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Re: counting commas

From David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk>
Newsgroups linux.debian.user
Subject Re: counting commas
Date 2024-01-20 00:10 +0100
Message-ID <HY69P-4evz-1@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <HXWk9-48pp-1@gated-at.bofh.it> <HXYYF-4a8y-5@gated-at.bofh.it> <HXZ8m-4abx-7@gated-at.bofh.it> <HY0e6-4aNp-5@gated-at.bofh.it> <HY0QN-4bgh-7@gated-at.bofh.it>
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On Fri 19 Jan 2024 at 17:25:10 (+0000), debian-user@howorth.org.uk wrote:
> Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> wrote:
> 
> > I won, and you lost
> 
> There shouldn't be a comma in that sentence, in English. There is in
> the closely related expression "I won, you lost."

That's rather proscriptive. "I won and you lost." and
"I won, and you lost." are two different sentences.

The first is a more neutral statement of fact. The
second carries an implication of triumphalism or
mockery: many speakers would expect a swoop upwards
in intonation on "won", a pause, and a steep drop
between "you" and "lost"; kinda like:

  -⭜   ·¯⭝

if that works in your font.

What you lose (sorry) in "I won, you lost." is the
anacrusis, the ·, which many would pronounce "ən",
as in ənyeeoo. Without it, I'd be inclined to write
"I won. You lost." (similar intonation).

Disclaimer: my choice of intonation was to illustrate
one difference. There are many more ways of saying
all of those sentences.

Cheers,
David.

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Thread

counting commas fxkl47BF@protonmail.com - 2024-01-19 08:20 +0100
  Re: counting commas John Crawley <john@bunsenlabs.org> - 2024-01-19 08:30 +0100
  Re: counting commas <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-01-19 09:10 +0100
  Re: counting commas "Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net> - 2024-01-19 09:30 +0100
    Re: counting commas Michael Grant <mgrant@grant.org> - 2024-01-19 12:20 +0100
    Re: counting commas Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-01-19 13:40 +0100
      Re: counting commas "Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net> - 2024-01-19 16:30 +0100
        Re: counting commas fxkl47BF@protonmail.com - 2024-01-19 16:40 +0100
          Re: counting commas Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-01-19 17:50 +0100
            Re: counting commas fxkl47BF@protonmail.com - 2024-01-19 18:30 +0100
            Re: counting commas debian-user@howorth.org.uk - 2024-01-19 18:30 +0100
              Re: counting commas John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-01-19 21:10 +0100
                Re: counting commas Nicholas Geovanis <nickgeovanis@gmail.com> - 2024-01-20 04:00 +0100
                Re: counting commas Nicholas Geovanis <nickgeovanis@gmail.com> - 2024-01-20 05:00 +0100
              Re: counting commas David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2024-01-20 00:10 +0100
                Re: counting commas Cindy Sue Causey <butterflybytes@gmail.com> - 2024-01-20 01:10 +0100
                Re: counting commas Peter Hillier-Brook <phb@hbsys.plus.com> - 2024-01-20 01:10 +0100
                Re: counting commas Curt <curty@free.fr> - 2024-01-20 18:20 +0100
                Re: counting commas Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-01-20 18:30 +0100
                Re: counting commas fxkl47BF@protonmail.com - 2024-01-20 18:40 +0100
                Re: counting commas Curt <curty@free.fr> - 2024-01-20 18:40 +0100
                Re: counting commas David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2024-01-20 21:10 +0100
        Re: counting commas Nicholas Geovanis <nickgeovanis@gmail.com> - 2024-01-20 03:50 +0100
          Re: counting commas gene heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2024-01-20 06:50 +0100
          Re: counting commas gene heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2024-01-20 07:00 +0100
          Re: counting commas "Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@rtellason.com> - 2024-01-20 21:40 +0100
            Re: counting commas gene heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2024-01-20 22:10 +0100
            Re: counting commas John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-01-21 01:10 +0100
              Re: counting commas gene heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2024-01-21 01:20 +0100
                Re: counting commas John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-01-21 01:30 +0100
                Re: counting commas gene heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2024-01-21 02:10 +0100

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