Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2014 January 26

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January 26

He was told to come again in three days. or He was told to come again three days later.

Which is correct,"He was told to come again in three days." or "He was told to come again three days later."? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 221.221.146.195 (talk) 04:11, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

They're both fine grammatically. However, the second one is ambiguous. It could also mean he was told three days later to come again. Clarityfiend (talk) 05:28, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The first is more usual, at least in American English. As Fiend says, in the second form it's not clear what happens three days later: the coming or the telling. —Tamfang (talk) 22:18, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

Difference between resuscitation room and rescue room

What is the difference between resuscitation room and rescue room in a hospital? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 221.221.146.195 (talk) 04:14, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Most search hits for "resuscitation room" relate to neonatal care; I'm not finding anything relevant for "hospital rescue room", only a UK concert venue named "Rescue Room".  Do you know of a hospital with both a 'Resuscitation room' and a 'Rescue room'?  I'm wondering if they might be synonymous.   An unverified guess is that a 'Rescue room' is what is colloquially termed a 'crash room' where Code Blue patients are rushed. I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful. ~:71.20.250.51 (talk) 06:10, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

In the UK resuscitation rooms are found most commonly in Emergency Departments or less so in a suite of theatres. In decades working for the health service in the UK I have never heard of a 'Rescue Room'. I suggest it's a naming convention particular to certain countries, like the (confusing) emergency codes. Richard Avery (talk) 13:41, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

sometimes...sometimes...sometimes; now...now...now

To indicate that someone does different things by turns, can we use "sometimes" or "now" three times? Should the third "sometimes" be changed into "at other times", or the third "now" into "then"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.128.183.214 (talk) 10:03, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Sometimes I answer "yes", sometimes "no problem", and sometimes/[at] other times "of course". (It sounds a little better with the "and". The "at" is optional.) Three nows aren't quite as natural, but acceptable. Two nows and a then sounds just a bit odd. I'd be more inclined to say "Now A, then B, and finally C." Clarityfiend (talk) 12:09, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Any more than three, you'd probably want to use ordinals: First, second, third, etc. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:16, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

To me, "now ... now ... now ..." sounds very literary, but feels less vague, as though you're listing the actions he does do rather than the ones he might do. --ColinFine (talk) 17:29, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The "now ... now ... now ..." construction can certainly lend an air of immediacy or rapidity, as Bugs should recall:

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

—Deor (talk) 17:51, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Yes, followed by a series of "somewheres". You can get away with a lot of things in poetry. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:08, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

澳盛銀行 (Chinese)

At the Chinese Wikipedia article here, the name of ANZ Bank is shown as 澳盛銀行. What does the character 盛 signify? Elsewhere I have seen the name written in Chinese as 澳新银行, which makes more sense to me since 澳 stands for Australia and 新 for New Zealand. Is 盛 another way of writing or abbreviating New Zealand? 86.128.0.162 (talk) 21:24, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The article just says that in Taiwan it's known as 澳盛銀行, but in the mainland and Hong Kong it's 澳新银行. No word on why it's that way though. bibliomaniac15 00:15, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Strange French accent

I was listening some child story in French and was surprised by the accent of the reader. My first thought was the text's read by a native English speaker. But then I remembered about Québécois and supposed it might be that. What's the accent anyway?--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 22:28, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Not metropolitan French accent, Canadian French certainly, Québécois may be. — AldoSyrt (talk) 08:53, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I noticed petite is pronounced /ptsit/, which seems typically Canadian/Québécois to me. Aɴɢʀ (talk) 09:03, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Also my ears were struck by very strange <un> and <r> which I don't even know how to transcribe.--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 09:34, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

You can refer to Quebec French phonology for "around twelve different rhotic consonants used in Quebec, depending on region, age and education among other things". — AldoSyrt (talk) 17:45, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Yes, thanks, already yesterday I've found [œ̃˞] for <un> in this article, it's obviously that.--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 00:16, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

I use Québécois for Canadian French bearing in mind that 9/10 French Canadians live there.--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 09:25, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I would say it is Canadian French as well. The "ess-if-ic-ation" of "t" sounds (i.e. "p-SEE" for "petit") is a shibboleth for Canadian French. --Jayron32 17:51, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

This is called "affrication" or in the old-fashioned way "palatalization".--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 00:21, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

Do Affricans speak that way as well?  :) -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 04:42, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Almost all of the French I have spoken over the last 25 years has been with Africans and Haitians, and none of it spoken to me sounded like the recording. μηδείς (talk) 05:12, 29 January 2014 (UTC) OH, that was a joke. Should have noticed your disembiggening. μηδείς (talk) 05:13, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Thank all! I made sure myself, it is indeed more like a Canadian French than an English accent.--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 00:16, 28 January 2014 (UTC)