and the results said I was correct. But yes, I used that word because it was direct translation from my language. Other examples you gave are also correct. Engrish is hard. EDIT: as a kicker I will add that while working for BigCo I was resposible for taking care of colleages coming from abroad and the very first thing I was telling them after saying "hello" was "do not ever ask anyone how are you". ;)
- bobthepanda 1y ago
  It's probably a new dialect if speakers of it understand each other, and also understand when usages of their dialect are wrong. European flavored English has existed for a while though since the existence of the EU as an institution has required a lot of English learning and writing as one of its official languages.
  - tsimionescu 1y ago
    English being just one of the official EU languages would not have mattered much. No one is picking up Portuguese or Polish, even though they are also official languages and have been for a long time. The important fact is that English is the lingua franca of both trade and administration in the EU. People sometimes still learn some French and German, but the vast majority of international EU discussions are in English, both in the EU bureaucracy and in business circles.
- zeroq 1y ago
  oh, and to add to your vocabulary - the word pathetic, especially around Elbonia, can be used with the intention of saying something is full of "pathos".
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - thaumasiotes 1y ago
    Are we just lying for fun now?
    - nottorp 1y ago
      No it's only HNers and their lack of humour. It's a joke and the hint is "Elbonia".
- freetonik 1y ago
  One thing that throws me off even after a decade in Finland is people saying “we are ready” or “you are ready” when they mean “done”.
  - jonah 1y ago
    Dinner is ready when it is done. I'm sure there are others in English as well.
    - freetonik 1y ago
      Yeah, a thing can be ready to be used/eaten/etc. What confuses me sometimes is, for example, a doctor writing some notes on their computer and then saying to me "now you are ready", meaning that we're done and I can go.
      - conductr 1y ago
        In that context, my response would be "ready for what?" Dinner being ready, my car being ready (at a mechanic), things like that have proper context that being ready means being done. I'm an English as single language pleb though
- Xenoamorphous 1y ago
  Yep it’s “subvención” in Spanish.
- unmole 1y ago
  > the word for "subsidy" is something like "subvention" so native speakers of these language often reach for an unnatural word in English. A Google search for subvention turns up government publications from UK, India and South Africa.
  - disgruntledphd2 1y ago
    Yeah it's a real word but it's not commonly used by native speakers.
- nottorp 1y ago
  "Eventually" is the worst false friend I think. Because in english it implies certainty while in latin languages it only implies possibility. But since the meanings are so close, it looks legit in context 90% of the time. "Actually" does look out of place when used in english with the latin meaning so it's safer.
- iib 1y ago
  Some already consider this a new dialect. It's called Euro English[1]. There are some more examples in that wikipedia article. Not just synonyms, but grammar as well. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_English
- rsynnott 1y ago
  Interestingly, it has kind of spread into standard Irish English now, as well. Used very frequently when talking about government subsidies.
zeroq 1y ago
I'm really sorry, engrish is really hard

here's a list of words that will help you communicate better with Elbonians: sympathetic - pleasent pathetic - exalted eventually - alternatively actually - currently lecture - reading fabric - factory

ml_basics 1y ago

It's a europeanism. In both French and German (and probably other EU languages) the word for "subsidy" is something like "subvention" so native speakers of these language often reach for an unnatural word in English. Btw other examples include "actually" which is used to mean "currently", and "eventually" which is used to mean "maybe". Personally I'm torn whether to consider this incorrect use of the language as it is quite widespread. Maybe it would be better to consider this as the emergence of a new dialect.

zeroq 1y ago
You are correct. I actually double checked the word "subvention" on google to see if I'm not misspelling it and the results said I was correct. But yes, I used that word because it was direct translation from my language. Other examples you gave are also correct. Engrish is hard. EDIT: as a kicker I will add that while working for BigCo I was resposible for taking care of colleages coming from abroad and the very first thing I was telling them after saying "hello" was "do not ever ask anyone how are you". ;)
bobthepanda 1y ago
It's probably a new dialect if speakers of it understand each other, and also understand when usages of their dialect are wrong. European flavored English has existed for a while though since the existence of the EU as an institution has required a lot of English learning and writing as one of its official languages.
- tsimionescu 1y ago
  English being just one of the official EU languages would not have mattered much. No one is picking up Portuguese or Polish, even though they are also official languages and have been for a long time. The important fact is that English is the lingua franca of both trade and administration in the EU. People sometimes still learn some French and German, but the vast majority of international EU discussions are in English, both in the EU bureaucracy and in business circles.
zeroq 1y ago
oh, and to add to your vocabulary - the word pathetic, especially around Elbonia, can be used with the intention of saying something is full of "pathos".
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- thaumasiotes 1y ago
  Are we just lying for fun now?
  - nottorp 1y ago
    No it's only HNers and their lack of humour. It's a joke and the hint is "Elbonia".
freetonik 1y ago
One thing that throws me off even after a decade in Finland is people saying “we are ready” or “you are ready” when they mean “done”.
- jonah 1y ago
  Dinner is ready when it is done. I'm sure there are others in English as well.
  - freetonik 1y ago
    Yeah, a thing can be ready to be used/eaten/etc. What confuses me sometimes is, for example, a doctor writing some notes on their computer and then saying to me "now you are ready", meaning that we're done and I can go.
    - conductr 1y ago
      In that context, my response would be "ready for what?" Dinner being ready, my car being ready (at a mechanic), things like that have proper context that being ready means being done. I'm an English as single language pleb though
Xenoamorphous 1y ago
Yep it’s “subvención” in Spanish.
unmole 1y ago
> the word for "subsidy" is something like "subvention" so native speakers of these language often reach for an unnatural word in English. A Google search for subvention turns up government publications from UK, India and South Africa.
- disgruntledphd2 1y ago
  Yeah it's a real word but it's not commonly used by native speakers.
nottorp 1y ago
"Eventually" is the worst false friend I think. Because in english it implies certainty while in latin languages it only implies possibility. But since the meanings are so close, it looks legit in context 90% of the time. "Actually" does look out of place when used in english with the latin meaning so it's safer.
iib 1y ago
Some already consider this a new dialect. It's called Euro English[1]. There are some more examples in that wikipedia article. Not just synonyms, but grammar as well. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_English
rsynnott 1y ago
Interestingly, it has kind of spread into standard Irish English now, as well. Used very frequently when talking about government subsidies.

zeroq 1y ago

I'm really sorry, engrish is really hard