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I am a daughter of Sicilian immigrants living in the US. I am (re)learning Sicilian as it was spoken in my house when I was very young. (My nanna & family in Sicily still speak it, though.) I am a radio DJ here with a weekly show, 54/40 or Bust! that plays up & coming Canadian music of all genres that is also podcast after airing. I also do commissioned work as a seamstress making cosplays for comic convention goers. I sometimes do freelance work related to my physics & math degree, though my favourite is when I volunteer at the local community centre doing all day STEM classes for schoolchildren. I have lived in & travelled to many places and love all the differences and similarities of the various cultures this world has to offer. Sicilianu will not be my last language, but I feel that it must be my first (that I am fluent in - I apologise ahead of time to any language partners for any Spanish or Québécois that sneaks into my speech).
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Sicilian
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EnglishNative
Ojibwe
Inuktitut
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  • Answered
    While I'm not sure there is any such thing as "best book" seeing as I have many, many favourites, I would highly recommend that anyone who has reached an advanced level in their English studies to read "Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite" by June Casagrande. It does a very good job of laying out how many of the grammar "rules" that trip up even native English speakers are arbitrary and which "rules" you can safely ignore. Generally if it feels and sounds right then you are using the right phrase. It's very funny and highly engaging and I know that a lot of friends who are native speakers but who have always been uneasy about their grammar found it very useful. That said I would be remiss if I didn't say that Terry Pratchett's Discworld series isn't the greatest book series I have ever read. (But I would not start at the beginning. It is divided into 6 sub-series based on topic and I advocate starting where your interest lies. My recommendations would be the Death series (Death is hilarious), the Watch, or the Industrial Revolution.) I found it because I watched the made for TV movie "The Hogfather" based on one of the books from the Death series, Hogfather, and was hooked. A guide to the subseries: https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-to-read-terry-pratchetts-discworld-series-in-one-h-1567312812
    0 voted
    April 15, 2018
    1
  • Answered
    It's hard to correct it because it's hard to figure out what you are trying to say.
    0 voted
    April 15, 2018
    0
  • Posted
    Na presentazione di Frankie 'nta sicilianu Ciau. Frankie sugnu. Nun parra sicilianu beni. 'Mericana sugnu pèro ma famigghia eranu sicilianu e quachhi campari ddà. Jo vulu parrari cu iddi. Aju lu prugramma radio di mùsica a Canada e podcast macari. Pi mi travagghiu jo fazzu li robbi. Aju dui finiri nni vènniri. Jo scrivu, cùsiri, e fazzu l'arti pr divertimento.
    April 4, 2018
    1
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  • Answered
    In this context fairly is used to mean "a bit" whereas rather is meant to mean "a lot." It's just a matter of degrees, really. In other contexts the two cannot be used as interchangeably as Rather also means "preferable" and fairly means "justly" or "impartially" (See the examples.) Fairly vs. rather: “I’m fairly tired” means I’m tired but I’ll get through the day, while “I’m rather tired” implies I’m probably going to go back to bed. "I thought the evening went fairly well." means that there weren't any problems & the speaker has no complaints. "I thought the evening went rather well." means that the evening was fun. Other definitions/uses of "Rather" and when not to use fairly: "I would rather get delivery then cook." or "I would rather go dancing then see a movie." In this case you can see that by substituting 'fairly' (I would fairly get delivery then cook) doesn't make any sense since in this context rather is meant to imply a preference between two choices/suggest an alternative. Other definitions/uses of "Fairly" and when not to use rather: "He felt that he had not been treated fairly by the police." "They were only asking to be paid fairly for their time."
    0 voted
    April 4, 2018
    1
  • Answered
    There is actually no real difference difference. Even the English grammar/style guides cannot agree on this subject. (I really do apologise for English.) You use whichever one sounds/feels/works better in the sentence. It really doesn't matter - it's more an issue of stylistic choice then grammatical. Strunk and White's Manual of Style as well as Miriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage will both back you (and me) up on this point. Some grammar and style manuals don't even bother to address the topic. I hope this helps. If you need further clarity please let me know, but the bottom line is - there's no difference at all. EDIT: June Casagrande has written multiple books on grammar (she worked as an editor for years) and here she is talking about the subject: https://player.fm/series/124995/192375969
    0 voted
    April 4, 2018
    2
  • Posted
    Is there a word for fun in sicilianu?
    April 3, 2018
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