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#100741 - 04/21/03 01:08 PM Re: Note for newcomers
Krzysztof Offline
newbie

Registered: 03/10/02
Posts: 36
Loc: Warszawa Polska
What does USns mean. I have never met "ns" abbreviation.


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#100742 - 04/21/03 01:12 PM Re: USns
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13657
On this board USns means people from the USA. It's not something you're going to find commonly used in other places.


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#100743 - 04/21/03 01:14 PM Re: USns
rav Offline
member

Registered: 12/07/02
Posts: 122
Loc: Poland, Cracow
geee.. you're fast.. ;P


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#100744 - 04/21/03 02:17 PM Re: USns
Krzysztof Offline
newbie

Registered: 03/10/02
Posts: 36
Loc: Warszawa Polska
Why in American of English you apply so great deal abbreviations. It's obvious that conversation is pleasure but conversation with abbreviations is alike to conversation two robots and it is incomprehensible for the foreigns.


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#100745 - 04/21/03 02:28 PM Re: Note for newcomers
Krzysztof Offline
newbie

Registered: 03/10/02
Posts: 36
Loc: Warszawa Polska
The weather in Poland is very nice now. In Poland winter entirely finished although Polish proverb says April "plecień (in Polish in English it's means a word alike to alternate)" because alternate a little winter a little summer


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#100746 - 04/21/03 02:31 PM Re: USns
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13657
A lot of these abbreviations come from chat rooms where you have to type as fast as you can just to stay in one place. USns is a play on a substandard English version of the first person plural pronoun. The word us is the first person plural accusative and dative pronoun. Using it as the first person plural nominative is a sort of self depricating play on the notion that we USA people are ignorant yokels. We used to say merkin in a similar manner (short for American) but some of the non-USns couldn't shake the notion of the female pubic wig and their giggling was a little annoying, so we quit that.

You might want to PM Emanuela about her difficulties in keeping up with us, difficulties that she overcame to a large degree by coming to last summer's symposium we had in central Michigan.


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#100747 - 04/21/03 03:21 PM Re: USns
sjm Offline
old hand

Registered: 07/19/02
Posts: 742
Loc: Akina
Krzysztof, Faldage has given you an excellent explanation of one reason why USn is used here. There is another. I use it in preference to "American" simply because American literally means someone from the Americas, and that covers anybody from Juneau to Tierra del Fuego. USn appeals to the precisian in me.


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#100748 - 04/21/03 03:33 PM Re: USns
Krzysztof Offline
newbie

Registered: 03/10/02
Posts: 36
Loc: Warszawa Polska
Because I don't know precisely geography US, I would like you to say me where are situated Juneau and Tierra del Fuego


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#100749 - 04/21/03 03:34 PM Re: USns
tsuwm Online confused
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10464
Loc: this too shall pass
thanks sjm, your explanation appeals to the precisian (nice word) in me; and I couldn't figure out how to agreeably disagree with F. <g>


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#100750 - 04/21/03 03:45 PM "this is more difficult than I thought"
wofahulicodoc Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/06/01
Posts: 3789
Loc: Worcester, MA
USn appeals to the precisian in me

It is also a pun, a play on words, because it has two almost-appropriate meanings at the same time, and puns are greatly appreciated on AWAD (no matter how much we proclaim we condemn them).

USns is "us" meaning second-person-plural-accusative pronoun, and simultaneously it is US meaning United States [of America].

Then it is combined with the -n ending, meaning [sometimes] coming from, as in "America -> American;" and also a double meaning as an abbreviation of "one:" a "young one" becomes a "young'un" and then gets to be made plural and used (colloquially) in "we'uns" and "they'uns" and further mis-used as "us'ns." The apostrophe and the letter u are dropped, as unnecessary, in USns.

And finally it sounds informal, so there is the pretense of ignorance as justification for the substandard phrasing.

Who would have thought there could be so much involved in three or four innocent-looking little letters! :-)



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